“Apprised
of their wiles, we in the progressive camp must be wiser still. We must
not allow ourselves to be pawns in this cynical strategy. We cannot
fall into their obvious snares for that would be embracing defeat when
victory has already been won. It is our responsibility to govern as the
people want. It would be to our detriment to fall victim to our
opponent’s sly instigations by allowing ourselves to be utensils picking
each other apart. This brings me to recent developments in the Lagos
political scene. Born of this motley stew is the recent gossip mongering
that I have willfully 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. 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. Lagos
is a much better place than when we came into governance in 1999. Each
year, it has gotten better. With the APC at the helm, each subsequent
year will be better yet. Babatunde Fashola has been an integral part of
this improvement. He does not deserve the pillory. His record has been
applauded and will continue to be when all this rumor mongering has died
its natural and quick death. 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 recognise 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. We
must remember something. We have always governed Lagos state as an open
forum where democracy and free expression were respected. Those who are
against us were never placed in fear of the heavy hand of government
descending on them even as they played funny tricks. We also must
remember than in any democracy, a number of people will always oppose
you no matter the quality of your performance. If an office holder has
an approval rating of 70 per cent, this means, in Lagos, roughly five
million people dislike the person. Also remember the PDP is just
recently out of office at the federal level and that 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 rumors
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 its only
chance lies in us attacking ourselves.
“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 are and shall always be political allies and
fellow travelers on a vital journey; that 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. I see this
present moment as crucial to Nigeria’s future. The nation faces acute
challenges of security, corruption and economic development. Our task is
to create policies that bring prosperity, dignity and hope to all.
Great change is in reach because we have progressive governments at the
federal and state levels for the first time. With great change at hand,
it would be a terrible abdication of our duty to allow agents
provocateur to prompt us to suspect and toss dirt at each other at a
time when we should be focused on building a better, more equitable
nation and society. I for one shall never allow myself to be a tool of a
political enemy that has nothing good in mind for Nigeria. I for one
will never engage in the intramural character attacks of which I am
being accused. I stand for the unity of the APC and for the progressive
purpose we serve. I will not be guilty of tearing down our progressive
house, not a brick of it. That I vow to all.
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