Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has dismissed reports of a rift between him and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing their relationship as that of a father and son.
Sanwo-Olu made the clarification on Sunday, shortly after a closed-door meeting with the president at his private residence in Bourdillon, Ikoyi. The governor was accompanied by key members of the Lagos political establishment, including members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), which is the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The visit comes amid growing rumours of a crack in the long-standing political alliance between Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu. Speculations heightened recently after a series of public events where the governor was either absent or seemingly sidelined.
One such event was the controversial removal and later reinstatement of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, a situation that sparked political tension. Sanwo-Olu’s absence from the flag-off of the reconstruction of the deep seaport access road in Epe-Ijebu Ode axis earlier this month further added to the rumours.
Matters came to a head when President Tinubu appeared to ignore Sanwo-Olu during the commissioning of the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, a project seen as critical to the state. Social media users quickly speculated that all was not well between the two prominent Lagos APC leaders.
However, in a chat with reporters after Sunday’s meeting, Sanwo-Olu cleared the air.
“There is none,” he said when asked if there was a rift. “There are people more Catholic than the Pope; they cry more than the bereaved.”
He added, “Father and son (affairs) are things that we always ensure that we clear. There is nothing at all. He is my father and my leader, and we are grateful that he has given us the audience to say hello to him today.”
Sanwo-Olu was joined at the meeting by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; his deputy, Mojisola Meranda; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. Several other top APC stakeholders in Lagos were also present.
Sunday’s meeting appears to be a deliberate move by Lagos APC leaders to present a united front amid growing media speculation. Political watchers say the optics of the meeting and the governor’s remarks are meant to calm nerves and reinforce party unity ahead of the 2027 election season.
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, has long been the stronghold of the APC and the political base of President Tinubu, who served as governor from 1999 to 2007. He remains a powerful figure in Lagos politics and played a key role in Sanwo-Olu’s emergence as governor in 2019.
While the president and Sanwo-Olu have worked closely over the years, analysts say politics in Lagos has become increasingly competitive, with internal party dynamics shifting. The rumoured tensions, though publicly denied, have sparked debates on whether power blocs within the APC are beginning to realign.
For now, both camps are trying to project stability. But political observers note that as 2027 approaches, internal party politics in Lagos — often influenced by Tinubu’s role as kingmaker — will remain under close watch.
As it stands, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s message is clear: “There is no problem.” Whether that holds in the coming months remains to be seen.
