₦airaland Forum

Former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, has alleged that some people around President Bola Tinubu do not want former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, in the Federal Government because he would not tolerate certain practices within the administration.

Akande said Fashola’s absence from the government could partly be due to fatigue, but argued that opposition from people around the President was a more significant factor.

He spoke during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered podcast published by Symfoni TV on Friday.

“I think the reason why Fashola is not in this government, two reasons. I think Fashola himself has a bit of fatigue, more importantly, I think there are people around the president who don’t want to see Fashola because Fashola is not going to tolerate many of those things that you are seeing around,” Akande said.

He added that Fashola was known for standing his ground and would not compromise his principles to accommodate questionable practices.

“Whatever you say about Fashola, he doesn’t take nonsense and the people who wanted to get some nonsense going, they didn’t want Fashola,” he said.

Akande did not identify the people he accused of opposing Fashola’s inclusion in the administration or provide specific examples of the practices he alleged they wanted to protect.

His claims could not be independently verified.

Fashola, who served as Lagos governor between 2007 and 2015, later joined the cabinet of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, serving first as Minister of Power, Works and Housing before becoming Minister of Works and Housing.

He has not held a position in Tinubu’s administration since the President assumed office in May 2023.

Akande, however, said Fashola remained close to Tinubu, claiming that there had been no major public fallout between the two politicians.

“Even somebody like Fashola, who is still very close to the president, no problems openly,” he said, while suggesting that there could be underlying issues despite the absence of an open disagreement.

Akande also criticised what he described as the limited influence of some capable people in Tinubu’s administration, arguing that the President had not fully benefited from having individuals who could challenge him when necessary.

He cited Fashola as an example of someone he believed would stand his ground, while alleging that some people around the President preferred not to have such figures in government.

Akande did not provide evidence to establish that Fashola’s absence from the administration resulted from opposition by people close to Tinubu.

Neither the Presidency nor Fashola has responded to the claims in the reported interview.

AMINDA:
Like Fashola, like Elrufai. Tinubu cannot stand competent opinionated men who can stand their own ground and tell him the truth. He prefers yes-men and sycophants who sing the mandate song and wear the slavechain insignia cap. Tinubu should stop hiding behind a finger. It wasn't those around him who didn't want Fashola. It was Tinubu himself. Fashola only got second tenure because Tinubu had no choice. He was going to get the Ambode treatment in his second stint as governor.

madridguy:
Oga Aminda, we all saw Fashola SAN activeness during Jagaban election. He mounted the control room and he needs some rest after 16 straight years serving Lagos and Nigeria.

AMINDA:
Like Fashola, like Elrufai. Tinubu cannot stand competent opinionated men who can stand their own ground and tell him the truth. He prefers yes-men and sycophants who sing the mandate song and wear the slavechain insignia cap. Tinubu should stop hiding behind a finger. It wasn't those around him who didn't want Fashola. It was Tinubu himself. Fashola only got second tenure because Tinubu had no choice. He was going to get the Ambode treatment in his second stint as governor.

slivertongue:
Fash wouldn't have performed differently

AMINDA:
Like Fashola, like Elrufai. Tinubu cannot stand competent opinionated men who can stand their own ground and tell him the truth. He prefers yes-men and sycophants who sing the mandate song and wear the slavechain insignia cap. Tinubu should stop hiding behind a finger. It wasn't those around him who didn't want Fashola. It was Tinubu himself. Fashola only got second tenure because Tinubu had no choice. He was going to get the Ambode treatment in his second stint as governor.

Borrow2222:
Once you're not an ethnic bigot and corrupt, you will not have a place in the APC federal government.

Fashola was the only person from the SW who openly condemned the renaming of streets in Lagos, stating that street names have deep meaning and shouldn't be changed because of bigotry.

They hate anybody who is not an ethnic bigot; that's the same reason they hate OBJ.

Godfullsam:
You mean El rufai is a competent and opinionated man?

Are you really OK? I mean, is everything alright with you?

AMINDA:
Tinubu himself described him as such by this time in Kaduna 3 years ago when he begged "Dear Brother Nosiru" to help make him president. Unless you are affirming that Tinubu was not telling the truth, then I will believe you. No matter what your opinions about Elrufai are, you cannot take way his competence and administration away from him. He governed FCT over 20 years ago and he still remains the yardstick whom other ministers are compared with. He governed Kaduna for 8 years and the beautiful infrastructure you see in the pictures today of the city are his handwork, even though the current governor can barely keep the city clean, which was the barest minimum during Elrufai. Sometimes, travel and see.

AndroBlaze:
All this noise for someone who still couldn't win his state in a presidential election and only luckily defeated PDP a week later in the Governorship election.

Keep lionizing someone who inspires derision more than loyalty. Someone that even his family members struggle to defend.

AMINDA:
Like Fashola, like Elrufai. Tinubu cannot stand competent opinionated men who can stand their own ground and tell him the truth. He prefers yes-men and sycophants who sing the mandate song and wear the slavechain insignia cap. Tinubu should stop hiding behind a finger. It wasn't those around him who didn't want Fashola. It was Tinubu himself. Fashola only got second tenure because Tinubu had no choice. He was going to get the Ambode treatment in his second stint as governor.

Benwallt:
At least, just like you have seen, everyone can see the hand of Tinubu in Fashola and elrufai rise. What can we say about Agulu fraudster. Nothing

AMINDA:
Tinubu has no hand in Fashola or Elrufai's rise. He rather benefitted immensely from them. He opposed Fashola during his second term and nearly denied him return ticket but was prevailed upon after been advised that Fashola might defect and win on his own. He ended up claiming all Fashola's achievements in Lagos as his own and ran for presidency based on those achievements. He also opposed Fashola's nomination as Buhari’s minister. What did Tinubu do for Elrufai? Rather, Elrufai made Tinubu president after he publicly begged him in Kaduna, only for Tinubu to betray him.

Sheuns:
Whatever Tinubu is today can be credited to Fashola.

Had Fashola left ACN when Tinubu decided to block his second term ambition, Tinubu and ACN would have died a natural death as there’s no way on earth Tinubu and ACN would have defeated Fashola had he gone to another party then.

ACN/APC gained recognition in the Southwest just because of the works Fashola did as governor in Lagos, this in turn helped APC in the 2015 general elections.

Fashola isn’t a sycophant.

Benwallt:
The thing is, why didn't Fashola leave during the imaginary Tinubu blocking? He knew that will be his end political so he retraced his steps.

Hemanwel:
Bola Tinubu didn't win his own Lagos State in the 2023 general elections; but he is incarcerating another person for not winning Kaduna.

#TinubuMustGo