New Telegraph

2023 Presidency: Between loyalty, ambition

As the race for the 2023 presidential elections takes off in the country, various alignments and re-alignments which are breaking the chords that hitherto bound political allies, with attendant impact on loyalty are now on the upswing in the polity.

 

These have become even more discernible since the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made public his intention to run for the presidency penultimate week.

 

Even more observable is the palpable fear that one of Tinubu’s protégés, appointed by him as the Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General of Lagos State in 1999, now Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has his eyes on the presidency and might soon throw his hat into the ring.

Since the declaration, many Nigerians have counted to Tinubu’s credit an assemblage of professionals whom he harnessed from various walks of life into his cabinet in 1999 while serving as Lagos State governor, as one of high points. Former Speaker of Lagos State, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, in an interview with Sunday Telegraph last week said Tinubu “brought in people who were capable of helping him to build the economy of the state – the first of its kind in the country.

 

“He went to head hunt professionals who could actually help to run the government. He brought in people like Wale Edun, Cardoso; the current Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo from the academia and people like Dele Alake.

 

With these eggheads, he was able to make a solid omelet of good governance in Lagos.” Besides the above, Tinubu brought in Babatunde Fashola as Chief of Staff who later succeeded him; former Commissioner for Works who is currently Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, a Commissioner for Information in Lagos, currently a serving as senator and Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Ekiti State governor and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum were sort of acolytes of his.

 

But a conflict of interests may have emerged with the flurry of groups from many parts of the country falling over one another urging Osinbajo to contest the presidential election especially in view of President Muhammadu Buhari’s body language which has been described as one of the powerful forces allegedly behind the Vice President.

Tinubu’s announcement has triggered the emergence of various political groups and individuals declaring their support for either the APC National Leader or the Vice President, creating a wedge between the duo, in what has either been described as act of disloyalty on the part of Osinbajo, nay all former Tinubu’s protégés.

 

Besides Osinbajo, political observers have argued that the cacophony of voices from Tinubu’s former allies like Aregbesola, who is enmeshed in an intractable political battle with Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, the declaration last weekend by Fayemi that he does not align with Tinubu’s presidential ambition and the waning influence of the National Leader of the APC in the South-West indicate that things are no longer at ease in the empire.

 

Further, the emergence of Senator Babafemi Ojudu, another known associate of Tinubu added new dimension to the controversy over the subtle mass action of former allies of the party leader against his ambition. Ojudu, who is believed to be working for Osinbajo acknowledged Tinubu as his leader who would forever be cherished for the contributions he made to his media organisation during their fight against military dictatorship.

 

But he was quick to add that “he (Tinubu) knows I don’t follow the herd. I make my choices based on very rigid parameters. He will tell you I am very independent in my actions and ways,” supporting that with his dalliance with the UPN during his undergraduate days and became a youth leader, even when his (Ojudu) father was in the NPN.

“So if my principled stance against NPN, against IBB and against “siddon look” was not betrayal of my father, Chief MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi respectively, why would my principled stance against our leader’s present ambition be?”

 

Accordingly, on the matter of 2023, Ojudu wished Tinubu well, adding however, that he cannot in good conscience give his support to or cast his vote for him in the coming primary.

 

“It is my right. I am above 60 years of age for God sake. I almost died seeking these inalienable democratic rights, held up in detention and severally tortured.

Your god is not my god.” Observers have argued that Ojudu’s stance represents the position of these aforementioned former allies of the APC leader, and has been greeted by no little vituperations. A chieftain of the APC, who chose to remain anonymous castigated Ojudu and his ilk as ingrates who are biting the fingers that once fed them.

 

“Many of them were taken out of the oblivion into the current limelight they now enjoy. Where were they 25 years ago? What is their political antecedent? They all owe Asiwaju a debt of gratitude,” he said. However, a former chairman of the parties in one of the states said the development is unfortunate, but every one of the dramatis personae should be cautious in his action and comments on the matter. “All political leaders in the APC would be very cautious about this matter right now, especially those of us in the South-West. I

 

t is a sensitive issue. “The fact is that we all feel very concerned about the development, but we must be cautious, because we belong to the same party, and are committed  to the interest of the party. Our major concern is that the party should remain in power. “I don’t want to make further comments about betrayal or otherwise because I could be identified as either supporting Tinubu or Osinbajo.

 

Let us wait until after the primaries and convention, because after that everything will fall into place and we must work with any candidate who emerges as flag bearer of the party.” Another leader of the party, in his comment stated that the former allies were experts and professionals in their various fields and possessed relevant competencies which Tinubu found useful for governance.

 

“Many of them were either lawyers, lecturers, journalists, public relations practitioners before they were assembled to work the Asiwaju. Anyone who understands associations would tell you about the need to go beyond sentiments to understand what is called mechanical solidarity as against organic solidarity. You must also recognize that everyone is at liberty to aspire to be anything under the constitution.

“Look, a proponent of power politics, Hans Morgenthau identified six realism theories, one of which is the dynamism of interests. It was expatiated upon later by Lord John Henry Temple that ‘there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests.”

Though this was initially applied to  international politics, it has found its way to local political activities. In the main time, while Tinubu has been consulting power brokers across the country, Osinbajo Support Groups are relentlessly soliciting support for the Vice President.

 

For instance, after a two-day meeting in Kano, the Osinbajo Support Group led by Hon Kura Simon Elishau, a member of the House of Representatives and leader of said Nigeria is not for sale and urged the Vice President to rise and join the presidential race.

 

Similarly, a number of prominent politicians have continue to throw their weight behind Tinubu ahead of the party’s primaries, Senator Kashim Shettima, a strong supporter of the party leader urged Nigerians to choose rightly even as diverse people brought together by a forest of ideas, which defines us and yet sets us apart.

 

“The future of this country rests on the choice of a unifying leader; a leader who panders to neither ethnic nor religious agenda, and one who isn’t bound by toxic regional solidarity and yet known for a track record of outstanding leadership. If you look round this country in search of such a noble character, the count easily falls on the subject of this gathering: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

“The path that led us to Asiwaju didn’t happen by chance. His propensity for sacrificing his comfort to save our democracy has been duly documented across time. When uncertainty loomed over the country during the military era, this was the man who disbursed his resources to fight for the return to this democracy.

 

“Even in exile, he provided sanctuaries for fleeing patriots who are still around to testify to his large heart. Our younger compatriots must be in the know of Tinubu’s memories from two decades past—when he was a backbone of the opposition and fiercely antagonized and politically ostracised by the then ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party.

He even built the economic foundations of the modern Lagos State at the time the State was isolated by a vindictive federal government. Similarly, Osinbajo’s contributions to good governance, past and present, have been chronicled by his supporters, in a 120-page book, titled “The Unveiling Osinbajo, an impact assessment report, designed to market him.

 

It contains his contributions to rule of law, federal judicial reforms, Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), Niger-Delta New Vision, Ease of Doing Business, contribution to party system and democratic development and reconstruction of North-East ravaged by insurgency for more than a decade leading to the displacement of over two million people from their homes.

 

According to the publication, the various contributions had not only made a meaningful impact on national development but engendered peaceful coexistence.

 

Respecting ease of doing business, the document identified the constraints to starting and/ or doing business in Nigeria as stifling and discouraging both locals and foreigners from setting up businesses. But by signing the Presidential Executive Order on Ease of Doing Business as Acting President, Prof Osinbajo produced the document aimed at improving businesses in the country and attracting foreign direct investments (FDI) to Nigeria.

“All unnecessary bureaucratic procedures to business were eradicated.

 

The Vice President is also chair of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which was set up in July 2016 by President Buhari, to remove bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria, and make the country. In the area of judicial reforms,

 

Osinbajo advocated an independent process in the appointment of judges, insisting it be strictly on merit and not merely by promotion within the judiciary, urged judges, lawyers to end slow judicial process and advocated term limits for both civil and criminal cases and recommended that allegations of judicial corruption be investigated, and consequences be visited upon those found liable

 

Meanwhile, sequel to the APC leader’s visit to Minna last week, An Abuja based lawyer and Coordinator, Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo; Dr. Kayode Ajulo called upon the former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida to advise Tinubu, to shelve his presidential ambition for Osinbajo. Ajulo, a former National Secretary of Labour Party said the ex-military President who had encountered such a scenario is in the best position to advise the former Lagos State Governor.

 

“It should be recalled that President Babangida in 2007 after signifying his interest to run for the office of the President withdrew the bid for President Umaru Yar’adua on the ground that Yar’adua was his younger brother.

 

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the political leader of Prof. Osinbajo. In fact, he was a major influence on how the VP got his present position and I am sure he’s proud of his numerous achievements.

 

Asiwaju will do well to throw his weight behind the VP to become the next President”. Ajulo said. How this would play out remains to in the next few months.

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