Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, recently launched verbal attacks at his political benefactor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over their support of different aspirants at the Osun All Progressives Congress, APC.
Western Post however reported that Aregbesola who has been Tinubu’s associate for over two decades before the disagreement is trying to retrace his steps and mend fences with his boss.
In this report, OKUNADE ADEKUNLE writes on ten political associates of Tinubu who had once erred but later returned to him for forgiveness
1. Otunba Femi Pedro
Pedro, a former banker, served as Lagos State deputy governor from 2003 till May 10 2007, when he was impeached by the House of Assembly for gross misconduct. Prior to his impeachment saga, Pedro enjoyed smooth and cordial relationship with his boss and benefactor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, whom he served under for four years.
The relationship between Tinubu and Pedro turned sour when the latter showed interest in succeeding his boss after 2007, which many analysts believed Tinubu was not comfortable with. At that time, Tinubu had begun to gravitate towards Babatunde Raji Fashola as the campaign season drew closer.
This angered Pedro who left the Action Congress, AC, to join the Labour Party, where he declared for the governorship seat December 13, 2006. On January 30, 2007, Pedro named a University lecturer, Oluranti Adebule, as his running mate for the April 19 elections. Pedro however lost at the general elections to Fashola.
Pedro again vied for the state’s number 1 seat in 2010, when with support and goodwill from the party’s hierarchy in Abuja, but lost the party’s ticket for the 2011 governorship election to Dr. Ade Dosunmu.
Reconciliation moves
After losing the 2007 and 2011 governorship elections, Pedro in 2013 initiated reconciliation moves to settle with his former boss and benefactor, Tinubu. It was also learnt that Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, played a key role in reconciling the duo as he publicly and privately encouraged the reconciliation moves after Tinubu had graced the wedding ceremony of Pedro’s son in 2012, which was the first time they had been publicly seen together since 2006.
In December 2013, Pedro was said to have held a secret meeting with Tinubu, the then Rivers State Governor and current Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the former interim National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, to finalise his move to APC. Within a matter of days, Pedro released a statement confirming his move to the APC and rejoining Tinubu’s political dynasty.
On December 31, 2015, the Lagos State House of Assembly invalidated Pedro’s 2007 impeachment by way of a resolution passed by the majority of its members so that he could enjoy all the paraphernalia of a deputy governor of the state.
2. Sen. Seye Ogunlewe
Ogunlewe was elected Senator on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 1999, representing Lagos East Senatorial District, before defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ). At this time, Tinubu was governor of the state and they both had robust and friendly political relationship before the sudden feud. Ogunlewe later became the Minister of Works (July 2003 to March 2006) during the second term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Ogunlewe/Tinubu feud
The failure of Tinubu to support the 2003 re-election bid of Ogunlewe and his strong ties with the then aggrieved Afenifere leaders were said to have caused the feud between the duo as Tinubu was rooting for the then Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olorunnimbe Mamora, to replace Ogunlewe at the senate. This made Ogunlewe to defect to the PDP to actualise his second term bid but could not succeed as he lost to Mamora at the general elections.
While as works minister, Ogunlewe renewed his battle with Tinubu which also often led to clashes between agents of the Federal Ministry of Works and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, over control of federal roads. The dispute between the duo was also said to have cost Ogunlewe’s son, Moyo (current Chairman of Kosofe LG) his dream to represent Kosofe constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly twice.
Reconciliation moves
The process of reconciliation between the duo was not publicly but privately as Ogunlewe was said to have met with Tinubu quietly after he could not resolve his dispute with his former political patron, Chief Bode George, the then Deputy National Chairman of the PDP.
3. Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro
Obanikoro served as commissioner for home affairs in 1999-2003 under the first administration of Bola Tinubu before being elected as Senator between 2003-2007. While serving as commissioner, Obanikoro played key political role in the Tinubu Dynasty and this earned him the senatorial ticket of the AD to represent Lagos Central. He was perceived to be the right-hand man of Tinubu and his point-man in Lagos Central not until political feud broke out between the duo over succession.
The Senator who had begun to show interest in the governorship race immediately he resumed the Senate, was said to have been building political structures across Lagos, a move Tinubu was reportedly not comfortable with because of his strong interest in Fashola. Although, Obanikoro after observing that he could not get the governorship ticket of the Action Congress (AC) quickly defected to the PDP to realise his dream. He was controversially handed the ticket of the PDP in 2007, but lost at the poll to Tinubu’s candidate.
Reconciliation moves
Obanikoro’s reconciliation moves were both secretly and publicly with funfair where he was openly handed over the flag of the APC by the then State Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, on November 2017.
Little wonder that Obanikoro – who openly cast aspersions on Tinubu and heavily deployed federal might during elections against the ruling APC in Lagos – could openly on the day of his return to the party in his speech say that “At this stage of my life, it is important for me to return to my original base and be part of the giant strides that has been achieved in Lagos State, which would not have been possible, but for the wisdom and sagacity of the architect of our modern democracy, my indefatigable Oga, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“Politics is based and premised on ideologies and powered by interests. I am a progressive and my inalienable conviction about leadership is the need to identify with the yearnings of my people. I am a very proud son of Lagos and I will always do my best to support and fortify any efforts, social, economic or political directed at repositioning my home state for more development and prosperity.
“My political voyage started from this association and I am proud to have learnt under our great leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo is the greatest politician of all time and I make bold to say that the greatest politician of our time is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Today, with thousands of my followers, I rededicate myself to the progress and prosperity of Lagos.”
Ever since his return, Obanikoro has continued to enjoy the benefits of being a member of Tinubu’s political dynasty as his son was elected on the platform of the party in 2019 to represent Eti-Osa federal constituency.
4. Sen. Tokunbo Afikuyomi
Afikuyomi like Ogunlewe was elected into the Senate at the beginning of the fourth republic in 1999 to represent Lagos Central Senatorial District under the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) and also sought re-election and won in 2003. Afikuyomi who had strong political tie with Tinubu since the days of National Democractic Coalition (NADECO), played a key role in Tinubu’s exoneration during the Chicago State University certificate scandal that nearly consumed Tinubu in 2002 when Afikuyomi admitted that he mistakenly filled the INEC nomination form for Tinubu.
Things fell apart between the duo in 2007 when Afikuyomi expressed his intention to succeed Tinubu after the expiration of his tenure as governor. He actively campaigned across the wards and local governments for the governorship ticket and reached out to stakeholders in the AC with the believe that he would be handed the party ticket but Tinubu went for different choice.
This angered Afikuyomi and at the late hour defected to the All Nigerians Peoples Party (ANPP) to contest the governorship election in 2007. An interesting thing about his political move at that time, was his quick manoeuvre to the AC a day to the election in April and thereafter served as the party’s state agent at INEC.
Reconciliation moves
Like Ogunlewe, Afikuyomi secretly and quietly returned to the Tinubu political dynasty after serious negotiation for relevance in Fashola’s administration. Afikuyomi was later appointed Commissioner for Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations in the first term of Fashola, an appointment many analysts believed he negotiated for to step down from the governorship race at twilight of the general elections.
One can argue that Afikuyomi joined the league of Tinubu’s strong loyalists who betrayed him at a time they ought not to because of the strategic roles they played in the build-up to the enthronement of civil rule in 1999.
Since he had been forgiven by Tinubu, Afikuyomi has been appointed to supervise party activities including chairing the Lagos APC Local government Election Committee in 2017.
Currently, it was rumoured that he is contesting for APC National Vice Chairman (South).
5. Chief Mrs Oluremi Adiukwu
Adiukwu served as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs between 2003 and 2005 during the second term of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, becoming the first female ever to serve in that capacity. Before her appointment as commissioner and joining the AD, Adikwu had aspired to be Lagos governor in 2003 under the PDP.
In 2005, when Tinubu rejiged his cabinet, Adiukwu was moved to Ministry of Commerce and Industries before she ran into trouble with her boss because of her interest to succeed him at Alausa Round House.
As expected and being a grassroots politician from Oshodi/Isolo local government, Adikwu was able to mobilise strongly for the actualisation of her dream but could not outshine her boss who had anointed his then Chief of Staff, Fashola, to take over from him in 2007. She angrily left the AC to contest in Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) but lost to Fashola at the general elections and thereafter joined the PDP till 2018 when she returned to the APC and the Tinubu dynasty.
Reconciliation moves
One major move she made to reconcile with Tinubu was to lobby the then Governor of Osun state and current Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. A close source who was privy to her return to the APC, said that Aregbesola played a key role in her return to the Tinubu political family in 2018. The source further disclosed that Adiukwu had to convincingly assure Aregbesola of winning Oshodi/Isolo for the APC in the 2019 general elections, a promise she fulfilled because before then, the PDP won all general elections in the local government in 2015.
Like Obanikoro, Adiukwu was welcomed back to the Tinubu political family elegantly and with funfair at the APC state secretariat in Acme, Ikeja. In her speech on the day of her return to the APC, Adiukwu said her coming to APC was motivated by the development the party had brought to the state and the positive politics of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, national leader of the party.
Since then, Adiukwu had been exerting influence on the party politics of Oshodi/Isolo and playing key role in determining who gets what and how in Oshodi/Isolo APC. https://westernpost.ng/series-one-ten-disciples-of-tinubu-who-once-fell-out/READ part two of the report: https://westernpost.ng/10-tinubus-political-associates-who-once-fell-out-with-him-later-reconciled-2/ |
