ANIMASHAUN RILWAN
The article titled “Hamzat and the Future of Lagos” by former Managing Director of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Barrister Bolaji Sanusi, reveals the mindset of a man seemingly desperate for attention and convinced that such attention can only be achieved by attacking individuals and institutions he believes are responsible for his unrealised political ambitions.
Sanusi’s direct assault on structures and personalities from which he has benefited in the past—and from which he still appears eager to benefit if given the opportunity—offers a revealing insight into the mentality of entitlement. His article reeks of vengeance and vindictiveness against perceived political adversaries whom he blames for his personal political setbacks.
To better understand the motivation behind the article, it is important to examine who Bolaji Sanusi is. A journalist by training, he became known through his columns in the now-defunct National Life newspaper and later The Nation. Through his media engagements, he became closely associated with the political media machinery of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and subsequently enjoyed the benefits of that political relationship.
That relationship culminated in his appointment as Managing Director of LASAA in 2016 by the Lagos State Government—the same government and political establishment he now seeks to disparage.
One is therefore compelled to ask: why is Sanusi attacking Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu?
It is on record that the Sanwo-Olu administration has delivered significant infrastructural and developmental projects across various sectors of Lagos State since assuming office. Is Sanusi unaware of the Blue and Red Rail Lines that have transformed public transportation in Lagos? Is he oblivious to the extensive road infrastructure projects executed across the state? Has he forgotten the completion of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administrative Centre in Alausa? Or the Tolu School Complex, reputed to be the largest school complex in West Africa?
Certainly, Barrister Sanusi is aware of these achievements. However, he has chosen to ignore them in pursuit of a personal vendetta, apparently fuelled by his inability to secure a place in Governor Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet after the 2023 elections.
Equally puzzling is his attack on Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke.
As a lawyer and former editor, Barrister Sanusi should appreciate that certain allegations and insinuations should not be casually made against individuals without evidence. Public commentary should be guided by facts, not emotions.
It is no secret that Sanusi has not forgiven Faleke, whom he reportedly blames for his inability to secure the APC chairmanship ticket in Ojokoro LCDA. That grievance appears to have found expression in his latest article.
Sanusi accuses Faleke of imposing candidates and promoting only his loyalists. Imposed who and where? Faleke only gets involved in settling disputes and working with the party leadership to get to a compromise solution, if and when possible. It is sad that Sanusi conveniently ignores the fact that Faleke has never operated outside the established structures of the party. Decisions attributed to him are made within the framework of consultations with the leadership of the APC in Lagos State.
Indeed, Faleke’s political resourcefulness, commitment to party discipline, and ability to build consensus were among the reasons for his recent elevation into the highly respected Governance Advisory Council (GAC). Perhaps Barrister Sanusi overlooked that fact.
It is also absurd and intellectually shallow to blame Faleke for President Tinubu’s loss in Ikeja during the 2023 presidential election. The voting pattern witnessed in that election was neither peculiar to Ikeja nor attributable to any one individual. The party leadership has a clear understanding of what transpired during that election cycle and has since taken note of the relevant lessons.
The question is simple: did that voting pattern occur only in Ikeja? The answer is no. We understand the narrative being pushed and where it is coming from. At the appropriate time, those issues will be adequately addressed.
Reports from Ojokoro LCDA indicate that until the local government election period, Sanusi was largely absent from grassroots politics in Ifako-Ijaiye and Ojokoro. Many local stakeholders reportedly did not know him as an active participant in the political affairs of the area. Rather, he was reputed for boasting about his connections at the highest levels of the political hierarchy and his ability to secure outcomes from the top.
When the time came for the local government elections, party leaders in the council collectively settled on their preferred candidate. Why Sanusi would now blame Faleke for a decision jointly taken by party leaders in his own local government remains difficult to comprehend.
His hostility towards the Justice Forum is equally understandable. He served as a prominent media figure for a faction of the Mandate Movement and, has chosen to become the mouthpiece of a very small, militant arm of the mandate group. The truth is that both groups are working together in most Local governments across the state in the larger interest of the party.
It is important to state that the leadership of the APC in Lagos State is currently focused on rebuilding trust, strengthening internal cohesion, and restoring confidence among party members. These efforts involve consultations with respected leaders and elders both within and outside the Governance Advisory Council. Encouragingly, those efforts are already yielding positive results.
Rather than attempting to undermine these initiatives, Barrister Sanusi should join hands with party leaders in strengthening the unity and progress of the APC.
His allegations against the Justice Forum also collapse under the weight of facts.
Has Sanusi forgotten that the APC House of Representatives ticket in Ojo Federal Constituency was won by a member of the Mandate Movement? Ojo happens to be the home local government of Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, whom many identify with the Justice Forum. If the Justice Forum truly manipulates outcomes as alleged, why was a Mandate Movement member allowed to emerge at the expense of the aspirant from the group?
Similarly, in Alimosho, the candidate perceived to enjoy the support of the Justice Forum and who was also the incumbent was denied the ticket in favour of another aspirant from a different political tendency. How then does one reconcile that with allegations of systemic injustice by the Justice Forum?
In Agege, the candidate that won APC House of Representatives ticket was the sole aspirant. It was Hon Faleke and others who worked hard to achieve this consensus. The candidate is of Mandate caucus. This is the story across the state.
The facts simply do not support his claims.
At a time when the party is working hard to consolidate unity and prepare for future electoral contests, divisive commentaries such as this do little to advance the collective interest of progressive politics in Lagos State.
We therefore call on Barrister Bolaji Sanusi to channel his considerable energy, intellect and communication skills towards promoting unity, cohesion and constructive engagement within the party rather than deepening divisions through personal grievances disguised as political analysis.
Attention is not earned through bitterness. Leadership is not demonstrated through division. If the goal is a stronger APC and a better Lagos, then all stakeholders must rise above personal disappointments and work together in the interest of the party and the state.
– Animashaun Rilwan, a public affairs analyst, writes in from Lagos.
