Tony Okoroji Reveals How Aregbesola, Osinbajo, Fashola Helped Tinubu Rise to National Prominence

By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News

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Nigerian singer and songwriter, Tony Okoroji, has disclosed how prominent political figures including former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Babatunde Fashola, among others, contributed significantly to the political ascendancy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

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Okoroji, who is also a former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), made the revelation in a recent opinion article titled “I Totally Disagree with Mayor Akinpelu,” published last Saturday. He argued that Tinubu’s rise to national prominence, which eventually culminated in his emergence as Nigeria’s President in 2023, was largely facilitated by the structures and groundwork laid by these key allies.

A Counter-Narrative to Akinpelu’s Position

The revelation comes in response to an earlier piece written by veteran journalist Mayor Akinpelu, titled “Rauf Aregbesola’s Perfidy.” In that article, Akinpelu accused Aregbesola, the immediate past Minister of Interior, of betraying Tinubu by allegedly aligning with a coalition that later birthed the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he now serves as National Secretary.

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But Okoroji, in a strongly worded rebuttal, disagreed with Akinpelu’s conclusions. He argued that rather than portraying Tinubu as a benefactor to Aregbesola and other political associates, the reality is that men like Aregbesola, Fashola, Osinbajo, and Lai Mohammed were in fact the “true benefactors” of Tinubu’s political rise.

According to him, “Mayor may have told a one-sided story of Bola Tinubu being a kind benefactor of Rauf Aregbesola, for altruistic reasons. My reading of Mayor’s piece tells me that Bola Tinubu, from day one, was building a political machine and needed men like Rauf Aregbesola to build that machine, not for their own sake, but for his own sake.”

Aregbesola’s Role in Lagos Political Structure

Okoroji emphasised that Rauf Aregbesola, in particular, played a pivotal role in shaping Tinubu’s political base in Lagos. He credited the former Osun State governor with much of the groundwork behind the achievements often attributed to Tinubu’s administration as Lagos State Governor between 1999 and 2007.

He noted that Aregbesola, once regarded as a significant grassroots mobiliser in Alimosho — the most populous local government in Lagos State — was instrumental in consolidating Tinubu’s dominance over the state’s political machinery.

“When Tinubu became governor, apart from appointing him Commissioner for Works, Tinubu made Aregbesola the arrowhead of a new party structure, independent of the Afenifere elders, and made his office the vehicle to compensate party faithful,” Okoroji wrote.

The ‘Orbit of Tinubu’ and Allegations of Servitude

In his piece, Okoroji also painted a picture of what he described as a political environment dominated by Tinubu’s will, where loyalty is demanded above independence.

“The emerging facts suggest that if you enter Tinubu’s orbit, a mark is placed on your head. You are not authorised to have independent thought or independent ambition. You have become a prisoner, and your duty is to always answer ‘yes sir’ to your benefactor,” he stated.

He added that Akinpelu’s earlier portrayal of Tinubu reflected not the image of a democrat but of “an emperor to whom everybody must bow, or worse still, a mafia lord whom everybody must fear.”

Fashola, Osinbajo, and Others in the Tinubu Political Machine

Beyond Aregbesola, Okoroji also highlighted the roles of Babatunde Raji Fashola, who succeeded Tinubu as Lagos State Governor, and Yemi Osinbajo, who served as Attorney General of Lagos State before becoming Nigeria’s Vice President in 2015.

He contended that these figures, along with others such as former Information Minister Lai Mohammed, provided the intellectual, legal, and political frameworks that eventually enabled Tinubu’s long-nurtured presidential ambition to succeed.

“In many ways, Rauf Aregbesola, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Lai Mohammed, Yemi Osinbajo, and the many others in the Tinubu orbit are really Tinubu’s benefactors. They erected the structure that took Tinubu to the presidency,” Okoroji argued.

Implications for Nigerian Politics

Okoroji’s intervention adds another layer to the ongoing debate surrounding Tinubu’s political legacy and the loyalty or perceived disloyalty of his associates. His perspective suggests that the President’s success cannot be understood in isolation but as the product of a collective effort by loyalists whose contributions have often been overshadowed by Tinubu’s towering political image.

Political analysts believe the debate highlights deeper undercurrents within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), where loyalty, control, and independence remain sensitive issues. With Aregbesola now occupying a key position in the newly formed coalition party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), questions about shifting alliances and political futures continue to emerge.

Okoroji’s piece challenges the dominant narrative of Tinubu as a lone political genius and instead credits his long-standing associates with building the formidable machinery that propelled him to the presidency. Whether this reframing of Tinubu’s political journey will gain traction in Nigeria’s political discourse remains to be seen, but it underscores the complex dynamics of loyalty, ambition, and power in Nigeria’s evolving democratic space.