National Leader of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola
Tinubu has accused those he called “political charlatans” as responsible
for peddling rumor of an alleged feud between him and Lagos State
Governor, Babatunde Fasola.
Tinubu in a statement said while he often time agree and disagree with
Fasola, both have often agreed putting the interest of Lagos first.
He described as mere conjectures and outright falsehood reports that the
outcome of the Party’s primaries that Produced Akinwunmi Ambode as the APC
Governorship candidate for Lagos State has divided him and his successor.
The Statement reads:
My relationship with Fashola is intact
For a while now, I have noticed and read many published political stories
on Lagos politics in particular and the personalities involved that are
either concerted, unsubstantiated, pure conjectures or outright falsehood.
In this instance, I reference a recent story ran by a major newspaper
concerning my successor and me. There is no doubt political charlatans and
enemies are at work fueling unnecessary rumour and insinuations and
seeking to drive a wedge in an otherwise cordial and respectful political
relationship. My relationship with Governor Fashola remains cordial both
at the personal level and at the level of commitment to ensuring Lagos
State remains on the path of political stability, growth and development.
Whether Governor Fashola had a specific candidate or not isn’t the issue
here. What is important is to have a transparent process in the spirit of
democracy to which we both subscribe. We often debate, agree or
disagree. But when it comes to concluding on the interest of Lagos State,
we are on the same page. The current situation and issues around the Lagos
Gubernatorial primary are being overblown. What we have done is ensure
that no one is denied his or her rights to participate and compete for any
elective position. Such a disposition should not translate into anger and
divisiveness of the party as it is being peddled. Conflicts and
disagreements is part of every political process. The capacity to solve
these conflicts in-house and not on the pages of newspaper is a tradition
in Lagos.
We warn the people of Lagos state against speculative, self-serving
stories aimed at destabilizing the party and its leadership. The media
must be weary of accepting or publishing stories that seek to pursue a
narrow political agenda. Rather, they should make their paper a platform
for proper news dissemination and constructive analysis such that can help
our country tackle the current security problem, create jobs.
While we appreciate, recognize and respect the right of every media house
to publish any story, it is important not to be part of the feeding frenzy
and not to mislead the unsuspecting public.
At my age and with my level of political experience, I am expected to seek
for solutions, work for reconciliations and find a common ground where
disagreements exist. That is what I have dedicated myself to in the larger
interest of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. That is what Governor
Babatunde Fashola and myself are about. That is what Lagos state deserves
as Nigeria’s pacesetter in terms of democracy and development.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu