The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, is a godfather like Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello, a spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, has said.
Mr Alake stated this while appearing on “Politics Today” a political programme on Channels TV on Friday.
He said the word “godfather” has been bastardised by those who are envious of Mr Tinubu, adding that many want to become godfathers but are too lazy to work for it.
Mr Alake, who is a former commissioner for information and strategy in Lagos State, Mr Tinubu, like those first republic leaders, is a godfather because he has produced leaders.
Mr Tinubu is widely believed to be the de facto godfather of Lagos politics and some states in the southwest.
“The notion of godfatherism has been given a negative connotation in the political lexicon of Nigeria by those who are unnecessarily envious of others, not because they don’t wish to be godfathers,” he said.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with godfatherism as long as it is public-spirited.
“Awolowo, our sage, was a godfather, why? Because he produced many leaders. Our leader, Ahmadu Bello, was a godfather because he produced leaders. Even Nnamdi Azikwe, was a godfather because he also sired leaders.
“So, therefore, why should Tinubu’s own be given a negative connotation because of those that are lazy, indolent, lethargic and that cannot work assiduously and attain a political height through which they could also develop other leaders to become positive godfathers. There is nothing inherently wrong in being a godfather as long as publicly spirited.”
Mr Alake also justified the decision of the political machinery in the state to deny former Governor Akinwumi Ambode a second term.
Mr Ambode, who was Lagos State governor between 2015 and 2019, fell out with Mr Tinubu and was defeated at the primaries by Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
According to Mr Alake, the former governor was denied a second tenure because he derailed from the established developmental blueprint of the state.
Responding to the record of Mr Tinubu in the healthcare sector and his history of foreign medical tourism, Mr Alake said his principal does patronise local hospitals.
He, however, said in the event of tertiary healthcare, a nation may not have it all.
“Don’t forget that we don’t have it all. Governance is a continuous work in progress. No society in the world has gotten it in all areas at a par. Every day, I have seen him taking medication—taking advice from his local doctors. He visits the local hospitals whenever he is indisposed to be serviced like any of us.
“However, there is what we call tertiary medical services. At that level, you cannot have all the latest medical technological development at the same time in your environment. If you are ill and you don’t have the technology, should you die?
Mr Tinubu’s health has been a subject of debate, particularly on social media.
Last year, Mr Tinubu spent three months in the UK after a knee surgery.