The Multi-Faceted Enemies and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (BAT) Presidential Quest.
By Prof. Ojo Emmanuel Ademola.
For real-life battles and challenges, ones that are meant to determine the destiny of any successful leader, the detractors or adversaries (aptly tagged as enemies in this article) are dependent variables of necessity and are meant to be encountered along the political journey of life. This is the lot and a huge burden that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT), the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate and the front-runner in the coming election bears. The enemies come from within and outside the Camp of operation, clandestinely posing as harmless friends and associates but deadly and ruthless like the characteristic of a genomic venomous serpent.
However, for Asiwaju, the current encounter remains a familiar terrace being a political battle that he is used to, and victory is certain. As far back as 1993, Asiwaju had weathered challenging times to realize his political desires through sheer doggedness, unwavering determination, leadership sagacity and abiding faith in God. That the storm is currently gathering to test his resolve, is to pave way for his accumulated experience on political turf to be brought into a bear once again, and surely, this particular one, as defined as it is, will be overcome by His grace.
When during his recent campaign rally in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Asiwaju hinted at a plot to frustrate his hugely-accepted presidential ambition, not too many players (both within his Camp and outside) took him seriously. He spoke intelligently against a mysterious fuel scarcity that suddenly popped up at the tail end of the APC regime that is famous for taming the ennui of fuel scarcity and which, at present, appears intractable and against an opaque monetary policy that was suddenly propped up just before the election and which stands out for the jarring contradictions and oddities that had made it look confusing while levying suspicious difficulties on the generality of Nigerians.
Despite this, Asiwaju vowed, with extraordinary self-assurance and confidence, that he would defeat saboteurs and win the election this month. That’s classic Asiwaju; elegant, daring, self-assured, brave, and decisive. When he sees threats, he doesn’t cower away and hide in cowardly diplomatese when he sees a battle. He doesn’t know how to wear an affable mien and pretend through a challenge. When there is a battle to fight, he does not know how to hide in fear.
Asiwaju is defiant and bold when he sees a battle. In this situation, he calls out the cowardly saboteurs that hide under indecent policies to constitute obstacles to his God-appointed desire to take up the challenge of turning round the fortunes of Nigeria, as he did that of Lagos. Many Nigerians took Asiwaju’s statement seriously. The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai buttressed Asiwaju’s concerns and followed up to grant a press interview to lay damning accusations against the faceless detractors in the seat of power. The progressive Governors under the aegis of APC had put their weight behind Asiwaju’s exposure to the clandestine manoeuvering of the “enemies” of progress. Asiwaju is a superlatively true Nigerian, an exemplary lover of Nigerians who has deep knowledge about the problems of the country. Certainly, you agree with me that true federalism will thrive under Asiwaju’s presidency.
By inferral, Asiwaju is not your ordinary Nigerian who claws through innuendos and speculations on government policies and issues that affect Nigeria. He is versed. He is knowledgeable. He is well-connected. He has the benefits of men, women, young, and old and resources needed to read well policies, issues and developments that affect Nigeria and Nigerians. He’s healthy and fit to rule Nigeria. He can be trusted with power, and sufficiently, deploy effectively all the strategies needed to run an all-inclusive government with a results-based approach. This remains the reason why he has been able to dominate the country’s political sphere today from the position of sole opposition governor in 2003. So Tinubu has enough vital information and facts to back any statement or position on Nigerian governance. Tinubu is too vast and knowledgeable on Nigerian issues such that any utterance he makes carries such a hefty weight that proves its credulity.
Are there some people or forces opposed to Tinubu’s presidency that can go to any length to frustrate his ambition? Yes, some desire to stop Asiwaju. That is natural. That is even legit. There is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing illegal about it. So, it should be no big deal that some people and forces would be strenuously exerting themselves to stop Asiwaju. Every person with ambition has faced such obstacles. But then, why should some people levy war on the generality of Nigerians just to constitute obstacles on the paths of one man to rule Nigeria, as the present hoarding and fuel supply restriction portend?
Why should state officials introduce and adamantly stick to an inchoate currency policy like the present Naira redesignation and enforcement of a cash withdrawal policy which negatively impacts the generality of the Nigerian people, just to stop one man’s political dream? These are areas where opposition or obstacle to Asiwaju’s ambition becomes strange, queer and destructive. These are akin to a boxing watch below the belt to score points. Opposition to someone’s ambition and dream is legitimate. Still, when it veers towards levying mass torture to stop an aspiration, it becomes devilish. It panders to the extreme guile and inordinate selfish desires of the perpetrators of these villainies.
You might inquire about my concerns. In this article, I’m concerned about how far some people will go to satisfy their egotistical political desires. The problem here is that people can deviate from the norm and follow the paths of mass destruction to satisfy their heinous desires without giving a damn about what happens to the general population that political ambitions aim to serve. The fact that some people can become so desperate as to tear down their entire house to satisfy their best interests worries me, as the current fuel hoarding and artificial financial scarcity are roiling Nigerians. At this level, it becomes evil to oppose the ambitions and political interests of other people. An evil project is a current effort to create a syndicated crisis, discredit the Buhari/APC government, and make the APC candidate unpopular before the February election. If such an attempt could stop Asiwaju, it would be a massive and extensive project that would destroy Nigeria as a whole. It is a vast undertaking that could bring together members of the APC government’s opposition and fifth columnists. They share a common goal: to stop Asiwaju as best they can.
However, claiming that these evil forces are fighting in vain is pointless. At the same Abeokuta rally, in what I refer to as Abekuota’s declaration one, we can see vehemently that Asiwaju remains unstoppable in his dream of leading Nigeria at this point in our history. Furthermore, the occurrences and trends that have transpired thus far in the process leading up to the election this February show this. Asiwaju is like a train in full motion that cannot be stopped midway through a journey, so those who have banded together like desperate heathens to stop him are failing miserably. I have good justifications for holding this position.
First and foremost, Nigerians are aware that the Nigerian presidency is based on competencies and evidence of the capacity to decisively address Nigeria’s statehood issues. Nigerians are aware that only Asiwaju possesses the demonstrated ability and competence to lead the nation on a path of development and advancement at this point in our history. Good enough, none of the other dreamers for the job have claimed to be as good or better than Asiwaju. As a result, he has earned the trust of Nigerians that he is the best candidate for the presidency of Nigeria, and even brief acts of sabotage from antagonistic powers and principalities will never be able to undo this.
Second, Asiwaju unusually unfolded an unparalleled Lagos governance model that is unstoppable in terms of growth and advancement. Nigerians have been persuaded that Asiwaju has redoubtable attainment whose Midas touch stands to influence the country’s fortunes positively by the rising fortunes of Lagos and the universally acknowledged fact that Asiwaju stemmed and watered the template that has assured this exponential progress. Therefore, it is certain that the desperate rhetoric of the opposition and the fifth columnists within the APC will never reverse Asiwaju’s significant advantage among Nigerians who have placed so much faith in his capacity to reenact the positive story of Lagos in Nigeria if elected president.
Thirdly, Tinubu has written a concise, expressive, and clear manifesto tagged as Renewed Hope to summarise his agenda for Nigeria. This lays out his plans, policies, and programs for the nation, as well as how these will be implemented. This is in contrast to his adversaries’ haphazard, hazy, and incoherent plans. Because Asiwaju’s Renewed Hope manifesto is so clear and explicit, Nigerians have come to trust him because he has demonstrated that his time in Lagos has been extremely successful. There is widespread loyalty among Nigerians today that Tinubu, like Lagos, knows how to achieve success in governance, in contrast to others who stumble through it, resulting in unsuccessful and forgotten tenures in previous positions.
Fourthly, it is clear from the campaign trail thus far that the upcoming election is almost entirely an Asiwaju affair. It is becoming clear from the enthusiasm and attendance at the rallies and other strategic engagements that form parts of the campaign process that the game is Asiwaju’s as he draws an unprecedented crowd and enthusiasm that cuts across all of the states he has campaigned in deference to the sparse, unenthusiastic attendance Atiku and other contestants draw. His major challenger, Atiku, is mired in massive corruption scandals, and his camp and party are shredded in cyclical.
Fifthly, Asiwaju’s innovative Town-Hall-Meetings and other fora in Nigerian politics have demonstrated his deep organizational and strategic prowess. He engaged Nigerians of all political views and socioeconomic backgrounds. Even though his rivals copy poorly, they lack the depth and zeal to match Asiwaju’s originality, which he is infusing into the current campaign. He has been able to secure the votes and support of key segments of the population through strategic engagements, and this cannot be undone by the actions of a weak but desperate opposition to his ambition.
Sixthly, Asiwaju has shown his deep organisational and strategic prowess by the way and manner he engaged Nigerians from all persuasions and walks of life through his innovative Town-Hall-Meetings and such other fora that are hitherto alien to Nigerian politics. His opponents copy poorly, yet they don’t have the depth and zeal to match Asiwaju’s originality, which he is imbuing in the current campaign. With his strategic engagements, he has been able to lock down the votes and support of critical population segments, and this can never be undone by the actions of a desperate but deficient opposition to his ambition.
Seventh, Asiwaju has established impregnable structures and walls of strength across the country’s disparate divides, demonstrating for decades that he is a detribalized patriot and a believer in Project Nigeria. He has established indestructible connections throughout the entirety of Nigeria, and these connections have secured him devoted and substantial support throughout the nation. As we would see in February, the fire-brigade tactics of an evil opposition would not withstand these bridges. As we would continue to see that these bridges are in place to reward Asiwaju with the ultimate presidential crown in a few weeks, just as they ensured his emphatic victory in the hotly contested APC presidential primary last year.
Eighthly, Asiwaju has demonstrated his blindness to religious, ethnic, and primordial sentiments through his family life and policies as governor of Lagos. Understandably, the majority of Nigerians can attest to Asiwaju’s consistency, capability, intelligence, and much more. To provide Nigeria with value-free leadership, these are essential requirements. While other candidates exploit the nation’s racial and religious divisions, Asiwaju promotes universal tolerance and minimizes these divisions when it comes to national issues. He has demonstrated his universal tolerance and acceptance, as well as the need for it, for the benefit of the Nigerian commonwealth. As the election draws nearer, these have ensured that he retains a tighter grip on the majority of Nigerian electorates, and the grip cannot be loosened by the sly actions of the opposition.
Ninthly, Asiwaju is well-versed in the intricacies of electioneering as well as the antics of opposition interests, so he won’t easily fall for their desperate plans, schemes, and heists. The ability of Asiwaju transcends borders and is borderless. He can reach anywhere. His means are limitless, and his constituents are Catholic. Because of these, he formed an opposition that became a vassal of the ruling party, effectively took control of the country’s governance, and has left the former ruling party with a bitter, angry, and dissatisfied opposition today.
Tenth, Asiwaju’s extensive network has enabled him to withstand the numerous traps the hurting Nigerian opposition has set for him since 2015. He stays several miles ahead of those who have ardently plotted his downfall since 1999 because of his extensive contacts. He defeated the imperial Obasanjo as governor of Lagos, decimated Jonathan and the PDP government from 2011 to 2015, made PDP devour the sand so forcefully, and easily won the APC ticket in a race that was expected to be close. For an experienced fighter and survivor like Asiwaju, a hideous opposition working cowardly to sabotage the system to undermine Asiwaju’s ambitions and make the APC and its government unpopular would be easy prey.
Eleven, Asiwaju still enjoys the support, confidence, and trust of Nigeria’s most powerful political structure. The APC may have black legs inside (this is normal for any human organization). It’s possible that APC still has people working for the dishonest PDP and its candidate. However, the fact of the matter is that the combined strength, reach, and capacity of all other opposition parties is significantly less than that of the APC. As a result, the actions of a few blacklegs—even if they are strategically placed—will not diminish the incredible might of the APC, which is within Tinubu’s range. Therefore, the forthcoming presidential election is already a done deal and Asiwaju/Shettima will win big on the 25th of February 2023 by God’s grace, as the will of the people of Nigeria is considerably unshaken in bringing victory to APC again.
Twelve, Asiwaju is a well-known game master who is also a formidable tactician, logistician, wealth creator, exemplary natural and human resources superlative manager and master craftsman who knows his way around the political space in Nigeria as a master exemplary does. The most minor of the political issues he had to deal with on his way to the top were the antics of angry opposition. Consequently, those who were familiar with his extensive political history understood that he was stating the obvious when he accentuated that he would defeat the current opposition conspiracy. With Abeokuta’s second declaration, Nigerians have the revelation that the shady opposition and their ring mates in the APC government have lost their lifeblood. Because they operate undercover, assuming that no one is aware of their strategy, they derive their devious energy, making their fall a matter of very little time. However, Asiwaju removed that cloak in Abeokuta; as a result, their demise is too near.
Just a few hours after Abeokuta’s second declaration, fuel distribution in Nigeria has significantly heightened, paving the way for the eventual resolution of this artificial energy crisis. Asiwaju’s revelation opens the door for the solution to the currency crisis to be within reach. Therefore, Nigeria will have a brave, fearless, and courageous leader under Asiwaju’s presidency who is prepared to confront the heinous saboteurs who are actively engaged in the act of doing everything possible to cripple the Nigerian state to satisfy their egotistical interests. The current sabotage of the fuel supply chain and currency restrictions are part of their deadly plans to frustrate Asiwaju because they know he is coming to defeat all their strategies and deliver the dividends of democracy to all Nigerians. They will all fail because they are dealing with the game’s owner, as he stated emphatically in Abeokuta. The multifaceted enemies will be stopped, and though they rage, victory is sure.
Prof. Ojo Emmanuel Ademola
