No permanent enmity in politics and so, All Progressives Congress, APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Wednesday received his estranged political associate, Muiz Banire in London.
The photograph of the encounter between the two men was immediately circulated online as political pundits and stakeholders pondered over the latest development in the relationship between the two men.
GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that Banire who had supposedly ridden on the platform of the Tinubu phenomenon to high places in the party and in government, however, fell out with the mainstream of the APC in Lagos over multiple issues a few years ago.
That was despite serving eight years in the Tinubu cabinet and four years in the Fashola cabinet. He was also National Legal Adviser of the APC and chairman of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON.
However, he fell out with the Tinubu crowd and subsequently granted some interviews in which he directly questioned what was referred to as the godfatherism that is in Lagos APC.
Ahead of the 2019 election he was among those who served as rallying points for the anti-Tinubu tendency in Lagos.
However, Tinubu never replied him publicly despite the fury of some of Tinubu’s strongest loyalists including Rauf Aregbesola.
Tinubu shocked many after Banire lost his mother sometime in 2019 when he paid a condolence visit to his estranged associate in his Ikeja GRA residence. Aregbesola who lived a stone throw from Banire according to a source did not visit or even call.
However, things seem to have turned around in Lagos with the visit of Banire to Tinubu in London.
Besides the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Tinubu, the visit of Banire is undoubtedly the most politically significant. Other high profile visitors to Tinubu in London have been Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Rep. James Faleke.
Takeaways From Banire’s Visit To Tinubu
- Unlike the Buhari visit, there is no image of a walking stick. This fits with the narrative that Tinubu is fit unlike the reading from the visit of Buhari that showed the national leader and presidential hopeful holding on to a walking stick.
- Banire may have come back to Tinubu with questions over the political relationship between Tinubu and Aregbesola.
- Despite their perceived differences, Banire and Tinubu it is claimed share similar views on the illegality of the Mala Buni led executive of the APC.
- As a sound lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Banire may be in a position to share legal views and public commentaries to help the cause of the Tinubu camp on the Buni leadership.
- Those who say that Tinubu is unwell either politically or physically, may now have an altered view. He is standing on his own without a walking stick and forging more political alliances even with estranged associates!
