An attack against Fashola is an attack against me-Tinubu

Following the recent media attacks against former Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State,the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has denied being part of it,claiming the attacks were being sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party. 

Reports were published on the state government’s website,that Fshola spent N78.3m on his personal website, www.tundefashola.com  and N139m to construct two boreholes at the Lagos House, Ikeja, when he was governor.The general speculation is that, these reports were sponsored by Tinubu as part of efforts to discredit him and deny him the opportunity of being appointed a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Tinubu denied this in a statement issued by his media office on WednesdayThe statement partly read,

 “The PDP is just recently out of office at the federal level and it built a vast, unprecedented financial war chest to contest the elections. The residual of that war chest is still at work, buying media space to plant rumours in hopes of spreading discord through the APC.

“Thus, the enemy camp may be a minority but it is a large and well-funded one that knows it only chance lies in us attacking ourselves.”

The APC leader said he had nothing against his successor, Fashola. He said Fashola served the state meritoriously for eight years.

He, therefore, condemned those calling for Fashola’s probe.

He said any criticism of Fashola was an indictment on him because he was instrumental to making Fashola governor.

He said, 

“Our political opponents now try to steal victory when their only entitlement is resounding defeat. Having fared woefully with the electorate, their game plan is to sow discord within the ranks of the party the people had chosen to lead them. The PDP hopes to strike a division in the APC, in that way weakening us and our ability to govern.

“This brings me to recent developments in the Lagos political scene. Born of this motley stew is the recent gossip mongering that I have wilfully instigated false and negative reports against former Governor Fashola to thwart him from being appointed to a major post in the Buhari administration.

“I want to declare clearly and categorically that these rancid attacks do not come from me nor do I endorse them. Neither my hand nor my heart is in these mean submissions. I deplore them.

 ”I am proud to say that I played an instrumental role in bringing Governor Fashola into politics in the first instance
“He served as my trusted chief of staff, performing excellently in that role. Due to his leadership qualities and diligent work ethic, I endorsed him for governor notwithstanding the stiff and vocal opposition of many. I am not ashamed of backing him. I believe the progress the state made under his administration has more than vindicated my endorsement.
“Fashola, the present Governor Akin Ambode including myself are the products of a progressive political institution and its programmatic expressions. I laid the governance foundation and started the first lap, running as well as I could.
“I handed the baton to Fashola, knowing he would do the same. He did; he ran as well as he could. Now, he has handed to Ambode who is off and running as well as he can. We have achieved much in Lagos; but, we recognize as much as anyone that we have much more to do.
“We also know that progress is fragile and easily undone while destruction is easily transacted but hard to undo. I for one am not the type to tear down my own house or to bring my enemy’s rubbish into it.”

“An attack against the performance of Governor Fashola is indirectly an attack against me and the edifice of achievements we have constructed in leading Lagos State out of a protracted time of stagnation and into an era of sustained progress and development.”

 “I for one will not bend to the artificial provocation of those seeking to tear at what we have painstakingly built over the years. In my mind, Governor Fashola and I alliance is unshakeable and our journey must not be interrupted. I would no more attack his character or his administration than I would attack myself.”