Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has alleged that some individuals within President Bola Tinubu’s circle do not want former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to be part of the current administration because of his firm principles and unwillingness to tolerate certain practices.

Akande made the allegation during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, where he discussed the Tinubu administration, Fashola’s absence from the federal government and the reported relationship between the president and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

According to Akande, Fashola’s decision not to return to government may partly be linked to fatigue after years of public service. However, he argued that resistance from some people around the president could be a more significant reason.

“I think the reason why Fashola is not in this government, two reasons. I think Fashola himself has a bit of fatigue, more importantly, I think there are people around the president who don’t want to see Fashola because Fashola is not going to tolerate many of those things that you are seeing around,” Akande said.

Akande portrayed the former Lagos State governor as a politician who stands firmly by his principles and would not compromise them to accommodate the interests of others.

He suggested that this disposition might have made some individuals within Tinubu’s circle uncomfortable, particularly those whom Akande believes prefer practices that Fashola would oppose.

“Whatever you say about Fashola, he doesn’t take nonsense and the people who wanted to get some nonsense going, they didn’t want Fashola,” he added.

Akande did not identify the individuals he accused of opposing Fashola’s presence in the administration, nor did the reported interview provide specific examples of the alleged practices. His comments therefore remain allegations rather than independently established evidence of a deliberate effort to keep the former minister out of government.

Despite suggesting that some people around the president may be uncomfortable with Fashola’s return, Akande maintained that the former minister remains close to Tinubu.

He also acknowledged that there had been no major public confrontation between the two politicians, although he suggested that underlying tensions could exist.

“Even somebody like Fashola, who is still very close to the president — no problems openly, although they are also under current which he will speak about, but at least he didn’t have any blowout problem with the man,” Akande said.

His comments point to a distinction between the relationship Tinubu and Fashola maintain publicly and the possibility of disagreements or competing interests within the president’s political circle. However, Akande’s remarks do not establish the nature or extent of any such tensions.

Fashola served as governor of Lagos State from 2007 to 2015 before joining the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

During Buhari’s tenure, he served as Minister of Power, Works and Housing and later as Minister of Works and Housing following the restructuring of ministerial responsibilities.

He has not held a position in Tinubu’s administration since the president assumed office.

Akande, meanwhile, served as Senior Media Aide to Osinbajo during Buhari’s presidency. His latest comments also touched on the perceived fallout between Tinubu and the former vice president, although the central focus of his remarks was Fashola’s absence from the current government.

The former aide’s allegations have brought renewed attention to questions about political relationships, internal dynamics and the factors that may influence appointments in the Tinubu administration.

For now, the reasons behind Fashola’s absence from the federal cabinet have not been conclusively established by the claims presented in the interview.