Contrary to outburst by Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu that he was instrumental to solving a rift between the national leader of All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the incumbent Lagos Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, the former has declared that he never had any rift with the incumbent.
Media reports were rife yesterday, crediting an outburst by the Lagos paramount monarch that he settled a rift involving Tinubu and Fashola.
Report according Guardian stated; Akiolu, who has a reputation of freely speaking his minds, said sycophants were behind the controversies between the two political heavy weights. The Oba, while speaking at the commemorative event of Fashola’s 2,900 Days in Office, said his intervention in the conflict, indeed, saved the party and prepared it for what it has become today.
The conflict in question was one of the worst kept secrets in Lagos political sphere and it dated back to Fashola’s bid for second-term. Speaking in Yoruba language to a packed audience yesterday, Akiolu said: “Let me tell you, I am not a party politician but I am a politician of Iga-Iduganran (Lagos palace domain). I am not afraid of anybody; I only fear God.
I am not even afraid of death but I am not going to die yet. “When there was a controversy, all the elders and monarchs throughout the federation started calling me to intervene. They told me, you worked in the police for 32 years.
Will you be looking at these your sons? Don’t ignore the two of them. “There are many sycophants in your party. The sycophants will go to my elder son (Tinubu) to instigate him against my younger son (Fashola).
But Tinubu on the contrary stated that he has never had any fight with the present governor of Lagos state, Governor Babatunde Fashola.
Tinubu who was reacting to rumours that he had a face-off with Fashola wrote on Twitter: “Between Fashola and myself there has never been any fight only disagreements over procedures in the past. It borders on the party position,” Tinubu wrote on his Twitter account.
He stated further that: “All this is in the past. What we have achieved politically in Lagos and Nigeria is a result of team work, political compatibility and vision,” he said.
It would be recalled that it was reported that Asiwaju and Fashola fell out before the governorship primaries in Lagos state. Political analysts claimed that Tinubu imposed Lagos governor-elect Akinwunmi Ambode on the party.
The same people will go to my younger son and instigate him against my elder son. “But God will never be put to shame. So I called the two of them separately. I told them they have to listen to me and that if they refuse, I will hands off.
But to God be the glory, they listened to me,” he said.
|
