Some Tinubu Allies Opposed Fashola’s Appointment — Ex-Presidential Aide

Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has alleged that some people in President Bola Tinubu’s circle opposed including former Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola in the current administration.

Akande made the claim during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered podcast, published by Symfoni TV on Friday. He suggested that Fashola’s absence could partly be due to fatigue but argued that opposition from people close to the President was a more important factor.

He described Fashola as a principled politician who would not tolerate practices he considered unacceptable, suggesting that his unwillingness to compromise may have contributed to resistance against his appointment.

Akande, however, did not identify the individuals allegedly opposed to Fashola’s inclusion or provide specific examples of the practices they supposedly wanted to protect.

Fashola served as Lagos State governor from 2007 to 2015 before joining former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

Despite his absence from Tinubu’s administration, Akande maintained that the former governor remained close to the President and said there were no apparent public disagreements between them.

The former presidential aide also questioned whether Tinubu was making sufficient use of capable individuals who could challenge his decisions when necessary.

He argued that effective governance required people who could disagree with the President when they believed his decisions or the actions of those around him were wrong.

Akande cited Fashola as an example of a politician who would stand by his convictions, alleging that some individuals within Tinubu’s circle preferred not to have such a figure in the administration.