Paying For Sins Of Ambode…Why The ‘’Legendary Tinubu Media Machine’’ Is Not Backing Sanwo-Olu

Charles Oyelesi

Babajide Sanwo-Olu is the governor of Lagos state at a very trying time.

His predecessor Akinwunmi Ambode, within four years, made a mess of a legacy took 16years to build.

Ambode’s performance combined with bad politics historically limited him to a single term – of four years – in office.

Sanwo-Olu became governor of a state filled with people with high expectations of a quick fix, especially the roads that have become the nightmares for all.

And to worsen the situation for the Governor, nature has conspired against him, heavy rainfalls are making nonsense of palliatives to make the roads ‘’ motorable’’ and reduce the ‘’hellish and endless’’ wait in traffic.

The Check’s made by societynow.ng revealed that Sanwo-Olu’s situation is not helped by the fact that Ambode’s sympathizers have initiated a silent campaign that is gradually making him ‘’solely’’ responsible for the mess at hand.

And the ‘’public’’ in dire need of better road experience is speedily lapping it up and feasting on the slant that portrays Sanwo-Olu as ”incompetent”.

The information available to societynow.ng revealed that as the unfavorable perception grows the formidable Bola Tinubu media machine that has bailed others out of a more messy situation has stayed aloof.

Interestingly, it was the same legendary media machine that packaged Sanwo-Olu as the best thing after former governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, and far better than Ambode, during the gubernatorial campaign and election.

The media machine made a mince meal out of Ambode and painted him in colors of a political liability for Sanwo-Olu to have an easy ride to power.

Why is it now staying aloof in face of worsening perception about Sanwo-Olu?

Societynow.ng learned that at stake is the fight for the robust media account of the Lagos state government.

Insiders disclosed Sanwo-Olu who is beholden to a lot of heavy hitters in the Lagos state All Progressives Congress is fighting to have control over the handling of his ‘’ media’’.

He is directly fighting against the fierce interest of Dele Alake, one of the most entrenched players in the Bola Tinubu media machine.

Societynow.ng gathered that Alake and his team want to have the final say on everything regarding perception about the Sanwo-Olu government.

‘’And that’s huge because it will transform them into a major player in the scheme of things and make Sanwo-Olu’s media appointees as mere side walkers’’ a source stated.

The governor – silently backed by his chief benefactor Remi Tinubu and others– is said to be resisting this move because he is not comfortable with the arrangement that puts someone not extremely loyal to him in charge of his day to day activities – and image.

‘’That was why he upgraded Gboyega Akosile to Chief of Staff from Deputy Chief of Staff…the original idea was to bring in someone from Alake’s camp to oversee things, with Sanwo-Olu’s man Akosile reporting to him but the governor scuttled the arrangement with his move’’ societynow.ng learned.

Insiders disclosed that in retaliation, Sanwo-Olu and his ‘’team’’ were left to handle whatever is thrown at them – while the Tinubu Media Machinery stays away.

A development which has shown that the situation at hand is indeed overwhelming for Sanwo-Olu’s media team.