Tinubu Cannot Take The Glory Of Fashola, Ambode’s Achievements In Lagos- APC Chieftain

A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, Tunde Bank-Anthony has given the reason people should stop attributing the development of Lagos State to the performance of Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his eight years tenure.

Tinubu was governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007. Since the expiration of his tenure, three people have succeeded him as governors. 

Fashola who took over from him spent eight years. Ambode was yanked off after his first term due to the internal crisis within the party which many attributed to the irreconcilable differences between him and Tinubu. After Ambode’s first term, Sanwo-Olu was elected to succeed him and the governor has already secured the ticket to run for his second term.

However, the campaign slogan from Tinubu’s camp has been centred around the development of Lagos in the last 23 years, giving the impression that it was Tinubu that did all the work between 1999 and 2007 while other governors after him have been sleeping in the office throughout their tenures.

Responding to questions while featuring on Channels TV Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, the APC Chieftain, Tunde Bank-Anthony disclosed that it is wrong for Tinubu to claim the achievements of Fashola and Ambode in Lagos. It is also unfair for people to attribute the development to Tinubu alone.

According to him, Fashola’s achievements in Lagos are more visible than that of Tinubu. He said Fashola spent eight years and we all saw what he did. 

Ambode was yanked off after his first term. He was a performing governor who was never allowed to complete his two terms. Despite that he didn’t go for second term, everybody still sees his achievements in Lagos.

He however described Ambode as a loyal party man who has never said anything about how he was treated by the APC presidential candidate while he was trying to secure his second term ticket.

Bank-Anthony, who is also the spokesperson for Concerned Nigerians, said Tinubu is not the founder of modern Lagos and his men should not trivialise the contributions of Ambode and Fashola in Lagos or make them inferior to Tinubu’s.

He said, “I read something not too long ago, the chairman of the party in Lagos said Ambode did not follow the blueprint of Lagos. What is the blueprint of Lagos? It should be online for people to see.”

On why Ambode could not get the party’s ticket for re-election, the APC chieftain said, “The primary was held in Lagos, Clement Ebri was in Lagos and he said it loud and clear that there was no primary but he later turned around and said, ‘Okay, let’s accept it like that’.

“Ambode was a loyal party man and he stood by it and accepted it. And he has never made a comment about it since that day but people are insinuating so many things about him.”

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.