Frankly Speaking
By Tunde Abatan, tunde2013abatan@gmail.com,08165660217
Ambition in all circumstances is a life- long held passion. It is a battle of life. The series of battles in it is such that some are seen and some are unseen factors, either aiding, prolonging or halting its realisation.
At the point of each battle, hitherto unknown obstacles rear their heads either to push the frontier of the battle or to checkmate its realisation.
Indeed, for some and they are few, the world presents itself to them and they have it at their feet while others roll with the times and the tide of things which either helps to push them using Destiny as the key like the biblical Joseph or falI to circumstances they never plotted to bring them to their aspiration.
For others, fate played a cruel joke on them and they got consumed by the passion of their ambition as did the former military President Ibrahim Babangida or even before him Odumegwu Ojukwu,who used the Biafran massacre of 1967 to trigger actualisation of his ambition of a Biafra where he called the shot.
He had earlier joined the Army after bagging his honours degree in History at the prestigious Oxford University. His ambition to rule Nigeria made him to defy his millionaire father, Sir Louis Ojukwu who had another plan for him to inherit his vast business empire but instead joined the Nigerian army.
For many who are neither ambitious nor covet big powers like former head of state,General Yakubu Gowon,fate played a cruel joke and he saw himself where he never expected .
But power, which the lure of that office confers instill a still- born ambition of a perpetual maximum ruler in him. He came down with a big fall .
For the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo,ambition to replicate the transformation he did in the Western region at the centre after independence combined with internal conspiracy to land him in jail. Yet,after his release from jail and using his freedom, he still expended his time and talent in helping to successfully prosecute Nigerias civil war after. Even when he resigned from Gowon cabinet after the civil war his ambition to rule a large entity like Nigeria pushed him to float a party ..the Unity Party of Nigeria in 1978. Though the party made good strides in five states of former Western region,yet unseen forces combined to put his ambition on hold in 1979 and 1983 when he contested for the Presidency.
He died without realizing his life long ambition.
Though many of his fellow country men yearned for his leadership but he became what Ojukwu described as”best President Nigeria never had”.
For the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, burning ambition inadverently made him the biggest philanthropist and Chieftancy beneficiary of his time. Yet his money, influence, popularity were not enough to get him his most prized ambition,to rule Nigeria in 1993 when his election was annulled by the Babangida regime .
The mantle of leadership instead fell on less fancied now the late Chief Earnest Shonekan, a boardroom guru and fellow Egba man who never lifted a finger to occupy the seat which Abiola spent his fortune pursuing .
No thanks to conspiracy both by the traditional and religious institutions he(Abiola) has lavished his resources on and also largely by the military establishment from where he is widely believed to have made his fortune. The institution combined with other forces to deny him…he painfully became what Yorubas call Soroye…the one who saw his crown but never wore it.
Since his venture into politics mid -80s as a member of the Primrose group- a political movement founded and funded by Lagos politician,Chief Dapo Sarumi,a retired bureaucrat, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu who officially will clock the 70 this year, has plotted his way all through securing an election to the Senate in 1991.
As he admitted while making known what he described as his life long ambition to rule Nigeria last week, he has since the past thirty years been plotting his way to become Nigerias President.
Having survived a political hurricane which swept his fellow Alliance for Democracy,AD, governors of the South West under the carpet,thus becoming ‘the last man standing’apology to former Delta Governor,James Ibori, his ambition has made him to remain relevant floating two political associations,one Progressive Governors Forum and finally,the near Octopus,All Progressive Congress ,APC.
The latter set a record by being the first opposition party in Nigeria to defeat an incumbent.
In order to push aside rumours making the rounds,Tinubu finally set the ball rolling by admitting after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari,the greatest beneficiary of his baby,the APC, emergence that he is tired of being a kingmaker. For him and as from now,his preoccupation is to occupy the driver’s seat….he according to him is out to disprove age long held tradition that Kingmakers don’t become King.
Ambition,has thus redefined Tinubu’s political trajectory and he has since proved that all his years building human capital ,making friends all over Nigeria is to achieve one goal….to rule Nigeria and become first kingmaker to become king.
In Yorubaland where Tinubu hails from,successions system in it’s traditional institution does not recognise kingmakers in line of succession to become kings but Tinubu is determined to disprove that saying,” I have not read it anywhere where kingmakers are not allowed to become kings”.
For Tinubu,the man who has successfully put Lagos politics,economy and life under his armpit since 1999 when he became governor,he has five principal factors and probably obstacles to contend with.
The first of such is the apparent cutting to size his influence on the APC after the fall of Adams Oshiomole in 2020; President Buhari,the greatest benefactor of his awesome political machinery;his political son; the incumbent vice President,Professor Yemi Osinbajo whose body language suggests interest in ‘ambushing’ Tinubus life long ambition ,the state governors controlling the party in the states and lastly the Nigerian electorate who holds the final power to determine his fate in the pursuit of his ambition.
As for the APC, it is doubtful whether the February 25 national convention of the party will not put a stop to or further strengthen Tinubu’s ambition. If he is able to navigate his way either by getting enough henchmen in the party’s various offices nationwide,then his traducers may have a yeoman job on their hands considering Tinubus awesome financial muscle which he has to defeat others from other parties if he eventually emerge as the APC candidate.
On the contrary,Tinubus failure of maintaining his hold on APC now being controlled by Presidencies henchmen and state governors as above may push him to the side and halt his life long ambition.
If he fails to achieve it in APC, either move to form or align with other parties to carry their flag or he quietly bow to party’s other choice .This will halt his ambition,at least for now.
As for President Muhammadu Buhari,who probably unknown to many is in firm control of the APC,his preference among the many candidates rooting to clinch APCs presidential ticket,will either way help or put Tinubus ambition on hold.
Recall that Buhari has said few weeks back that the circumstances and factors which led to his emergence in 2015 mat not count in deciding the APC direction in 2023. A powerful word and language loaded in meaning.
In spite of insinuations, it remains to be seen if Buhari is not patiently working on his successor.
He confirmed that his candidate is not unknown and that he would not be revealed to prevent him from being eliminated.
If not Tinubu then who is Buhari’s preference?. Definitely not a godfather or financier who put his money and political machinery down for him in 2015.
Could Buhari be playing along with Tinubu by neither discouraging him from pursuing his ambition nor support him.
Definitely,Buhari by his experience knows that Tinubu could not be easily rubbished politically hence his stranglehold on the APC Special Convention Caretaker Planning Committee headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni, seen as a check on other tendency of APC opposed to Buharis CPC. It is obvious this group is bent on picking Buhari’s successor.
Yet,Tinubu has a lot to contend and ‘fear’ in Yemi Osinbajo,his protege who he nominated in 2015 to run with Buhari . It is incontestible that Buhari has over the years enjoyed the laters confidence as a trustworthy deputy.
That other tendencies in the APC from the North are openly rooting for Osinbajo who has remained quiet and aloof from the intrigues and behind the scene moves to enter the political’ boxing ring’ with his former boss is also unsettling for Tinubu and his ambition.
It is not far from the truth that Tinubu’s hasty decision to inform President Buhari eye- ball to eye- ball, is a quick move to handicap Osinbajo from coming out. Nothwithstanding 24 hours us too long in politics.
Hence,the 40 men group led by the 85 year- old woman professor who came to Aso Rock last week to declare support for Osimbajo and received by Buharis Special adviser on politics, Femi Ojudu,speaks volume of the undercurrent in Aso Rock.
Where does Tinubu stand in Aso Rock power game?.
Is it unethical for Osinbajo to aspire for the number one position because his godfather is interested.?
Power is a game and ambition is most times subject to dictates and intrigues bearthed by known and unknown forces.
As for the Nigerian people,Tinubu’s fate depends largely on them if at the end of the day he manouvers to get APCs ticket.
If he elopes to another party platform to use for realisation of his ambition,then he must be prepared to be a long distance runner with intrigues, schemings and bottlenecks strewn all over his path.
There is no doubt that the next few months will shape the realisation of Tinubu’s life long ambition which apparently has been behind his political moves,manouvers and trade offs since he joined politics over three decades ago and on which he has made fortunes,enemies, friends and foes. All this will all play a big part in the realisation or otherwise of his ambition.