That all is not well between the Newly installed Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, and his immediate predecessor Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) came to fore as Ambode, on his first day in office, relieved friends and loyalist of the former governor of their various positions as heads of some government parastatals and agencies.
Gov. Ambode, himself a former civil servant in Lagos State was allegedly relieved of his appointment as Accountant General for Local Governments of the state in unclear circumstances by ex-Governor Fashola.
The animosity between the two gentlemen continued through the primaries that produced Ambode with Fashola at first lining up behind Dr. Obafemi Hamzat as his successor and later Dapo Sasore, a long time friend who was his Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in his first term.
After Ambode’s emergence as the party’s flag bearer at the primaries, Fashola had no choice than to work with the candidate mentored by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the same man who insisted it has to be Fashola, eight years ago.
Confidants, on condition of anonymity, told us that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode sacked most of the suspected Fashola’s allies in his first day at work and more will follow in the coming weeks. This move is generating suspicion that Ambode is paying back Fashola in his own coins.
Among those who fell under the hammer in the meeting Governor Ambode had with all directors of Lagos State Agencies are Ronke Azeez who was the coordinator of Lagos Eko Project, a World Bank assisted project on education.
So also is Adenike Adekanbi, General Manager of the Lagos State Facility Management Agency. Adenike said to be very powerful in the Fashola administration. She was said to be so close Fashola that she gets her approvals directly from the governor and her budget, said to be in billions of naira is bigger than that of some ministries.
Mr. Gbenga Akintola, Chairman of Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) was politely told to leave the venue of the meeting by Governor Ambode after he was directed to hand over to the next person to him. Akintola, a core Fashola loyalist was residing in America before he was offered the job said to have been facilitated by closeness to Prof. Wole Soyinka and Fashola’s main man Demola Azeez.
Ex- Governor Fashola’s younger sister, Ms. Yinka Fashola, also got booted out as GM of Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA). She too was instructed to handover everything in her care as General Manager to the next person to her in the agency.
LAGOS GOV. AKINWUMI AMBODE OPENS BATTLELINE WITH EX-GOV. FASHOLA
