The internal wrangling within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State seems to be over as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu appeared at a public function with two of his predecessors in a spectacle rare as hen’s teeth
Sanwo-Olu, Akinwunmi Ambode and Babatunde Fashola met at a reception organised in honour of President Bola Tinubu on Thursday at the Lagos House in the Marina area of the state.
Sanwo-Olu’s spokesman, Gboyega Akosile, shared the refreshing sight in a tweet, stressing that this is the first time the trio will meet in over four years.
Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, Ambode is the only former governor of the state who was in office for a single term. Tinubu was governor between 1999 and 2007 before he handed over to Fashola who was in office from 2007 to 2015 and later Nigeria’s Minister of Works and Housing between 2015 and 2023.
Ambode took over in 2015 but lost his re-election at the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary in the 2019 electioneering process due to intra-party squabbles as APC strongman in Lagos (Tinubu) was reported to have favoured the incumbent governor (Sanwo-Olu), over Ambode.
Since he ended his single term in 2019, Ambode has not been seen at political or social functions with his predecessors – Tinubu and Fashola. He has also not been seen at events with the incumbent governor.
The former governor has also been reticent at the few times he was pictured at APC events at the national level like in May 2021 when he was appointed the deputy chairman of the South-West sub-committee of the Contact and Strategy Committee of the ruling party.
There were reports that Ambode would contest the party’s governorship ticket with Sanwo-Olu at the primary in May 2022. Rather, his ally, Wale Oluwo, threw his hat in the ring but lost to Sanwo-Olu.
Hint Of Reconciliation
Unlike Fashola and Sanwo-Olu, Ambode did not publicly endorse Tinubu’s 2023 presidential ambition. Ambode also did not make any comment on Tinubu’s victory after the polls. However, there were hints of reconciliation when Sanwo-Olu attended Ambode’s 60th birthday party in Lagos on June 14, 2023.
