By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
For the second and final day of President Bola Tinubu’s scheduled two-day official visit to Lagos State, the President was again absent from the commissioning of projects executed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
For the second consecutive day, Senate President Godswill Akpabio represented the President at Thursday’s event.
Akpabio, alongside Governor Sanwo-Olu and other top officials, inaugurated the newly regenerated and upgraded Tolu Schools Complex in the Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area. The complex comprises 36 schools and 19 mini football pitches in the Olodi-Apapa, Ajegunle area.
On the first day of the visit (Wednesday), Akpabio had also stood in for the President, commissioning the Opebi–Mende–Ojota Link Bridge, the Lagos State Multi-Agency Complex in Alausa—renamed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administrative Complex (BATAC)—and the Lagos Geographic Information Service (LAGIS) Office in Alausa, Ikeja.
Reports indicate that President Tinubu is currently in Lagos and has been hosting dignitaries from across the country. Despite extensive preparations for his expected appearance on Wednesday—including traffic diversions that caused hours of gridlock in Ikeja, Maryland, Ojota, and other parts of the state—the President did not attend.
His absence has prompted public speculation. Critics note that the President could have informed the governor beforehand that he would be unable to attend, which would have made the traffic diversions and other arrangements unnecessary.
Political pundits suggest the President and Governor Sanwo-Olu may be experiencing political tensions, particularly regarding the upcoming governorship succession in Lagos State.
With Governor Sanwo-Olu completing his second and final term, expectations are that he will support a preferred successor. Observers note that President Tinubu has a history of strained relationships with political protégés he previously handpicked to govern the state. Some analysts believe a disagreement over the next governor could explain Tinubu’s decision not to attend the commissions, despite being in Lagos.
This interpretation has gained traction because just days earlier, President Tinubu honoured a similar invitation from Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, commissioning major projects there.
Although in a bid to make people believe otherwise, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, told Channels Television on Wednesday evening that Tinubu prioritised security matters.
“In the last ten days, right from the developments in Jos, the president has been busy taking constant briefs, and he has to prioritise when it comes to state matters, especially security,” Dare said. “He is in Lagos monitoring the development, working with the intelligence community, and taking constant security briefs.”
