former Lagos state governor, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu...
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
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