When President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Lagos on March 6, 2006, there were plenty of dramatic interactions between him and Governor Bola Tinubu, who received him at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
According to a PM News report of March 7, 2006, archived by Archivi.ng and obtained by EKO HOT BLOG, the drama began when the President faulted the Lagos Governor for calling his Ogun State counterpart, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, his “brother”.
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Obasanjo responded by saying, “He is not your brother. Both of you are not in the same political party.” And Tinubu replied: “Political alliances are transient. Gbenga Daniel is my brother.”
The President insisted there was nothing transient, adding that the Lagos Governor was in the wrong place (political party) and that he should cross over to the right place (People’s Democratic Party, PDP).
The drama did not end there. As the President and his entourage were about to board the helicopter to the locations where he was scheduled to commission projects, he asked his aides: “Is there any space for this man (Tinubu) in the helicopter?”
Tinubu, who was taken aback by the President’s remark, shot back: “There must be space for me or else you won’t fly over Lagos airspace.” The President promptly ordered his aides to make room for Tinubu.
The drama continued at Lagoon Hospital, which the President visited to commission. After cutting a cake presented to him a day after his birthday, he attempted to feed a piece to Tinubu. However, the governor reportedly began to chant some incantations. This shocked Obasanjo, who was momentarily transfixed before asking Tinubu what he was up to.
The Lagos governor was said to have told the President that he had to do so before accepting the cake, and now that he was through with the incantation, he was ready to eat it and even collect a bigger chunk from the President.
The Bitter History Between Obasanjo and Tinubu
Seventeen years after the dramatic encounter between Obasanjo and Tinubu, the latter was elected President, but not without years of bitter conflict between the two men.
The most prominent conflict arose over Tinubu’s creation of 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State in 2002. He argued that the LCDAs were necessary to improve governance and development in Lagos, a rapidly growing megacity.
However, Obasanjo’s federal government viewed this as a violation of constitutional provisions, which vest local government creation in the federal government and National Assembly. The federal government withheld Lagos State’s statutory allocations for nearly two years, severely straining the state’s finances.
Tinubu challenged this action in court, and the Supreme Court eventually ruled in his favour in 2004, ordering the release of the funds—though it did not fully recognise the LCDAs.
The 2003 elections further intensified their rivalry. Obasanjo, seeking re-election, secured the support of most Alliance for Democracy (AD) governors in the South-West to deliver their states to the PDP. Tinubu, however, resisted aligning with Obasanjo and the PDP, maintaining his independence.
While other AD governors lost their seats to PDP candidates, Tinubu won re-election as Lagos Governor, cementing his reputation as a political heavyweight in the state.
As President, Tinubu has faced sharp criticism from Obasanjo, particularly over economic policies. In May 2024, Obasanjo criticised Tinubu’s handling of fuel subsidy removal and naira flotation, calling them necessary but poorly implemented, resulting in economic hardship. He also faulted Tinubu’s response to the Niger Republic coup.
In November 2024, at a Yale University event, Obasanjo labelled Tinubu’s administration as corrupt and failing, nicknaming him “Baba-go-slow” and referencing his “Emilokan” campaign slogan to mock his leadership.
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But Tinubu’s aides, including Sunday Dare and Temitope Ajayi, hit back, accusing Obasanjo of hypocrisy given his own controversial tenure, particularly the $16 billion allegedly wasted on power projects and his failed, unconstitutional third-term bid. They argued that Tinubu was working to fix Nigeria’s challenges, including those inherited from Obasanjo’s era.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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