Bola Ahmed Tinubu: The Architect of Renewed Hope

During his 8 years in government, Tinubu initiated new road construction, required to meet the needs of the fast-growing population of the state.

Tinubu, alongside a new Deputy Governor, Femi Pedro, won re-election into office as Governor in April 2003. All other states in the South West fell to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in those elections. He was involved in a struggle with the Olusegun Obasanjo-controlled Federal Government over whether Lagos State had the right to create new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to meet the needs of its large population. The controversy led to the Federal Government seizing funds meant for local councils in the state. During the latter part of his term in office, he was engaged in continuous clashes with PDP powers such as Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Lagos State Senator who had become minister of works, and Bode George, the South-West Chairman of the PDP.

In 2006, Bola Ahmed Tinubu attempted to persuade the then - Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar to become the Head of his party, the Action Congress (AC). Abubakar who was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had recently fallen out with President Olusegun Obasanjo over Abubakar’s ambition to succeed Obasanjo as president. Bola Ahmed Tinubu offered Atiku Abubakar the chance to switch parties and join the Action Congress (AC), offering him his party’s Presidential Candidacy, with the condition that he, Tinubu, would be Atiku Abubakar’s running mate. Atiku declined the proposition and, having switched to the AC, chose a running mate from the South East, Senator Ben Obi. Although Atiku ran for office on Tinubu’s platform in the election, the PDP still won, in a landslide.

Relationship between Tinubu and Deputy Governor Femi Pedro became increasingly tense after Pedro declared his intention to run for the Gubernatorial Elections. Pedro competed to become the AC candidate for Governor in the 2007 elections, but withdrew his name on the eve of the party nomination. He defected to the Labour Party while still keeping his position as Deputy Governor. Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State Governor ended on 29 May 2007, when his successor Babatunde Fashola of the Action Congress (AC) took office.

2007 General Election

In 2007, following the landslide victory of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 2007 elections, Tinubu became involved in negotiations to bring together the fragmented opposition parties into a “mega-party” capable of challenging the then ruling PDP. In March 2009, there were reports that a plot had been identified to assassinate Tinubu. In February 2013, Tinubu was among several politicians who created a “mega opposition” party with the merger of Nigeria’s three biggest opposition parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the new PDP (PDP), a faction of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party – into the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In 2014, Tinubu supported former military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, leader of the CPC – who commanded widespread following in Northern Nigeria, and had previously contested in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections as the CPC Presidential Candidate. Bola Ahmed Tinubu initially wanted to become General Buhari’s vice presidential candidate but later conceded to Yemi Osibanjo, his ally and former commissioner of Justice. In 2015, General Buhari rode the All Progressives Congress (APC) to victory, ending the 16-year rule of the PDP, and marking the first time an incumbent Nigerian president lost to an opposition candidate.

Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu went on to play an important role in President Buhari administration, supporting government policies and holding onto the internal party reins, in lieu of his long-held rumored presidential aspiration. In 2019, he supported Buhari’s re-election campaign defeating the PDP candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. In 2020, following an internal party crisis which led to the removal of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ally and party Chairman Adams Oshiomole, it is believed the move was to scuttle Chief Tinubu’s presidential prospects ahead of 2023.

On 10 January 2022, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu made his formal announcement of candidacy for President. On 8 June 2022, Bola Tinubu won the party convention vote of the ruling APC, scoring 1,271, to defeat Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo and Rotimi Amaechi who scored 235 and 316 respectively.

On 1 March 2023, INEC declared Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu winner of the 2023 presidential election. He was declared president-elect after he polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his opponents. His runner-up Atiku Abubakar of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) polled 6,984,520 votes. Labour Party’s Peter Obi had 6,101,533 votes to come third.