Sanwo-Olu’s Fallout with Tinubu Tied to Alleged 2023 Election Funding for Atiku

Muraina Taiwo, a member of Lagos State’s Governance Advisory Council (GAC), has stated that President Bola Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s apparent feud has been resolved.
Taiwo, who spoke with Punch over the phone on Sunday, said the misunderstanding had been resolved.
“God has already resolved everything they are saying. The father (Tinubu) has dragged his son (Sanwo-Olu) closer, and the son has hugged his father; we are now together in Lagos.

“It only looked like that, but currently, we are in the meeting, and God has done it,” he told us.

Olusegun Osoba, former Ogun State Governor and APC chieftain, also weighed in, saying party leaders were actively attempting to repair the schism between the two leaders.

“You don’t expect an elder like myself to reveal what we’re doing. But know that we will not remain silent and let the situation spiral out of hand.

After all, I’m involved in the Lagos and Rivers crises. “We are assuring the nation that everything will be fine,” added Osoba.

The reconciliation comes after widespread speculation about the President’s icy attitude toward Sanwo-Olu during his recent trip to Lagos.

On May 31, at the inauguration of the 30km portion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, videos leaked on social media showed Tinubu allegedly ignoring Sanwo-Olu’s greeting.

The governor was also absent from the two-day-old commissioning of the 27-kilometer Lekki Deep Seaport Road, adding to fears about deteriorating relations.

Sanwo-Olu’s deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, attended the ceremony but did not speak on behalf of the state, which is unusual for official state ceremonies.

To add to the uneasiness, Sanwo-Olu was not in Lagos for the President’s Sallah celebrations, instead went to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to bring Governor Umo Eno into the APC.

Meanwhile, images of Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa prostrating before Tinubu in Lagos went viral on Saturday, implying a deepening split.

However, on Sunday, the President’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, shared a group photo of Tinubu with Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, Obasa, and GAC members on X, implying a restoration to normalcy.

According to sources close to the Lagos political structure, the schism predates the current Lagos Assembly crisis, which resulted in Obasa being briefly removed as speaker before his reinstatement.

According to Punch, Tinubu’s rage was fueled by reports that Sanwo-Olu supported Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign, which both the Presidency and Atiku’s camp have firmly denied.

According to the source, “it is proven that there is a gap (between the President and the governor). According to what I gathered, it was because Sanwo-Olu was reported to have provided Atiku money during his campaign.

“Recall that at one point, Sanwo-Olu sought the court to seek an injunction against the EFCC from investigating him. “The following day, Sanwo-Olu denied it.”

He said that the governor’s decision was the result of a deteriorated relationship.

“The Obasa’s issue is just the last straw that broke the camel’s back,” said one insider.

While allegations of financial ties between Sanwo-Olu and Atiku gained momentum in certain stories, the Presidency, Atiku, and the EFCC all denied them.

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

In 2024, news appeared that Sanwo-Olu had launched a lawsuit against the EFCC to avoid a possible post-tenure detention. The Lagos State administration, through its Attorney General, Lawal Pedro (SAN), disputed the claim.

The EFCC further denied that its ongoing case against Aisha Achimugu, a socialite who has been proclaimed sought for alleged money laundering, has anything to do with Atiku or Sanwo Olu.

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