A former Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu, Professor Dapo Thomas, has claimed that President Tinubu initially withdrew his support for the second-term re-election of former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola over allegations that the governor was building an independent political structure.
Thomas, now a Professor of History at Lagos State University made the disclosure in excerpts from his autobiography, Lagos Boy and Lagos Politics, scheduled for launch on July 9, 2026.
According to him, the relationship between Tinubu and Fashola deteriorated shortly after Fashola assumed office in 2007 due to disagreements over loyalty, succession politics, and the control of Lagos' political structure.
Thomas alleged that Fashola gradually distanced himself from Tinubu after securing his first term and began consolidating his own political camp.
He claimed that by 2010, as preparations for the 2011 governorship election gathered momentum, Tinubu withdrew his support for Fashola's re-election, compelling the governor to seek reconciliation through traditional rulers and influential political figures.
According to Thomas, prominent personalities, including Pius Akinyelure, Prince Eludoyin and Egbon Salami, were mobilised to appeal to Tinubu on Fashola's behalf.
The former aide further alleged that Tinubu became concerned over what he perceived as Fashola's efforts to establish a political structure independent of his own, particularly as Tinubu was positioning himself for a broader national political role.
Thomas also claimed there had been an understanding within the political family that Fashola's successor would emerge from Lagos East and be a Christian, a move intended to maintain regional and religious balance after 16 years of Muslim governors in the state.
He alleged that while Tinubu and his loyalists supported that arrangement, Fashola promoted a different succession plan centred on his preferred candidate, further widening the rift between both camps within the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Seeking to resolve the crisis, Thomas said he authored a newspaper article titled "Tinubu-Fashola: Crossroads, Not Dead-End," urging Tinubu to forgive Fashola and support his second-term ambition. In the article, he argued that replacing Fashola would slow Lagos State's development, describing the governor as one who had justified Tinubu's confidence in him.
Thomas disclosed that before publishing the article, he sought Tinubu's approval to avoid appearing to publicly challenge his political leader. According to him, Tinubu reviewed the article, discussed its contents with him and eventually approved its publication.
He said Tinubu's approval convinced him that Fashola would ultimately receive backing for a second term.
Thomas noted that Tinubu eventually endorsed Fashola's re-election despite their earlier disagreements.
He also claimed that after Fashola secured a second term, disputes over succession resurfaced, with the governor allegedly seeking to influence the choice of his successor, while Tinubu eventually backed former Lagos State Accountant-General, Akinwunmi Ambode, as the preferred candidate for the 2015 governorship election.
The claims contained in Thomas' forthcoming autobiography have not been independently verified, and neither President Tinubu nor former Governor Fashola had publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
