To signal a reconciliation and possible political realignment, President Bola Tinubu received an erstwhile Governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.
Ambode, who arrived at the State House around 4 pm, was ushered into the President’s office for a closed-door session that lasted for about an hour.
As the national leader of the All Progressives Congress and former Governor of Lagos (1999 – 2007), Tinubu was instrumental to Ambode’s election as governor in 2015.
However, their relationship deteriorated around 2017, notably leading to Ambode being denied a second-term ticket by the APC in 2018.
Although the details of their conversation were not disclosed afterward, Friday’s meeting signalled a significant improvement in their relationship.
About three weeks earlier, the two leaders were spotted together in Ikeja, Lagos, at a dinner hosted by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in Tinubu’s honour.
Meanwhile, the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Alao, on Friday in Abuja, urged Nigerians to be patient with the Tinubu-led administration, saying the policies enacted so far meant well for the country’s long-term prosperity.
“Let all Nigerians be patient with him…this government means business and the business is to serve the people,” the monarch said when he was received in audience by President Tinubu at the State House, Abuja
Alao, who said he discussed issues of national concern with the President, reasoned that the recent removal of the petrol subsidy was one of many steps toward prosperity.
However, he said the initial pains were necessary for the long-term benefits to manifest.
“All I will say is, let all Nigerians be patient with him. He has kicked started in a very positive direction and there’s no way you’ll have gains without pain.
In another development, the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, on Friday, urged wives of the 36 state governors to see their position as an “opportunity to impact more” lives.
“The exalted positions we are in today should be seen as an opportunity to impact more meaningfully, not only on the lives of people in your states, but Nigeria as a whole,” Mrs. Tinubu told the governors’ wives at a meeting held at her office at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Friday.
The Special Adviser to the First Lady on Media, Mrs. Busola Kukoyi, revealed this in a statement she signed on Friday.
According to Kukoyi, Mrs. Tinubu also introduced the women to the objectives and the mission of the Renewed Hope Initiative and sought their support to reach every nook and cranny of Nigeria.