Tensions are rising within President Bola Tinubu’s camp as insiders reveal that the president now feels “let down” by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a development that is felt within the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sanwo-Olu, a protégé of Tinubu and beneficiary of his political influence, rose swiftly through the APC ranks, winning the Lagos governorship in 2019 and securing re-election in 2023 with Tinubu’s full support. However, sources say the relationship has deteriorated considerably in recent months, marked by visible signs of distance and mistrust.
The President’s recent visit to Lagos brought this to light. Eyewitnesses at Murtala Muhammed Airport observed Tinubu deliberately bypassing Sanwo-Olu, ignoring a customary handshake and instead greeting Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat. According to party insiders, the President’s media team was instructed to withhold any footage of this interaction from public view to avoid fuelling speculation. “It took intense last-minute lobbying and persuasion to get the governor included,” an insider revealed. “Otherwise, only the deputy governor was supposed to be at the airport.”
Further breaches of protocol followed.
Sanwo-Olu was excluded from accompanying Tinubu to his Bourdillon residence, a role traditionally reserved for the sitting governor, with Hamzat taking his place. The governor was also absent from significant events during the visit, including the 50th anniversary celebration of ECOWAS at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs—a notable omission given Lagos’s status as host city.
The political frostiness is believed to stem partly from Sanwo-Olu’s involvement in a controversial attempt to unseat Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa. Reports indicate the governor supported and mobilized lawmakers to remove Obasa, a move that was swiftly overturned by Tinubu. This episode is said to have deeply strained the President’s trust in his former ally.
Commenting on the issue, a former commissioner in Lagos who spoke anonymously said, “This is not just about ego or protocol breaches. The President feels let down in certain ways, and when that happens, he doesn’t forget easily.”
Sanwo-Olu’s sidelining is further reflected in his absence from the APC National Policy and Performance Review Summit in Abuja, where Tinubu received formal endorsement for a second term. Sources suggest the governor may have been quietly excluded following the Obasa controversy.
Moreover, Sanwo-Olu’s influence over the upcoming local government elections in Lagos has waned. None of the 57 chairmanship candidates have ties to his camp, a break from previous patterns. Party directives reportedly barred sitting governors from manipulating candidate selections, signaling a reassertion of control by Tinubu’s inner circle.
Several local government aspirants pitched with the governor were edged out during the screening phase, while others reportedly withdrew under pressure from emerging power blocs loyal directly to Abuja.
The once-dominant Governance Advisory Council, a key Lagos APC decision-making body, also lost sway amid these power shifts.
Sanwo-Olu’s second and final tenure as governor ends in 2027. It is understood that even stronger assertions of control are on the horizon as the countdown advances.
