|
New Page 25
Why Tinubu, George rift lingers
The no-love-lost relationship between Governor Bola Ahmed
Tinubu of Lagos State and Minister of Works, Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe and National
Vice-Chairman (South West) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Olabode George
has taken a new dimension. Correspondent FUNKE ODUWOLE, in this report
takes a look at some of the issues critical to the worsening relationship among
the political gladiators.
FOR obvious
reasons many political watchers no longer see the lingering feud between
Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State and the gladiators of Lagos State chapter of
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a dispassionate attempt by the two sides to
enthrone good governance in the state.
While it has been repeatedly attributed to
a duel over the soul of the state, the dimension the rift is taking is
increasingly forcing many to reach a conclusion that the face-off is rooted in
some unknown personal differences.
For the record, Gov. Tinubu has been
locked in an intense battle with the Minister of Works, Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe,
PDP National vice-chairman South West, Chief Olabode George, among others.
Divergent insinuations, interpretations
and permutations have been given to the face-off by different people. While
Ogunlewe and George have at every forum anchored their opposition to Tinubu on
the claim that his government had not deployed the massive resources that had
come its way for the good of the state, such submission has hardly won
supporters.
For many, the underlying cause of the duel
with the Alliance for Democracy-led Lagos government was the inability of PDP to
capture Lagos State as it did in the other South West states in the 2003 general
elections.
The feeling is strengthened by the fact
that soon after the election, PDP hurriedly formed what it called a shadow
cabinet. The development did not only come as a surprise to the people of the
state, but also jolted democratic watchers across the country.
Those who hold the view that PDP was
having a bile running through it as a result of its loss of Lagos State in 2003
were further vindicated by the reactions that have been emerging from the table
of the national secretariat of the party on issues relating to the state.
For instance, in the fight over the
legality or otherwise of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA)
to keep watch over traffic in Federal roads in Lagos, PDP lent its weight behind
Ogunlewe, a development that fuelled the wrangling and muscle flexing between
supporters of Tinubu and the Minister. The issue dragged for a long time and
almost suspended activities in the state as officials of the Federal Roads
Maintenance Agency (FERMA) were always engaging LASTMA in war of words and
sometimes fisticuffs.
The situation generated a groundswell of
ripples in the political circle. The tense polical atmosphere was heightened
when George, Ogunlewe and Lagos PDP threw their weight behind the withholding of
funds belonging to Lagos State over the creation of 57 councils by the state.
Four other states - Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Niger and Katsina who created new councils
also suffered similar fate.
However, the situation in Lagos State was
different. While prominent indigenes of the other four states brushed aside
their political differences and party affiliations and joined voices in an
appeal to the Presidency to rescind its decision, the PDP in Lagos State kept
aglow its campaign that the funds should not be released to the state. The
position stirred the political atmosphere of the state.
While they flaunt reasons for their
position, including that it was unconstitutional and irresponsible of
government, analysts believe that the move was mainly to ensure that the Tinubu
government did not have funds to execute its programmes. Such situation, they
contend will lay the ground for PDP to have enough platform to dislodge AD in
2007.
George almost confirmed this view point
when he told newsmen at the University of Lagos, recently that PDP would take
advantage of what he called the non-performance of Tinubu government to take
over Lagos State in 2007. "We will take Lagos in 2007. It is clear that Tinubu
is not performing," he said.
Although George and other PDP starlwarts
firmly believe in the workability of their plans, observers are of the view that
the road may not be as smooth as they think. Some of these considerations
informed the position of pundits.
One, that Tinubu is widely loved by Lagos
residents as a result of the populist nature of his government. Presently, he
enjoys massive grassroots support. The implication of that is that, though he
may not be standing for gubernatorial election again, anybody he gives his
support looks more likely to sweep the polls.
The governor’s effort at reviving and
repositioning AD, now presided over by former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi
Akande, is going to work in the favour of AD in the state. Steadily the
political fortunes of the party are believed to be appreciating in the South
West states.
Tinubu with enough financial backing,
widespread good will and enormous political influence, would exploit the
advantage fully to ensure that Lagos State remained an AD state. He would want
to do that to prove a point that his description of George as a political
neophyte was not an over statement.
The presence of the likes of Senators
Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Olorunnibe Mamora and some AD House of Representatives
members who have not hidden their absolute loyalty to the governor and who wield
much political influence looks pretty well to the gain of AD.
Apart from the foregoing, it was also
recently gathered from an impeccable source that certain members of the Tinubu’s
cabinet were being groomed to join the gubernatorial race in their states of
origin - "This, according to our source, "is the best way by which the AD
leadership would be reinstated in all the South West states of Ogun, Osun, Ondo,
Oyo and Ekiti." Infact there is a strong speculation that the Commissioner for
Works and Infrastructure, Rauf Aregbesola an engineer is being groomed to become
the next governor of Osun State while the Commissioner for Information and
Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake, is warming up to become the governor of Ekiti State.
Although Mr. Alake denied nursing such an ambition he said that if his people
really wanted him and call on him, he would not hesitate to offer himself to
serve. He however, noted that his present preoccupation was to handle his
assignment diligently.
Also, Mr. Layi Mohammed who was the former
Chief of Staff to Governor Tinubu who contested against Governor Bukola Saraki
in Kwara State and lost in 2003 is expected to recontest the position in 2007.
From the foregoing, it is quite obvious
why Governor Tinubu who is seen as an intimidating force that could disrupt the
plans of the PDP is being attacked from every angle. The PDP is not ready to
give him any breathing space, they are using many tactics. They want to make him
politically irrelevant because as the adage goes "when you strike the shepherd
the sheep scatter." As it is now, Tinubu himself is not ready to leave any thing
to chance. He is jealously guarding his constituency while his opponents
continue to push harder.
Agreed that the PDP with its federal might
and its desperation to have Lagos may want to deploy its awesome power to muzzle
and eat up moves from the AD gladiators, but such calculation may end up not
producing the desired goal if the experience of 2003 is anything to go by.
Analysts have also attributed the
lingering face-off between Chief George and Governor Tinubu to the individual
ambition of the duo to dominate the political turf of the South West
geo-political zone ahead of the 2007 general polls.
For instance, George is said to be warming
up to take a shot at the National chairmanship of the ruling PDP next year when
the tenure of the Chief Audu Ogbeh-led National Executive Committee of the party
would lapse. If he clinches the job, he automatically becomes the topmost Yoruba
politician whose blessings, other PDP office seekers must get before fulfilling
their ambitions. Senator Tinubu, it was further gathered, has his eyes on either
the Senate Presidency or becoming a Vice-Presidential candidate to the incumbent
second citizen, Atiku Abubakar.
Possible victory for Tinubu, observers
say, would make him tower over and above George in the South West especially if
the latter fails in his current bid for PDP top job.
Governor Tinubu’s grip on Lagos politics
was evident last year when he reportedly frustrated plots to rig him out of
office during last year’s gubernatorial elections. He uncovered election results
allegedly sent to the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
by the PDP. The matter was celebrated, with the governor almost threatening to
take legal action against the PDP in the state
Many have since argued that it takes
somebody with the mastery of politics and uncommon bravado to do what Tinubu
did. For this, analysts believe that it would be difficult for anybody to
successfully rig the 2007 elections in the state.
Without doubt the picture of how
everything will play out in Lagos politics would be clearer from 2006. The
intensity of the altercations, allegations and counter allegations between the
governor, George and Ogunlewe and other PDP top shots in the state has forced
most analysts to see the feud as more of personality clash than for altruistic
reasons as being claimed by George.
For instance, only a fortnight ago, George
accused Tinubu of funding the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on strike
over hike in prices of petroleum products. The allegation was not taken lightly
by the governor and members of his cabinet.
Deputy Governor, Mr. Femi Pedro and
Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Jokotola Pelumi swiftly reacted to
the allegation describing it as unbecoming of the PDP vice chairman.
According to Pedro "we would have ignored
Chief Bode George because it is becoming a pattern of behaviour for him.
However, this present statement is reckless and grossly irresponsible, coming
from a personality like him when the entire nation is working, praying and
hoping for an aversion of the planned strike.
Similarly, Hon Pelumi said: "One would
have expected much more guarded and responsible statements from somebody with
the exposure of Chief Olabode George and not such statement that has the
potential of causing disaffection between Lagos State and the Federal
Government. It is rather unfortunate and laughable."
Generally, many agreed that the continued
heating up of the political atmosphere in the state through endless and acidic
comments from political top shots from the state has grave political
implications
Tinubu has since accused PDP of working to
cause crisis in the state so as to attract the declaration of a state of
emergency in the state. He took advantage of the opportunity to accuse George of
misadvising President Olusegun Obasanjo and heightening the suffering of the
masses.
Said he: "Is it Tinubu that has caused the
prices of commodities to rise? Or people like Bode George who will always
misadvise the President against policies that can cushion the suffering of the
people".
He immediately tied George’s allegation to
the 2007 elections. "Because of our democratic values and commitment, we have
tolerated political upstarts such as Bode George. We allowed the day light
robbery and abuse of the police to rig elections in favour of the PDP in the AD
states of Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti. We refused to be provoked. We did not
engage in popular protests. But this time around, it is going to be an election
in which Lagosians will defend their sovereignty. It is going to be an election
in which the people will defend their right to choose a leader."
Ordinarily one would think that after the
inauguration of a committee on disputes between Lagos State and the Federal
Government and the peace accord signed between the representatives of the two
parties, the whole issues ought to have been settled. Or are they saying that
the peace accord reached at a meeting which was chaired by the Attorney General
of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi and
co-chaired by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Pedro in Abuja on Friday
October 29, 2004 was a farce and not a reality.?
According to an anonymous observer, "if
the assertion by the committee that both parties agreed to sheath their swords
and work together for the common good of the people of Lagos State was only on
paper and not practicable, who are they deceiving? Or is it only in the area of
traffic control and road maintenance? Why are they not allowing it to flow to
political matters as well? This is the wish of the people of Lagos State. All
these allegations and counter allegations are too much and we are tired.
Something needs to be done about it very quickly," he added.
Proffering a solution to the face-off,
Chief Willy Akinlude said that the way out was for his party to take over the
mantle of leadership in Lagos State, On his part Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji of the AD
said the matter should be handled in a matured manner "I can tell you that even
the society is tired of the crisis. Since all those involved are brothers, we
all have a stake in the affairs of Lagos State, differences must be ironed out
at a round table, he advised.
Another school of thought however,
believes that the solution to the crisis still lies with President Obasanjo.
"President Obasanjo holds the key. He can tell George to leave Tinubu alone. He
has the capacity to resolve all the crises be it political or personal in an
amicable manner and nobody will blink an eye. He could even decide to pay up all
the outstanding allocations of Lagos since the former 20 local governments are
still existing and let them share it the way they want with the 37 new councils.
He can order Ogunlewe to hands off Lagos State since there are laws guiding who
does what between states and the Federal Government in every state."
Analysts are however, unanimous that in
the spirit of multi-party democracy, the AD and PDP should cooperate with one
another since they are working for the common good of Lagos citizens.
|
