In a statement Saturday, the APC stalwart dismissed the report as concerted, unsubstantiated, pure conjectures or outright falsehood.
“In this instance, I reference a recent story run by a major newspaper concerning my successor and me. There is no doubt, political charlatans and enemies are at work, fueling unnecessary rumour and insinuations and seeking to drive a wedge in an otherwise cordial and respectful political relationship.
“My relationship with Governor Fashola remains cordial both at the personal level and at the level of commitment to ensuring Lagos state remains on the path of political stability, growth and development,” Tinubu said.
Meanwhile Fashola has queried the Federal Government’s reluctance to cut the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from N97 per litre following the slump in the global oil price. He reasoned that such cut is necessary to align local price with latest drop in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) oil price, put at $66.27 per barrel, as at Friday.
According to Tinubu, whether Fashola, in Thursday’s All Progressives Congress governorship primary, had a specific candidate or not is not the issue. What is important is having a transparent process in the spirit of democracy to which they subscribe.
He said: “We often debate, agree or disagree. But when it comes to concluding on the interest of Lagos state, we are on the same page. The current situation and issues around the Lagos gubernatorial primary are being overblown. What we have done is ensure that no one is denied his or her rights to participate and compete for any elective position. Such a disposition should not translate into anger and divisiveness of the party, as it is being peddled. Conflicts and disagreements are part of every political process. The capacity to solve these conflicts in-house and not on the pages of newspapers is a tradition in Lagos.
“We warn the people of Lagos state against speculative, self-serving stories aimed at destabilising the party and its leadership. The media must be wary of accepting or publishing stories that seek to pursue a narrow political agenda. Rather, they should make their paper a platform for proper news dissemination and constructive analysis such that can help our country tackle the current security problem, create jobs.”
According to him, “At my age and with my level of political experience, I am expected to seek for solutions, work for reconciliations and find a common ground where disagreements exist. That is what I have dedicated myself to in the larger interest of Lagos state and Nigeria at large. That is what Governor Babatunde Fashola and myself are about. That is what Lagos state deserves as Nigeria’s pacesetter in terms of democracy and development.”
Fashola said: “We should be enjoying cheap fuel if the price of oil has dropped globally. And even as we import the product, a major component has reduced in price. While this has reduced, the pump price of fuel in the country still remains the same. Then something is wrong. If the price increases in the country when the price of oil goes up globally, then it should also reduce when the price of oil drops.”
He added: “I understand that I am not an economist; they (Federal Government) are the economist. But I have some logic and common sense to ask critical questions. For instance, if one buys flour at N10 per kilogram, and the bread was sold at N1 per loaf, if the price of flour drops, the price of the bread should also change.”
He said the President Jonathan-led administration should follow the footstep of other countries that have reduced the pump price of oil products for their citizens.
He, however, noted that the oil sector of the country has not been improved to address challenges confronting the nation especially unemployment, saying, “The economy is not doing well. Some of you (audience) are compelled to try to survive through whatever means.”
Source: Guardian
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