How Tinubu, Akeredolu peace deal flopped

IT emerged in Abuja, at the weekend, that some forces operating within the All Progressives Congress (APC) stalled a peace meeting scheduled for London, United Kingdom, between the Ondo State governor-elect, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu and the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune confirmed that while Tinubu was set for the meeting, planned to hold on January 3, a caucus within the party actually convinced other parties to the meeting to stay off.

It was gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari had mandated two key figures in the Presidency to midwife the meeting and ensure Tinubu and Akeredolu reconciled.

The duo had fallen apart in the build-up to the governorship election in Ondo, as Tinubu strongly opposed the candidature of Akeredolu for the election.

Apparently determined to ensure peace in the South-West fold of the party, the president was said to have mandated two Young Turks within the workings of the Presidency and the party to midwife the peace deal.

It was planned to hold on January 3, a few days to the enlarged South-West APC leaders’ meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on January 12.

Those expected at the London meeting, it was gathered, included Senator Tinubu; former Osun State governor and chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande; Akeredolu and one of the Young Turks mandated by President Buhari to mediate at the meeting.

“The president actually wanted the former Osun state governor, Akande, to moderate the reconciliation as an elder statesman of the APC.

“Akande did not object, but little did we know that some forces were working behind the scenes to truncate the meeting,” a source said.

Another source said two younger elements of the party in the South-West also indicated interest in the meeting and were about jetting out to London before they were informed at the last minute that the meeting had been cancelled.

It was also gathered that though the younger elements in the zone believed they could mediate between Tinubu and Akeredolu successfully without the involvement of the party and Presidency, they, at the same time, wanted to participate in the London meeting.

How the planned meeting snapped is still a surprise to the Presidency and those in the know, but it later emerged that some forces working behind the scene scuttled the plan.

The president was still hopeful the peace would be struck between the two party leaders in the zone very soon,” a source said.

Another source added that “the president is determined to ensure that the former Lagos State governor is accorded his deserved respect, not only in the South-West, but also at the national level of the party.”

Media aide to Akeredolu, Yemi Owolabi, however, told the Nigerian Tribune on phone that his boss did not truncate the said meeting, adding that he was not aware of any peace move at the instance of the Presidency that was truncated by his boss.

“I am not aware of that. As I speak with you, the governor-elect is out of the country. There was no peace meeting between him and Tinubu that I know of. I don’t even think that it is possible for the president to facilitate a meeting and Chief Akeredolu would say he wouldn’t attend,” he said.

Spokesman to Senator Tinubu, Mr Tunde Rahman, also said his boss was not opposed to any peace meeting, but added that the national leader was in London at the said time, not necessarily for a particular meeting.

“Asiwaju Tinubu was on private and business visits abroad. Yes he was in the United Kingdom around that time but he did not go to London to meet Mr Akeredolu.

“Tinubu is a champion of progressive politics who wants the best for Nigeria. If anybody wants to meet him in pursuit of these progressive objectives, there is no problem from our perspective,” he said.

Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media to President Buhari, also said he was not aware of any peace meeting brokered at the instance of the president. “Honestly, I am not aware,” he said.