By Ozodinukwe Okenwa
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in the forthcoming presidential poll of February next year, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has demonstrated his capacity for hubris on many occasions. Since he used the stolen money in his possession to buy the candidacy he believes he is beyond any reproach. He grandstands and talks trash to opponents, placing himself beyond scrutiny. But Nigerians know why Tinubu is running away from public accountability. He is suffering from physical and mental deficiency for which hiding from public glare becomes a saving grace. How long he would continue hiding and running away from debates and interviews no one can say for sure.
Recently, Asiwaju Tinubu, was in London for some political engagements. He was a guest at the Royal Institute of International Affairs popularly known as Chatham House in London to address the issues of the day (security, economy, development etc). And he made a mess of it all!
For one, he claimed that he was a ‘marketable individual’ whom journalists wanted to market for money. For another, he made it clear that the controversy trailing his real names, date of birth, academic credentials and allegations of graft were all diversionary tactics by his opponents to smear his name and prospect of becoming President.
Embarrassingly however, Tinubu exposed his cluelessness when direct questions were put to him to answer. He ‘delegated’ duty by passing the questions to his aides or party men and women to answer on his behalf! Bereft of ideas and unable to square off with great minds on a global scene Tinubu chickened out. The incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, was once a guest at the same Chatham House but he never ordered anyone to respond to questions on his behalf.
Lately the APC Presidential Campaign Council and Nduka Obaigbena’s media group have been at loggerheads over the deliberate refusal of Tinubu to participate in town hall meetings and interviews. It has been a war of words! The ThisDay/Arise TV management had issued a well-publicized attack against the APC PCC’s duo of Dele Alake and Bayo Onanuga by accusing them of pushing for false narratives and asking them to sack or redeploy some key staff of the media group.
The editors in the statement were elegant and professional lambasting Onanuga and Alake for trying to muzzle the independent press. Obaigbena and co made it clear that it was imperative for Tinubu to clear his name of his involvement in drug dealings in America and subsequent forfeiture of hundreds of thousands of Dollars to the American judicial authorities.
The truth of the matter remains self-evident that Tinubu is well aware of big skeletons in his cupboard hence his penchant to avoid any public encounter that could throw him off-balance making him susceptible to commit more gaffes.
Asiwaju is hiding from the independent inquiry because he knows he cannot measure up. Yet, a whole lot of questions still linger unanswered. He must come clean on how and why he entered into a compromising plea bargain with the American justice system over drug-related offenses or money-laundering charges. He must submit himself to questions about his ailment and academic qualification discrepancies. He must tell us why some people call him names other than those we are told are his real names.
He ought to provide satisfactory answers over his godfatherly stranglehold of Lagos for decades running. He must submit himself for full disclosure because the office he is seeking is not that of his local government area or state of Lagos.
In the Nigerian public eye Asiwaju Tinubu is seen more as a glorified criminal masquerading as a patriot and achiever. He is seen generally as the master of mischief! His desperate attempt to ‘buy’ power with the looted filthy lucre must be resisted by the democratic forces!
The so-called Jagaban is at home with the system, a broken system that rewards executive scoundrels and shuts out patriots and merit. He knows surely of the Nigerian condition, the frustrations, hunger and poverty; he knows the societal challenges confronting millions of our people. He sure knows how the ‘stomach infrastructure’ works to continue the oppression of the people.
Come February 2023 Tinubu could win the presidential election beating the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi. Now, he cannot win the poll because of any incumbency factor even though the APC is in power. He cannot triumph because of his ’emi-lokan’ mentality! He could win based on the Nigerian factor. He could coast home to victory given our history of presidency-by accident.
The Nigerian factor because our politics is played with little or no ideology. Presidency-by-accident because ever since democracy returned to our country in 1999 we have not had the luck of electing the best among us to lead us. Mediocrity and imposition has been our lot!
While the constitution does not impose participation of candidates in debates and interviews around the world where democracy prevails it remains the best practice and tradition — engagement of political contenders in debates and interviews. Unless one is afraid of his shadows the argument that it is not compulsory is peurile.
The Lagos irrepressible godfather is in the public eye because he is desperately seeking to rule a great nation populated by great minds. When he governed Lagos no serious opposition emerged to challenge his looting spree. But now that his ‘life-long’ ambition has gone national we owe it a duty to unearth his sordid past by placing his mountain of baggage in the front burner.
We would be complicit if we allow an alleged drug baron, a serial looter and academic fraud to preside over our national affairs. History and posterity would not be kind to us if we endorse a man whose true age and names are questionable from assuming the supreme function of Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces. Patriotism would elude us if we support the presidential aspiration of a tribal champion and political scammer to be our national leader.
We would be making another great mistake (made twice in 2015 and 2019!) by electing a dementia-ravaged vegetative old man to Aso Rock. President Buhari has opened our eyes by his monumental presidential pestilence so allowing BAT to ‘fly’ blindly next year constitutes a disservice to our motherland and her interests.
We have better, more credible candidates (not the least the LP’s Peter Obi) presenting themselves for their services! Let us, therefore, use our PVCs to give Asiwaju Tinubu an electoral bloody nose come February next year. For once the old rotten order must be overthrown electorally for Nigeria to breathe fresh transformational air once again.
Asiwaju Tinubu, in his best characteristic physical and mental deficiency element, had ‘shattered’ Chatham House in London! And the irony behind it all is staggering indeed! Nigeria may find herself in deeper trouble in the event of Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket flying next year.
SOC Okenwa
