Sanwo-Olu Accused of Supporting Atiku’s 2023 Bid, Strains Ties with Tinubu

Muraina Taiwo, a member of Lagos State’s Governance Advisory Council (GAC), has attested to the resolution of the purported conflict between Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and President Bola Tinubu.
In a phone conversation with Punch on Sunday, Taiwo stated that the miscommunication was finally resolved.
“Everything they say has been settled by God. We are now one Lagos State after Tinubu, the father, pulled his son, Sanwo-Olu, closer and the boy gave him an embrace.

“It only appeared that way, but God has done it, and we are in the meeting right now,” he remarked.

Olusegun Osoba, the APC chieftain and former governor of Ogun State, also added that party leaders had been making a concerted effort to patch up the rift between the two leaders.

You don’t think an elder like me would tell you what we’re doing. However, rest certain that we will not remain silent and let the situation worsen.

“I am interested in the Lagos and Rivers issues, after all. We’re telling the country that everything will be okay,” Osoba stated.

The reconciliation comes after there was much conjecture about the President’s aloof attitude toward Sanwo-Olu during his most recent trip to Lagos.

Videos that went viral on social media during the May 31 inauguration of the 30-kilometer section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway purportedly showed Tinubu ignoring Sanwo-Olu during welcomes.

Concerns about a tense relationship were heightened by the governor’s absence from the commissioning of the 27-kilometer Lekki Deep Seaport Road two days prior.

Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu’s deputy, attended the ceremony but did not speak on behalf of the government, which is not common at formal state events.

Sanwo-Olu’s decision to fly to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to welcome Governor Umo Eno into the APC instead of Lagos for the President’s Sallah celebrations added to the concern.

Images of Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker of the Lagos Assembly, bending down in front of Tinubu in Lagos went viral on Saturday, indicating a widening rift.

A return to normalcy was suggested on Sunday, though, when Bayo Onanuga, the president’s media adviser, posted a group photo of Tinubu with Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, Obasa, and GAC members on X.

According to many familiar with the Lagos political system, the division existed before the recent crisis in the Lagos Assembly, which resulted in Obasa’s temporary removal as speaker before his reinstatement.

According to a source who spoke to Punch, Tinubu’s resentment grew over claims that Sanwo-Olu provided financial support for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign—a charge that Atiku’s team and the Presidency have vehemently refuted.

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“It is established that there is a rift (between the governor and the president),” the person stated. According to what I understood, it was because Atiku allegedly received financial support from Sanwo-Olu during his campaign.

Keep in mind that Sanwo-Olu also petitioned the court at one time to prevent the EFCC from questioning him. It was disputed by Sanwo-Olu the next day.

He said that the governor’s action was a result of the tense relationship.

The source went on to say, “The Obasa’s problem is just the final nail in the coffin.”

Although some stories suggested that Sanwo-Olu and Atiku had financial ties, the Presidency, Atiku, and the EFCC have all denied the assertions.

Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media adviser, described it as a “baseless smear campaign.”

According to reports, Sanwo-Olu sued the EFCC in 2024 to stop a potential post-tenure arrest. However, the claim was rejected by the Lagos State government, represented by Attorney General Lawal Pedro (SAN).

Additionally, the EFCC rejected any link between Atiku and Sanwo-Olu and its ongoing case against Aisha Achimugu, a socialite who was declared wanted for suspected money laundering.