By Goke Butika
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu might be a good guy, I learnt he has lifted a lot of people economically and politically. Quite obvious to us, he was instrumental to President Muhammadu Buhari’s political fortune. What a man! However, his life long ambition of becoming a President appears cloudy and tactless.
Yes, people who love Tinubu would not like my submission, it’s not necessary they should, but as someone who never benefited from him, I can only voice my opinion on his project as a Nigerian who has one vote, which is subjective. Subjective in the sense that it may or may not be correct.
What did I think? One, Tinubu’s political influence is “larger than life” in Nigeria of today, but the events of the last four years have forced people he relied upon for political payback to put the moving pieces together, and the reactions of some of his political lieutenants have shown that he is a good guy with large wallet, but waned energy, and to be the President of a complex country like Nigeria, full energy is required, because the leader of this period must be firing from all cylinders.
People relied on Buhari’s trustworthiness and anti corruption posture the last time, but lack of energy has not only slowed him down, it drew him back on many policies and principles that made him a victim of economic chess both domestically and internationally.
The criminals are not sleeping, they were plotting every second on how to subvert the economy, exploit the poor, and cheat the system, but the President has to be on bed for more than eight hours, and by the time he wakes up, the country is already at the mercy of the political “scavengers”. The same scenario applies to Tinubu. “He is good, benevolent”, but he is human, and age is catching up with him as well, just like any of us.
In another Premise, if Tinubu, the man who wants to be a President could not manage the rift between his younger brother, Governor Gboyega Oyetola and his once upon most dedicated and trustworthy lieutenant, now Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola who is widely respected in the North as the only “good and religious” guy in the Tinubu’s team, how will he (manage) Nigeria, where you have tribes, clans, ethnic divides and nations within a country?
Each time history repeats itself the price doubles. Aregbesola is respected in the North, the north is the deciding factor in electoral politics of Nigeria, and if such a man is not with a southern candidate, is that not a big void in the political calculus?
Meanwhile, the southern people, particularly the southwestern people are very opinionated, and it is showing with political brickbats in all state of the region. History shows that Awolowo navigated the West successfully, yet he lost presidential seat because he had an axe to pick with his lieutenant Chief Ladoke Akintola who was well liked in the North not for religious belief, but his political alignment and erudition. Tinubu’s influence is only sprawling in Lagos. If Edo in the hand of PDP has engendered a slogan that “Edo is not Lagos”, and Ondo rebelled against Tinubu’s candidate in the previous election; Oyo chose to pitch tenth with the opposition, ditching Tinubu’s candidate in the last governorship election, and Fayemi fought Tinubu’s influence to become governor in his second bid, and Osun is sliding out of his brother’s hand, what is left to bargain as presidential material?
I think Tinubu’s would do himself a favor by not unveiling his political myth, because this Presidential adventure may not fly, but his political hustle will demystify him, and he may turn out to be an overrated political generalissimo. However, he may chose to die a statesman with full regalia of the most consequential politician in Nigeria of he can throw his weight behind a young and vibrant person from his region.
As I said early in this piece, it is just my opinion and I have apology for that.
*Butika writes from Houston, Texas, USA.
