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Sanwo-Olu and Ambode banter over future of Lagos
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The cord of consanguinity within the All Progressives Congress (APC) family in Lagos State seems to be waxing strong with the refreshing sight of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his immediate predecessor Akinwunmi Ambode.
In the sight rare as hen’s teeth, the two men beamed with pleasing teeth-opening smiles after a meeting on Monday.
“Today, I welcomed my brother and predecessor, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, back to Lagos House on a courtesy visit,” an elated Sanwo-Olu captioned social media photos of himself and his predecessor.
“Our conversation centred around the future of Lagos and building on the solid foundation already in place. I value his perspective as we all work together to ensure that Lagos remains on the path of growth and development.”
Monday’s meeting came over one year after Sanwo-Olu and Ambode met publicly at a reception organised in honour of President Bola Tinubu at the Lagos House in the Marina area of the state in June 2023.
It was the first time Sanwo-Olu, Ambode and another ex-Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola met in over four years since the wind of internal wrangling slapped the ruling political class in the state.
How It All Started
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 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.
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.
Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, has declared that sitting with bandits to negotiate is not a good strategy.
He cautioned that negotiating with bandits would further enrich the terrorists, thereby worsening insecurity in the country.
He made the remark at a press conference on Tuesday in response to claims by the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that he and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would hold talks with terrorists if elected into office in 2027.
According to Ganduje:, the role of the security agencies depends on the strategies that have been adopted. The Air Force helps to do its own due diligence, alongside the Army, Navy, the police, and the DSS. So, the issue of sitting with bandits to negotiate with them personally, I don’t appreciate that.
“Because, in Nigeria, having a gun without approval is illegal. How do you expect hundreds of bandits to come from the forests with their guns to sit down with local chiefs, chairmen of local governments, traditional rulers, or even the police and start negotiating? I think that system has failed, and it will continue to fail.
“This is because we are giving room to the bandits; we are arming them because the negotiation is that they should be allowed to operate here and there, they should be given money, transportation, motorcycles, and money for logistics. So, in a way, we are giving them an enabling environment to operate.
“And by so doing, they would enrich themselves through kidnapping, as that would give them more financial power to purchase weapons, which would be used against us to cause panic and then call them for negotiation. I don’t think that is a good strategy.”
Enraged Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, rtd, has said that he would take a legal action against whoever said he resigned from his position.
General Musa said this on Tuesday shortly after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Recall that there were rumours suggesting that the former Chief of Defense Staff had resigned.
He had earlier denied the rumour in a statement through his media aide, Leah Katung-Babatunde.
“I was shocked when I heard and saw that. I don’t know where that came from. But expect that there’ll be people that will not be happy when things are going on well.
“Security situation has improved, things are getting better. And so for them, it’s a sad point, and they will always want to make it look as if it’s not so.
“I’m not going anywhere. I have never discussed that with anybody. I don’t even know the person who brought that information. But whoever he is, we will take a legal action against him when we get him to come and who gave him such information.
“But I assure Nigerians that we are free. You can see I just came back from briefing the President on the current security situation, and he’s very happy with us.
“And now we’re going to continue doing well, and I want to seize this opportunity to appreciate Nigerians for all the support. The support has been massive, and you can see the changes.
“That’s where we say that to defeat terrorists and bandits is a whole of societal approach. And now Nigerians are keying into it, and things are getting better, and they will continue to improve,” he said.
Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, retail outlets have increased the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol.
A market survey revealed on Tuesday indicated that the state-owned filling stations raised their petrol price to N1,270 per litre from N1,155 per litre in Abuja and environs.
This means that NNPCL has increased its fuel pump price by N115 per litre.
NNPCL and MRS filling stations in Abuja had closed, while other retail outlets raised their petrol prices on Monday amid heightened uncertainty in the country’s downstream oil sector.
In less than a week, depot owners and marketers have already increased their petrol prices twice.
Recall that last week, Dangote Refinery resumed the sale of refined petroleum products in dollars.
Daily Post
Ganduje to Kwankwaso: Negotiating with bandits’ll enrich them, not good strategy
Angry Defence Minister, Musa threatens to sue whoever said he resigned
NNPCL jerks up fuel price by N115 per liter
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