Ex-aide claims Tinubu allies opposed Fashola's cabinet role due to his principled stance

Laolu Akande, a former aide to the presidency, claimed that certain members of President Bola Tinubu’s close circle resisted the inclusion of ex-Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola in the present federal government. During an appearance on the Naija Unfiltered podcast, released by Symfoni TV on Friday, Akande suggested that while personal exhaustion played a role in Fashola’s exclusion from the cabinet, opposition from the President’s entourage was the more critical reason.

According to Akande, Fashola is recognized for his unwavering commitment to his values and refuses to bend his rules to tolerate behaviors he deems improper. According to the former aide, those who wished to continue certain questionable activities within the administration did not want Fashola in a position of power because he would not tolerate them. The former aide failed to name the specific people he blamed for blocking Fashola’s entry into the administration, nor did he offer concrete instances of the questionable practices those individuals allegedly tried to preserve. His claims could not be independently verified.

Background

Babatunde Fashola served as the Governor of Lagos State from 2007 to 2015. He later entered the cabinet of the deceased President Muhammadu Buhari, first taking the role of Minister of Power, Works and Housing before assuming the portfolio of Minister of Works and Housing. Fashola has not occupied any role in President Tinubu’s government since the leader took office in May 2023. Despite his non-inclusion in the current cabinet, Akande maintained that Fashola remains close to President Tinubu, asserting that there has been no open public fallout between the two politicians, though he suggested underlying issues might exist.

In the same interview, Akande also discussed the political dynamics during the Buhari administration. He alleged that President Tinubu was marginalised within the All Progressives Congress (APC) between 2015 and 2023, despite his contributions to Buhari’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate in 2015. Akande claimed to have witnessed instances where Tinubu was sidelined at party meetings, stating that he sat in meetings where Tinubu was placed behind him. He further alleged that candidates nominated by Tinubu for ministerial positions, including Alake and Edun, were rejected in favour of others to undermine Tinubu’s influence. Akande did not provide details on the specific meetings or identify the officials responsible for these decisions. He observed that Tinubu stayed engaged in politics and awaited a chance to run for the presidency, pointing to the naira redesign dispute as one of the hurdles encountered prior to the 2023 general election.

Why it matters

The allegations highlight internal tensions within the ruling party and the President’s administration regarding the selection of cabinet members. Akande’s comments suggest that the exclusion of high-profile figures like Fashola may be driven by a desire to maintain control over administrative practices rather than a lack of political alignment. The former aide argued that effective governance requires individuals who are willing to challenge the President’s decisions or the actions of those around them when they believe they are wrong. By highlighting Fashola as a politician who would hold his ground, Akande suggested that the current government might be missing enough strong voices to offer proper checks and balances. The inability to verify these claims or identify the specific individuals involved leaves the extent of the internal opposition unclear, but the remarks raise questions about the decision-making processes within the executive branch.

What happens next

The sources do not state any specific next steps, pending decisions, or future dates related to these allegations. There is no indication of an official response from President Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola, or the All Progressives Congress regarding Akande’s claims. The article reports only on the statements made during the podcast interview and the lack of independent verification of the alleged events.