When presidential ambition becomes a do-or-die affair

Last weekend was a long one politically, no thanks to a perceived desperate speech made by All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Ogun state on Thursday.

In the presence of top political personalities, delegates and journalists with their digital cameras right in front of him, Tinubu took a bragging trip down the memory lane to unearth how he helped people, including President Muhammadu Buhari, achieve their political dreams, how he made them what they are today, as well as the agreement he had with Buhari.

“If not for me that stood behind Buhari, he wouldn’t have become the president. He tried the first time, but he failed. The second time, he failed. The third, he failed. He even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again, I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed,” he said.

“If not for me talking to you today, Buhari would not have been president. It is over 25 years that I have been serving them. This one sitting behind me, Dapo Abiodun, he could not become the governor without me.”

For some people, some of the things Tinubu said were not surprising, except for the desperation in the tone of his voice, and the arrogance with which he said those words. He was not thinking about what the repercussion would be nor did he weigh the words. Also, Tinubu cares less how his targets like Buhari and Dapo Abiodun, the Ogun state governor, would feel or think. He only cares about one thing and he is ready to rattle his way to get it.

But this is not the first time Tinubu will display how desperate he is to succeed Buhari come what may. He had given us a hint in February when he visited Oyo state and met with the late Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and the Olubadan-designate, Oba Lekan Balogun.

During that trip, Tinubu said he was ready to fight dirty if that’s what it takes for him to become president in 2023. “No amount of intimidation can stop me. I am ready to get dirty. I am out to become president of Nigeria. We are at a crossroads,” he said while also asking youths to wait for their turn which can only come after he becomes an ex-president.

At the time, people didn’t read much meaning to his statement as they now do to the latest one, as it is now becoming glaring that to Tinubu, becoming president in 2023 is a do-or-die affair.

In his visit to Ogun state, the Jagaban took his desperation a notch further by subtly attacking the president and Dapo Abiodun, referring to the Ogun state governor as “eleyi”, a condescending word in Yoruba language usually used to belittle someone, especially in the context it was used.

But in apparent damage control, Tinubu issued a very long and boring statement trying to explain his loose speech, while also denying that he belittled the person and office of the president. However, the damage has been done already and like an egg dropped on the floor, it cannot be fixed or taken back again.

It must be said that whatever agreement Tinubu and Buhari had either as friends or allies or business partners, it is not the business of the over 200 million Nigerians. We were not there when that personal agreement was made. We are not slaves to be traded for political power. We are not interested in that agreement and it must not affect us.

Democracy in 2022 has gone beyond handing over the presidency to one person on a platter of one agreement between two people. Nigerians are not daft or pushovers. Our votes must count and the voice of the majority must be heard. The country has produced respected professionals in various fields who have continued to serve humanity, no politician should play on their intelligence.

Come to think of it, Buhari has already played his part in the so-called agreement, aspirants from the north have been asked to withdraw from the race. 11 APC governors from the north have agreed to throw their weight behind a candidate from the south. Whether that candidate is Tinubu or Osinbajo or Amaechi, is left for them to decide and agree on.

Beyond winning the APC ticket, it is not yet uhuru for the candidate that emerges. They will need to remember that Buhari himself unseated an incumbent president in Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, ending a 16-year reign of the Peoples Democratic Party. Who says another party cannot pull such a stunt again?

Labour Party, being overlooked by many, is becoming formidable day by day since they elected Peter Obi as their presidential flagbearer. The PDP, with an already established structure, is lucking around the corner, and anything can happen.

Tinubu or Osinbajo or Atiku or Peter Obi must know that whether they become president or not, Nigeria and Nigerians will move on, heaven will not fall and the country’s existence will not cease. Nigeria is bigger than any individual and its political ambition.

They must also understand that the safety of lives and property must not be jeopardized. Supporters of one camp must not be incited against those of their counterparts, that is why their leaders must show good examples and avoid statements or actions that can cause chaos. There is more to Nigeria than politics. Business must continue to go on, people must be allowed to go about their daily activities and live their lives in a peaceful and safe state.

The country must not be brought to a halt because one person’s selfish interest is not met. No, we should not be taken back to that dark era.

I only hope Tinubu will draw a lesson from M.K.O Abiola. He had amassed all wealth and fame and everything money can buy except for the office of the president. Abiola contested and won the 1993 election, but since his creator did not add president to his destiny, he only got as close to winning an election but did not sit in that coveted chair.

Tinubu must take it easy, slow down and let the will of his creator come to pass. It is not a do-or-die affair.

Ojoko is a Nigerian journalist and can be reached via [email protected]