By Lateef Adebite
Barely one week after Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Laos state and All Progressive Congress, APC, National Leader, and incidentally one of the Party Presidential aspirants ,met with the party 17 state governors in Kebbi state governor’s Lodge in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT,to drum their support, he has taken the Campaign to the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the APC, led states.
The former Lagos state governor has taken advantage of the gathering of the APC led states Speakers and Deputy Speakers in Lagos, at the instance of Mudashiru Obasa, the Lagos state House of Assembly Speaker and with the backing of Babajide Sanwo- Olu, the governor, on Wednesday, April 14, 2022, to seek the support of the Lawmakers to achieve his 2023 Pambitions.
He had told the Lawmakers that ‘’Nigeria needs a courageous Leader like him to effect drastic changes and reposition the country for economic growth and rapid development’’. Describing himself as a man Nigeria urgently needs urgently ‘’to take charge of the wheel of progress’ in a paper presented to the Lawmakers titled: The Legislature, Changing times and Nigeria’s Democratic journey, at the parley with the Lawmakers, he had said that ‘’development of the country is about thinking and doing’’.
he noted that as he survived non –allocation of local government funds from the Federation account during former President Olusegun’s Administration, he is ready to do it for the whole Nigeria.He had boasted that ‘’revenue generation and not allocations from the Federation Account has made Lagos the number one economy in Nigeria and Africa in general.
Putting on the garb of a politician he had said that ‘’Nigerians have the focus and boldness but doesn’t know how to run and take charge of the wheel of progress’’. He was said to have repeatedly told the APC led state House of Assembly Speakers and Deputy Speakers that ‘’Nigeria needs courageous changes that would bring more revenue in to the country to run the government. He may have alluded to the fact that that he will not borrow like previous Administrations to run the government if elected in the 2023 , general elections to be the next President of Nigeria after President Mhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General.
He had said that that he had contributed immensely to the return to Democratic rule in the country more than any other person parading himself as a Presidential aspirants in the 2023, general elections. ‘’I want to become President ultimately through the Ballot’’, he had said.
Appealing to the Lawmakers to back his ambition.’’I am pushing and requesting for your support to be elected President of Nigeria in 2023. I am begging you to do me a four so I can do Nigeria a four’’, he had pleaded with the various APC states House of Assembly Leaders.
He may have demonstrated that he is desperate to rule Nigeria when he declared that ‘’no one would leave the meeting without a commitment to vote for him as a delegate during party upcoming Convention to elect the party Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections.
Given the rising inflation rate which the National Bureau of Statistics, had said had increased to 15.92% as at March 2022, and the high level of insecurity in the country, he had said that ‘’Nigeria should not be an index of poverty, frustration, banditry, terrorism , hooliganism, but a country we will be proud of ‘’. This is an indictment on the retired Army General and the APC, government for failing the country.
The worry of many was why the Lagos Jagaban is taking his electioneering Campaign to the APC elites instead of travelling to the states to Campaign as Nyensom Wike, governor of Rivers state, Bukola Saraki, a former governor of Kwara state and one time Senate President , Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto State, all Presidential aspirants , in the Opposition People’s Democratic Party are doing.Perhaps, he believes that his enormous wealth could win him the APC delegates vote and proceed to win the 2023, Presidential election.
Yemi Osinbajo, Nigerian Vice President, who was brought into political limelight by Tinubu, when he appointed him Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Lagos state during his Administration, and influenced his selection as the party choice to be Vice President in 2015, may have dared him to run for the 2023, Presidency on the ticket of the APC, which he did not find funny.
Only recently, a group of supporters, mostly traders, Leaders of thought, and youths stormed the Ikenne home of the Nigerian Vice President, who many believe has the backing of the retired Army General, stormed the Ikenne home of the Nigerian Vice President, in Ogun state, to register their support to ensure he succeeds Buhari as Nigeria’s next President. They were said to have used opportunity of the solidarity visit to the Nigerian Vice President home, in Ikenne, home town of the late Sage, Obafemi Awolowo, in Ogun state, , who made several attempts to rule Nigeria but was frustrated by the system to appeal to party delegates and other stakeholders to shun moneybags in considering who should be flag bearer of the party in the 2023, general elections.
They were said to have urged party delegates both within and outside the south west geopolitical region,’’ to show patriotism, competence, fear of God and utmost sense of responsibility, in selecting the APC, Presidential Candidate , for the 2023, general elections.
The message of the Osinbajo supporters were very clear to the would-be APC delegates to the party forth coming Convention to elect the ruling party Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections, that Isinbajo is Candidate for the job as he has served as the country’s Vice President in the last seven years, which stands him out among the other Presidential aspirants.
They may have alluded to Tinubu, described as the godfather of politicians in the south west, Eng.Dave Umahi, governor of the south east state of Eboyi, Rochas Okorocha and Orji Uzor Kalu, both former Senators of Federal Republic of Nigerian and erstwhile governors of Imo and Abia states , respectively. Others are Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state and Rotimi Amaechi,a former governor of Rivers state and now minister of Transportation.
Many believe that if the Osibajo supporters had visited him in Lagos, the Area boys, who are said to be very loyal to Tinubu, would have disrupted the visit but they could not find, their way to Ikenne, which is in Ogun state.
Although, all the APC, Presidential aspirants had claimed to have the backing of the retired Army General, he had said last Janary that ‘’if he mentions his favourite for the Presidency in the 2023, general elections, he will be eliminated’’ and thus had kept a closely guided secret. The relocation of Vice President Osinbajo from Lagos, to Ikenne, his home town, in Ogun state, speaks volume.
Indeed, the Nigerian President, may have known that Tinubu, and one or two other APC, Presidential aspirants, have the money, to buy over the delegates at the party Convention to emerge victorious that he has asked the Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa state , led National Working Committee of the Party, to ensure that ‘’the primaries are not influenced by the highest bidders going into the 2023 general ellections’’and which might be disastrous to the party.
But while the Presidential aspirants in two major political parties, APC and PDP, are going about their Campaign to woe supporters in the various states of the Federation, some Chieftains of the parties were said to be rooting for the selection of their Presidential Candidates through Consensus which is allowed by the 2022, Electoral Act.
