Bola Ahmed Tinubu's call on John
Odigie-Oyegun to resign as National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly derailing from the
path of progressives continues to generate diverse opinions in the polity. The
call, rather than being misconstrued by Tinubu's antagonists should be seen for
its altruistic value and content. It is about saving the soul of a ruling party
that is still in its embryo.
But, while waiting to see how
circumstances eventuate, some questions keep bothering me and if they are
answered dispassionately, they may help put the understanding of the issue in
proper perspective. Before all else, was Tinubu wrong in endorsing a candidate?
Better put, did he, as the National Leader of a foremost party, do something he
ought not to have done by allegedly asking all the aspirants to work for his preferred choice (Punch, September 3, 2016)? Also, and, in fairness to the facts, is
Tinubu gradually losing out in Nigeria's political space and what is the way
out? As a matter of fact, what has become of the ruling party in so short a
space of time and where lies the place of its founding fathers in all of this?
Having said that, Nigerians will
agree with me that, on a good day, the forthcoming governorship election in
Ondo State is a rare privilege for APC to present itself as a party of choice to
the electorate. It is also an
opportunity to test the waters a la Nigerians'
acceptance of its policies and programmes, preparatory to 2019.
With the
situation of things however, one can only pray it would not mess it up on the altar of some unbelievably self-inflicted wounds. From all
indications, Mimiko as the Contestant-in-Chief looks well-prepared for the battle ahead and
this ought to have spurred the opposition into going into the race with a
formidable team for the overall purpose of enriching our democratic process. With
Eyitayo Jegede, from a Senatorial District which, among other considerations,
is noted for having the largest chunk of voters, as People's Democratic Party, PDP's governorship candidate; and John
Ola Mafo, from an axis notorious for political characterizations similar to
Alimosho in Lagos State, Oke Ogun in Oyo State and Florida in the United States
of America, tentatively as Jegede's deputy, the battle line is already drawn!
While
the import of these should not be lost on objective observers, we also need to
bear in mind that Goodluck Jonathan, as fate would have it, is no longer in
power. Impliedly, November 26, 2016 will
most certainly follow a path different from the experience in Ekiti and Osun
States in 2014. Little wonder the outgoing governor
has been running 'upandan' to bung
any
inadequacy that is within his powers.
Kazi Shams was right when he
described "half a truth" as "a whole lie." From
a state of denial to an overflowing scourge of anger, the troubling truth is
that we deceive ourselves a lot in this country and this adds more confusion to the course of
questions! Much as we would pretend not to know, life itself is full of
lessons. It is also full of surprises. But, if care is not taken, one may
concentrate more on the 'surprise' aspect of life to the detriment of its
lessons.
Anyway, since memories are real,
those who wish to be unnecessarily emotions- and sentiments-driven should pause
a bit and ponder the roles of Pharaoh in the life of Joseph (Genesis 45:46); King Xerxes in Mordecai's (Esther 10:3); Melchizedek in Abraham's (Hebrews 7); the Widow of Zarephat in Prophet Elijah's (1 Kings 17: 7-16); and ask Nigeria's exceptionally good liars and
professional pretenders what they would do better should they find themselves
in Tinubu's shoes before casting the first stone.
Again, if history is an oracle we
must consult in order to determine the future, then, we need
not forget in a hurry that, once
upon a recent experience in Nigeria, Ibrahim Babangida, in crude and rude connivance
with some military top brass, not only endorsed Olusegun Obasanjo, they also
ensured that he succeeded Abdusalami Abubakar as Nigeria's president.
Adams Oshiomhole stood by Godwin Obaseki at
the just-concluded governorship election in Edo State. Even, Rotimi Akeredolu,
the man in the eye of the storm, reportedly had his campaign "bankrolled by Atiku Abubakar and some
APC bigwigs" (Vanguard, September 28, 2016). But for the luxury of time and
space, one can go on and on! So, who's fooling who?
To some schools of thought,
Tinubu ought to have read the tea leaves correctly, especially, given that the contestants paid to obtain Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms. Well, since the rules
of natural justice are so fundamental that they don't have to be legislated,
Odigie-Oyegun's interview in Punch, August 21, 2016, has, in my
considered opinion, settled that!
Yes! Nigeria is in challenging times and
conventional prescriptions for her ailments
ought to be of interest to us as Nigerians.
But, in
the midst of the
monstrosity of the corruption that has
tragically become Nigeria's defining characteristic, Tinubu comes about as one leader who has given deep
meanings to democracy.
Like him or hate him: he is a politician who has
attained an unprecedented level of political sophistication that can radically
influence the perception of governance in
this
once-so-beautiful-but-now-badly-damaged microcosm. His gift of being able to make the right choices
is superb as one could see in his preference for Babatunde Fashola and Rauf
Aregbesola as Lagos and Osun State Governors respectively.
With the benefit of
hindsight, Fashola not only performed, he eventually became the APC poster boy in
the last election. And while Aregbesola, on his part, has succeeded in unselfishly
redefining governance in my home state, he is also patriotically preparing the 'Land of Virtue' for the future and, when its fruits
blossom forth, they
will be to the gapes of Nigerians.
Another worthy example
of Tinubu's ability to identify talents is his choice of Akinwunmi Ambode as
Fashola's successor. Surely, Ambode's ongoing silent revolution in modernizing
Lagos, especially, with the expansion of
road networks and redesigning of bus stops to ease traffic congestion, is a step
in the right direction.
Kudos must also be given to this forward-looking
Nigerian for making Buhari's aspiration possible after three futile
attempts. And, do we need to discuss the success of his business ventures? Without
being immodest, facts on ground have already spoken! For the patriotism he has
expressed as well as his enormous contributions to the development of democracy
in Nigeria, methinks this sagacious and perspicacious politician deserves
encouragement, not disparagement; and solidarity, not brickbats.
From my perspective, politics as a
game of interest and numbers goes beyond
vote casting and party affiliation. Maybe
that's why some people see politics, especially in Africa, as 'the shortest road
to financial freedom.'
The point I am trying to make here is that
though, the system in vogue in Nigeria may at the moment be defective and frustrating,
all through history, those who who came out of it smoking were those who were
able to master its 'by-the-minute' difficulties, frustrations, and, not unexpectedly, its
success stories while those who could not have always had themselves to blame. And that's the real deal!
Finally, let's pray that life,
times, even travails of Bola Ige would
treat our leaders to some salient lessons
in season.
May powers and personalities,
assigned to derail Nigeria's beautiful destiny, wither!
*KOMOLAFE
writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
abiodun KOMOLAFE,
020, Okenisa Street,
PO Box 153,
Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.
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