How Tinubu defied ACN bigwigs to anoint Fashola in 2007 — Ex-aide

By Efe Onodjae

Professor Dapo Thomas, former aide to President Bola Tinubu during his tenure as governor of Lagos State, has recounted how the President defied pressure from influential leaders of the then Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, to install Babatunde Fashola as the party’s governorship candidate in 2007.

Fashola later won the governorship election, defeating Musiliu Obanikoro of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Thomas, in his autobiography, Lagos Boy and Lagos Politics, revealed that despite several meetings held by prominent ACN elders, including Olatunji Hamzat, Bushura Alebiosu, Ajisebutu, Baba Taiwo and Baba Pupa, to persuade Tinubu to abandon his choice of Fashola, the then Lagos governor stood his ground.

The Professor of International Relations at Lagos State University in Chapter 73, page 389, of the 445 pages book recounted: “On Thursday, June 1, 2006, our assignment began in earnest. We set our goal, to ensure victory for ACN in the April 14, 2007, governorship election with just one goal: to ensure victory for ACN in the April 14, 2007, governorship election in Lagos State. We set our objectives as well:

(i) to evaluate our 10-point agenda and identify our policy strengths and weaknesses as a government and as a party;

(ii) to determine or identify which of the 10-point agenda would still excite the electorate during the campaign after seven years in government; and

(iii) to prepare a working document that would guide the party’s governorship candidate on how government had executed its 10-point agenda.

“Our methodology was simple. We made use of resident special assistants who would give us a comprehensive presentation on the activities of their respective ministries, stating in clear terms the process and extent of implementation of relevant government’s agenda. For instance, the resident S.A. in the ministry of agriculture would address the forum on how well the ministry had been able to translate or implement government’s food security agenda vis-a-vis facilitation of sustainable food production and processing; empowerment of farmers/fishermen cooperative societies, and the ministry’s role in providing support for strategic food preservation and development of farm settlements.

“After the presentation, a workshop would naturally follow to firm up loose ends in the presentation. Our approach to the assignment was both conceptual and practical. The 10-point agenda covered a wide range of sectors such as employment, power and water supply, transportation, roads, education, health, environment and physical planning, food security, revenue enhancement, and shelter. We were meeting every week in order to meet up with the various electoral timelines, both at the party and governmental levels. Because our work was a sensitive one, I decided to do the recording and the typing personally. I did not allow even my secretary to type any aspect of the document.

“While we were still working on the document, we heard rumours of more people joining the growing list of aspirants for governor. Aro Lambo, a veteran politician was top on the list. Oyinlomo Danmole, who was a close associate of Chief Dapo Sarumi, was another big name on the list. Rahman Owokoniran, who was Oga’s (Tinubu) campaign manager in the senatorial election of 1991/92 was also there. There was also Kunlex Lawal. He was a professor of history at Lagos State University (LASU). Also on the list was Tola Kasali, a medical practitioner from Ibeju-Lekki. Another prominent name that was rumoured to be on the list was Tokunbo Afikuyomi. The next name was Jimi Agbaje, a pharmacist cum politician, and the last name was that of Hakeem Gbajabiamila.

“There were two interesting things about this list. One, all the people aside from Timi Agbaje, were in the Tinubu administration. Two, the one whose name was more pronounced on the list and who was rumoured to have been endorsed personally by the governor was Hakeem Gbajabiamila. I did not believe he had Oga’s endorsement until a mild drama ensued between him and the Chief of Staff, Tunde Fashola inside the Governor’s Office.

“I had gone to Oga’s office for one of my early morning routine discussions, but I saw that he was not alone in the office. I met Dele Alake and Yemi Osinbajo with him. I joined in their discussion. A few minutes later, Tunde Fashola walked in to tell the governor about a meeting he was supposed to hold with Professor Akin Mabogunje in his office. Professor Mabogunje was the chairman of a Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) committee. Both Hakeem Gbajabiamila and Tunde Fashola were members of the committee. The committee was established by the federal and state governments. There were other state and federal officials on the Committee. Professor Mabogunje was scheduled to hold a meeting in Alausa with the members of the committee but unfortunately, he was in a hurry to attend another event in Abuja with the president. He only came that day to offer his apologies for his inability to hold the meeting, and to see if another date might be fixed for it. Tunde was still explaining this to the governor when Hakeem came in with visible rage shouting: “Tunde, why didn’t you call me for the meeting with Professor Mabogunje?”

Tunde was about to reply when he shouted him down: “My friend keep quiet when I am talking. You did it deliberately. You know that was not your first time.”

At this point, Oga was still tolerating Hakeem’s ranting by appealing to him to calm down. Instead, Hakeem’s fury was brewing large: “Your Excellency, you’re the one indulging this guy. Allow me to give him a piece of my mind!”

Tunde did not utter a word! He remained silent in bewilderment. When Hakeem would not stop hollering at a frozen CoS, Oga sent the two of them out of his office.

“Hakeem’s shouting was an unpardonable assault on the office and person of the governor. It was a showy display of the arrogance of an ‘in-coming’ power. That spectacle was an abuse of endorsement. The rest of us in the office, Yemi, Dele and I could not venture an intervention when there was an unrestrained collapse of decorum. However, when the two of them left, the three of us had our interjections which changed the conferment of anointing. Tunde Fashola whose name never featured on any ‘in-coming’ list started appearing very prominently on every gossip list. While the issue of ACN governorship candidate was evolving, that of the PDP was eclipsing as nation was jolted with the news of the death of Engineer Funsho Williams on July 27, 2006. He was found bound, strangled, and stabbed at his home in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos. One Bashir Junaid, an attendant at Matori Cemetery, Mushin, Lagos, was arraigned in court for the murder of the politician. Engineer Funsho Williams was later replaced by Musiliu Obanikoro who eventually won the PDP primary.

“At the time the core politicians in ACN knew that the governor had given a symbolic and direct endorsement to an apolitical Babatunde Fashola as his successor, they protested vehemently and demanded for an open and transparent party primary instead of imposition. Their protest rocked the party. Party elders like, Alhaji Olatunji Hamzat, Alhaji Bushura Alebiosu, Alhaji Ajisebutu, Baba Taiwo, and Baba Pupa, all expressed fear about Fashola’s candidacy when strong politicians like Aro Lambo, Oyinlomo Danmole and Rahman Owokoniran had signified their intentions to contest for the governorship seat. They held a series of meetings with the governor to make him change his mind, but Oga was resolute in his resolve. He refused to back down. Already, he had held a secret meeting with Gbenga Ashafa, Mutiu Are, and Kunlex Odufuwa, where he proposed me as the director-general of the Fashola Campaign Organisation. I was not at the meeting but I was told the details of their deliberations. Apparently, this information reached Tunde Fashola. Thus he pleaded with Oga to appoint Fuad Oki instead of me. Although I was aware of Fashola rejecting my appointment, I did not allow this to affect my work and relationship with him.

“This was how I knew about my rejection by Tunde. There was a drama that I was involved in during the final meeting which Oga held with the aggrieved aspirants in the conference room of the Governor’s Office. At the meeting, Oga was about to make his opening remarks when the leader of the team, Oyinlomo Danmole, raised objection in the presence of the press, the civil servants, and some other individuals at a meeting that was meant to be attended strictly by the governor and the aggrieved aspirants. Puzzled by the presence of the crowd, Oga sent everybody out of the meeting including the press. I did not leave. Oga saw that I was still in the hall when everybody had left. He asked them:

“Do you want Dapo Thomas to leave as well?”

“No”, they all chorused.

I looked around and I saw that Segun Oniru was also seated. I could not say if he was for Fashola or against him.

The meeting rolled into a stalemate. I left the conference room for my office. By the time I reached the long passage of the annex building of the Governor’s Office, I heard Segun Osiyoye, the chief protocol officer, saying: “Oh, Mr Thomas is out. Do you want to talk to him? He gave the phone to me, and it was Tunde Fashola at the other end.
“Dapsy, bawo ni?
“I am fine”.
“I learned you were the only one allowed to stay in the meeting”, he said.
“Yes, and Segun Oniru.”

He asked me all he wanted to know about the meeting and I told him. He then said: “You see, that’s why I said Oga should allow Dapo to stay in the office during the campaign.”

I was sure he was referring to his objection to my appointment as the DG of his campaign organisation. He was definitely monitoring the situation from a hideout. Somehow, he sounded apologetic, but I could still perceive a tinge of vehemence in his demeanour.

I discountenanced the embarrassment that the appointment saga was causing for me. I moved on with my team by speeding up the pace of work on the agenda evaluation. Coincidentally, Dana Motors Limited delivered the new vehicles ordered for members of the forum on August 14, 2006. This was the needed tonic for my team.

“Tunde Fashola almost caused another crisis for me when he directed the permanent secretary (COS) via a short note on August 17, 2006, to “ensure that those who collected official vehicles in 1999 return them before they could receive the new ones”. That was not the agreement I had with the governor. I received a counter-order which superseded his directive to the PS. The governor even went a step further by directing that the 1999 vehicles be boarded to the officials using them at very affordable prices. This made more sense to me. However, I did not tell any of my members what happened between the COS and I in respect of the old cars in order not to cause disaffection between us.

“I was surprised that at a time like this when Tunde should be embracing peace and good relations with people, he was taking this kind of unfriendly position. He contended with the elders of the party, because they were more disposed to Aro Lambo, who was one of them from the beginning. Besides, Aro Lambo was poached by the governor from Engr Funsho Williams’ camp. Aro Lambo was regarded as a master-strategist and mobiliser as far as Lagos politics was concerned. Tunde also contended with other aggrieved aspirants who were not happy with his choice. In fact, Oga remembered that only four of us fell into that category, and he wondered why four old vehicles should be a problem for the COS at a time like this. That was why he directed that the vehicles should be sold to us. Notwithstanding these unnecessary diversions here and there, my team continued to work on the document. All this while, Tunde was not aware of the work we were doing. By October 2006, we had concluded our working sessions. It then became my responsibility to complete the typing and do the binding.

“By December 16 when Tunde was officially declared the winner of the ACN primaries, the 97-page document was ready. The primary election was held on December 12, but it was boycotted by the aggrieved aspirants. The document was like a Bible on governance in Lagos State. I showed it to Oga, and he was very enlivened with the quality of work that we did. I made four copies. He collected two, and told me to give one to Tunde and asked me to keep one with me.

On the day I was to present it to Tunde Fashola, I went with six other members of the forum: (1) Sunday Adepoju (2) Niyi Idowu (3) Benson Akintola (4) R.A. Olaiya (5) Bola Banire, and (6) Toyin Amzat.

The governor thanked the forum and solicited for our support to mobilise for the April election. I was not surprised when five months after the presentation, precisely on April 14, 2007, Babatunde Fashola was declared the winner of the governorship election in Lagos state. He scored a total votes of 599,300 to defeat Musiliu Obanikoro, who scored 383,956 while Hakeem Gbajabiamila who left ACN in protest to contest on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD), scored 13,576 votes.”

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