The governorship election in Lagos in 2015 was won by Akinwunmi Ambode as a replacement for Babatunde Fashola who was leaving office after eight successful years as governor of the state.
Fashola, it is known, was a major face during the campaign of Ambode. He followed the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) everywhere within the state giving residents reasons to vote for him as his successor.
Just like many in the state trust Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to take politically correct decisions, so they trusted Fashola during his campaigns for Ambode. However, beyond all the smiles and hugs during that period, there was a deep-seated brawl between the duo as has been learnt by Huhuonline.com.
Aggrieved staff of the state-owned Lagos Television told this medium that immediately Ambode became governor, the management of the television station eased off everything that would promote Fashola.
Since then, news concerning Fashola has seldom been used. Where they are used, the photographs of the former governor are removed and the news illustrated with related symbols and photographs, according to those who spoke with Huhuonline.com.
The staff are aggrieved that the mass redeployment or reshuffling has placed many of them on danger list. They fear being sacked.
Some weeks ago, major changes were announced in the television with the appointment of Oba Adeoye, a reporter with Television Continental, allegedly owned by Tinubu, as the new Director of News.
Some of the staff disclosed that Adeoye, who was not a staff of LTV, was only being compensated for his loyalty to the administration of Ambode and the way he reported the activities of the governor as candidate of the APC during the election.
During this period, it was learnt that Fashola, who had turned LTV to a world-class television station, had given a directive that it must be run like a business enterprise and not give special preference to any particular party or person.
“While he may have been looking at the revenue side of things, this instruction did not go down well with those who supported Ambode,” one of the aggrieved staff explained.
“Now, we are forbidden from promoting Fashola as we should.”
Another staff of the station, who pleaded to remain anonymous, narrated that they suddenly began to see letters of transfers.
“Many of us were moved from our beats to new beats to pave way for Adeoye. We were screened again and our documents checked.
“While some were posted to the office, some were reposted to other beats while some of us do not have anywhere we are attached to. They just posted us to the secretariat.
“We have not been seconded to any office. So we merely come to work and close with others without having anything doing for now. We do not know the plans of the government,” the female staff of the organisation said.
Though efforts to get the government’s official position on this issue proved abortive, it was learnt that the discord between Fashola and Ambode started even before the campaigns for the 2015 governorship election.
Fashola, some say, tactically frustrated Amobode out as Accountant-General of the state, but the government maintained he resigned from the Fashola government and insiders believe that was when the rift between both parties began.
The rift graduated into the selection process for Fashola’s successor. While Tinubu backed Ambode, Fashola wanted his former Commissioner for Works, Obafemi Hamzat. However, Fashola could not garner the level of support for his candidate since he was not the owner of the party structure.
The crisis that would have degenerated was urgently resolved and the members of party agreed to work for the emergence of Ambode.
The table turned when Ambode began to unearth some alleged infractions by the administration of Fashola.
There emerged some scandals that trailed the Fashola administration as it concerns contract awards. But the former governor maintained that he was not in charge of signing cheques and as such was innocent of such allegations.
Ambode also sacked boards as well as heads of parastatals appointed during the administration of Fashola. Those fired included Ms. Yinka Fashola, who was General Manager of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).
A party chieftain who spoke with Huhuonline.com confirmed the rift but said it was “seriously being managed by the party.
“I am not in a position to speak on the issue, but I know that the party would not want this problem between the two of them to degenerate so that it does not affect our fortunes,” he said.
