Amid growing speculation about political tensions in Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sunday met with President Bola Tinubu at the president’s private residence in Bourdillon, located in the upscale Ikoyi area of the state.
Joining Sanwo-Olu at the meeting were members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the apex decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
The gathering comes at a time when rumors have circulated about a possible rift between Tinubu and the Lagos governor.
Tensions were thought to have escalated following the controversial removal, and subsequent reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Speculation further intensified after Sanwo-Olu was noticeably absent from the flag-off of the deep seaport access road reconstruction in Epe-Ijebu Ode in early June, an event seen as significant within the state’s development agenda.
Social media users also raised eyebrows earlier this month when a video appeared to show President Tinubu seemingly snubbing Governor Sanwo-Olu during the inauguration of the completed Phase 1, Section 1 (30km, six-lane) segment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
However, Sunday’s meeting appears to have eased concerns, with observers suggesting it signaled a mending of relations.
In attendance at the high-level meeting were Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat; Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and his deputy, Mojisola Meranda; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; and several other influential figures in Lagos political circles.
Since his arrival in Lagos on May 27, President Tinubu’s Ikoyi residence has seen a steady stream of high-profile visitors, coinciding with a series of events including the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Among the dignitaries who have paid courtesy visits to the president are the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo; former presidential aspirant and cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare; Rivers State’s suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara; Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.
