Tinubu; the man they couldn’t ‘cancel’

 

 

“Never hate your enemy it destroys your judgment “ – Mario Puzo

 

Our desire to flog, destroy, and write other off often cast a log of wood in our eyes to see issues for what it’s rather than resolving them in character assassination, twisting and tailoring a given fact to fit our primordial sentiment that does not fit reality, and consequently prediction and theory that will eventually go wrong.

Sometimes, when David Hundyen describes Nigeria’s elite as a toilet elite without class, I thought such overgeneralization was too harsh but now I understand better. Rather than pay attention to real issues and ask pertinent questions that can help make an informed opinion on the road to 2023, again, we have made the subject of our debate about the men and not issues base discussions that are of utmost relevance to the nation’s building.

And, our parody of double standards, hypocrisy, and arm-twisting of obvious facts beat my imagination. I have seen those I held in highest esteem fall into this muckraker, especially the latter-day apostle of new Nigeria. I think the problem with many of those who dress in intellectual garb is their juvenile obsession to see the Nigeria of their dreams work which is a valid aspiration but we seem to forget so soon that this is a democracy, and we must all participate in equal measure.

It’s too late to cry a river, the faith of over 200 million Nigerians has been bestridden in the hands of party delegates across the political party divides who decide the faith of millions of Nigeria through party primaries, and not wishful thinking through social media that doesn’t go beyond our circle of Influence, who likely may not be a part of delegate in any of the two dominating political party.

Maybe, if this nation will work, the intellectuals need to come down from their high heaven comfort zone to the wards level where the faith of over 200 million Nigerians is being decided by common men and women rather than gaslighting others on social media or forming an elite club of spectators and rubbing shoulders.

Of course, like the main character in The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Michael Corleon, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a paradigmatic strategy and he will dwarf men of his contemporaries when placed side by side especially considering his foresight, network, and intelligence.

In many ways, like many of his contemporaries, Tinubu has many sins, so also there are many things to appreciate and celebrate about the man, for a man who surrounded himself with thousands of thinkers can’t be said to suffer from inadequacies or be daft of the intellectual philosophical premise.

Perhaps, the most exceptional thing about Tinubu is how to fish for the best of hands, a strategic maneuver that enables him to win many political battles and lose a few through his ability to predict others’ intentions, which has been the paradox of his character as Capo Dei Capi as he rose through many challenges posed by time, age, and power to become Nigeria’s most powerful and sought-after Godfather in the political equation of this country and beyond but interestingly, adding the garb of a president to the garb of Godfather role seems to be more life-ambition to Asiwaju than being a Godfather alone.

And, so it seems this particular move has further opened him up for biting and attacks from all angles at this unprotected moment in his political chess. Interestingly, Osinbajo and many of his godsons want the same thing: they all think it’s wiser to contest for the exalted office now rather than give Tinubu the benefit of the godfather.

Italians have a little joke, that the world is so hard a man must have two fathers to look after him, Tinubu is not just a godfather, to his credit he has redefined Nigeria politics by the judicious way in which he wields power in raising men of enviable academic pedigree in the altar of power through the institution of governance. Tinubu no doubt has raised a leader and this singular trait has continued to endear him to people at the grassroots.

Poignantly, Tinubu has proven to be a prolific and magnetic wartime strategist, revered and feared by so many. One may not agree with everything about the man. For example, many see him as a big-time extortionist who dresses in a garb of a democrat but there is no question that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a unifier, a strategist out of box thinker, and perhaps his ability to think clearly under fire, and to be decisive makes him the most significant factors in the history of democracy in Nigeria influencing who gets what, where, when and how to say the least. To say otherwise amounts to dishonesty.

In many ways, Asiwaju has shown to be both a ruthless fighter and a sacrificial hero when need be, slaving away for the rest of his political family, sacrificing his ambition over the years for political well-being and elevation of those around him. Such a man cannot be ruffle feathers, without putting the party under the bus. In many ways, he has proven to be a hard nut to crack. Trying to crack him, or to make him a sacrificial lamb, may spell doom for not just the party but all candidates on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may become the sacrificial lamb as well. To what ends?

Perhaps, I don’t know anyone else in recent times that has gotten his hands dirty in preparation to become the president of the federal republic of Nigeria other than Asiwaju. For a man who has invested in his dream for so long even when it was not wise to do so tells the quality of his mind. In the APC trilogy merger, where men separate themselves from boys, Asiwaju occupies a pride ground.

No doubt Asiwaju is a man of strong will, appetite, and passion when others are scared, he’s already in the field consulting the length and breadth of Nigeria. If Asiwaju is too ambitious to be a president, perhaps, others would fail for the opposite reason. Make no mistake, this is not to say it’s only Asiwaju that’s most qualified for the party’s nomination. Nonetheless, prosperity has put him in a position it’s impossible to scheme him unfairly out of this race without destroying the party. Certainly, he may not be among the best orator but he remains the most prepared to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari and maybe Yemi Osinbajo owing to the benefit of being the nation’s number two and Peter Obi of the Labour party (LP).

As the All Progressives Congress (APC) prepares to elect its party candidate for next year’s presidential election, the web of anti-Tinubu conspiracy, an ambush orchestrated within the presidency, and the recrimination of June 12, led to the abrupt collapse of the third republic must be avoided at all cost. If this orchestration does not whistle down by President Buhari, the vision to undo one man wouldn’t only blind everyone, it will make every man so stupid not to see the pit of downfall ahead.

Merely a supremely egotistical power wielded by those in the corridor of power is making them mistake it to be more potent than it was. Should a free and fair primary election be held today, the chances that Tinubu would win are more likely than not. So the fact that achieving conquest against Tinubu is impossible without putting the party at a great disadvantage or destroying the party by the following consensus should be enough warning to those toying with this idea if APC wishes to remain relevant in the next election

The party must not create the false illusion that we can win without Tinubu. Any attempt to toy with the ideas will spell doom for the APC and a win for the main opposition party, which has positioned itself to benefit from the ruling party’s fallout. Therefore, such a perilous and egotistical move has to be smashed. It must never be allowed for the greater good of men and women who had labored for the APC to stand but “those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad”.

 

Adediji Wasiu writes from Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria