When Fayose becomes president — what will be your excuse?

So the United States of America, one of the best democracies in the world, slept on November 8, 2016 and woke up to have Donald John Trump as its president. Many would have put their very last penny on that being totally impossible, but impossible came out as “I’m possible”.

The pundits, experts, analyst and even journalists said it was a joke taken too far. Today, the joke is on them. What was initially considered a joke, became a real competition in a two-horse race, and now, produced the president of the world’s most powerful nation.

Today, that same joke is playing out in Nigeria, however differently; Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state is not Donald Trump. He is not a billionaire, but he is a governor and the loudest voice in Nigeria’s opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Unlike Trump, Fayose may not have the “white support” for his bid to lead Nigeria, but he, also has fraternised with groups in Nigeria, who may play the same demographic role as Trump’s white supremacists. And in a democracy, the vote of a fool is the same as that of a wise man. A professor of political science has one vote as that young bus conductor. Therefore, the numbers are the only things that matter here, eventually.

Fayose began testing the waters when he began telling journalists at different interviews that he was not satisfied with the leadership in play at the Aso Villa. He then took it a step further by saying he is destined to be president and “one day” he will be president.

“It was the same prophesy that said I would return as governor of Ekiti when I was in the trenches that predicted that I will govern the whole country,” Fayose said in February.

“Many did not believe the first one but it happened just as we are waiting for the manifestation of the second one.

“Do not bother to ask me questions as to how this will materialise, I also do not know how it will happen but all I know is that I shall one day occupy the presidential villa, not as a visitor but as president.”

Nigerians took Fayose for a joke, and ignored his “prophesies” to “one day” become president.

Peter the rock, as he loves to call himself, was no longer satisfied with the “one day” clause, he then decided to take things further, into the current frame of political uncertainty. He then said he will proceed into taking power in 2019.

“I have a penchant for taking powers; that one in Buhari’s hand. I will take it. I’m going straight to that villa. I’m the next president,” Fayose had said.

“I want to be the next president of Nigeria. My own won’t be this change that has brought nothing, we are going to represent the people well and tell them the truth.”

Not long after these testings, Fayose or his fans or team, took to Facebook and Twitter to inaugurate a campaign for the most coveted office in Africa’s most populous nation.

THE PROBLEM WITH HAVING NO OPTIONS FOR PRESIDENT

Segun Adeniyi, in his very insightful book, Against the run of play, said something which is the sad truth of politics in Nigeria. He said all the debate about Jonathan running for a second term in 2011 was all wrapped around zoning and the politics of it. No one for once ever spoke of Jonathan’s competence or the lack of it.

“In all the arguments and counter-arguments at the meeting, not one person raised the issue of Jonathan’s capacity to do the job. No one outlined his stance on any national issue,” Adeniyi wrote.

“Nor were the same issues of competence and character raised in respect of the northern aspirants within the PDP and other parties at the time. The central issue was which zone would produce the next president.”

The same problem is beginning to play out in the politics of 2019. It is gradually becoming a debate on who believes in restructuring the most, not who will actually do the dirty, hard work of restructuring Nigeria. As seen in 2011 and 2015, the debate will soon shift even from restructuring to what party deserves to run Nigeria. It will soon become, who will reward the Southeast for the “hardship” faced in past political permutations. It will soon be, who are Ooduas supporting? Who is the right man for the Yoruba race? Who will complete the north’s “rightful” eight years tenure?

But while it is yet to degenarate to the the level of choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, we still have one year and about seven months to field a worthy candidate. We still have room to make the likes of Fayose, who major achievement has been about being the voice of the opposition, feel like presidency is not a joke.

We still have time to tell the Atikus of this world that a good plan is better than 1,000 rehashed speeches at convocation ceremonies and various socio-political events across the country. We still have time to make the north relaise presidency is not a birthright. Nigerians, we still have time to show the world that we too can field candidates worthy of the votes they accrue.

I do not know who you want to be president, but I know what I want in a president. Buhari was a similitude of an ideal president, but rather than probe into his plans and pursuit for a new Nigeria, the 2015 election was about getting Jonathan out, about social media, about hate and counter-hate speeches. Buhari, like Jonathan in 2011, had a mountain of promises. His persona and promises glowed to become the ideal for Nigerians, but now we know better.

If Fayose will not “happen” to us in 2019, we must from this day reject the ideas, the thoughts, the impossible possibilities of having no options for president. Dear Nigerian, find options, create options, take a long hard look in the mirror and say: When Fayose becomes president, what will be my excuse?