Ernest Osogbue
These are really interesting times in Nigerian politics. With President Tinubu barely two years in office, the rate of political jostlings, alliances, and defections in the country could be likened to the movement of a high-speed train.
It may seem surprising to some, but to the discerning few, it is quite obvious what is playing out. Nigeria is a complex nation that can best be described with the biblical phrase of a “mixed multitude” of tribes, ethnic groups, and religious beliefs. With this complexity comes the battle for supremacy, with each tribe, religion, or ethnic group wanting to be atop the power pyramid. A careful look at political developments in Nigeria would reveal that politics has never really been about good governance or the desire to make Nigeria better. It has always been about tribal, religious, or individual supremacy.
Whenever a Southerner is in power and some northern elements feel dissatisfied, they gang up and seek out equally disgruntled Southerners with whom they could align to oust the incumbent. The same scenario plays out in the reverse direction when a Northerner is in power. If you recall, Christian leaders blackmailed President Buhari throughout his presidency.
Labeling him an Islamic bigot bent on Islamizing Nigeria. Moslems also gang up against a Christian leader, as in the case of President Jonathan. It is obvious, therefore, that Atiku and El-Rufai are dissatisfied northern politicians who have found a southern ally in Amechi.
A careful assessment of these three politicians, however, will show that they’re strange bedfellows. There’s no meeting of philosophies between them. Hatred for Tinubu is their only common denominator. Their coming together, therefore, has nothing to do with either the welfare of citizens or the wellbeing of Nigeria.
Another complexity in our country is that of majority and minority tribes. This is a country where full-fledged citizens are referred to as minorities, with another group seeing themselves as majority tribes, who have the power to determine leadership. It has never occurred to Nigerians that a nation is about individuals and not about blocs. For there to be justice in any nation, all citizens must be treated as individuals. So, from the start, Nigeria is a nation of injustice, but that is a story for another day.
After a keenly contested 2023 presidential election, Bola Tinubu was declared the winner and was sworn in as president. Due to the keenness of the contest, Bola Tinubu’s margin of victory was so small that the votes of the other candidates put together would have seen him lose the election. Having noted this scenario, most of those who lost to Tinubu have been at the forefront of those wishing his government to fail. From day one, labor unions and civil society organizations were against Tinubu wishing to derail his government. In true stoic fashion, Tinubu remained focused, taking the opposition barbs in his stride, as he settled into governance.
The tempo of opposition criticism recently rose to a crescendo at the 60th birthday celebrations of Rotimi Amechi. At a gathering in Abuja to commemorate the occasion, Amechi opened up on his fractured relationship with Tinubu. Without giving any cogent reasons for it, Amechi, who lost the APC presidential primaries to Tinubu, told a stunned gathering that before the presidential election, he had told Tinubu that he would neither vote for nor work for him during the presidential election. This was despite their belonging to the same political party.
In a follow-up interview, Amechi granted Charles Aniagolu of Arise television, his bitterness towards Tinubu and Wike was in evidence. Without mentioning their names, every snide remark and insinuation made it clear to whom he was referring.
Back to the night of Amechi’s birthday celebration; Nasir El-Rufai, a former Tinubu ally, took to the podium to spew his venom against Tinubu’s administration. He obviously forgot that he was at the forefront of those who convinced Nigerians to vote for
Tinubu. They were co-travellers until El-Rufai’s ministerial ambitions were thwarted by high-level politics. Another of the former Tinubu associates who used the occasion to discuss the upcoming coalition to unsit Tinubu, was Atiku Abubakar, a man who Tinubu granted a political platform to pursue his presidential ambitions in 2007 after a falling out with then President Obasanjo to whom he was vice president.
When I look at these three former political associates of President Tinubu and how they have come out swinging at the president, it becomes clear that they are simply united in hatred and jealous of the president.
I’m not an APC supporter, and neither am I Tinubu’s spokesman. Outside of the patriotic support I owe him as my president, I actually have no relationship with his government. Having said that, I must confess that as a Nigerian, I’m always on the lookout for that leader who could best deliver the Nigeria of my dreams; a peaceful, united, and prosperous country. When I look at Amechi, Atiku, and El-Rufai, and based on their antecedents, I do not see them in the mold of great leaders. These are men who have held positions of authority before. What did they achieve in those positions? What view did they hold of the average Nigerian? Suddenly, here they are presenting themselves as the messiahs to rescue Nigeria.
Amechi, Atiku, and El-Rufai are no better than Tinubu. From my observations, these three men are simply jealous of the president. Their criticisms usually lack substance as it is mostly based on personal attacks rather than on well measured assessments of government policies. When elitist politicians start pretending as modern-day saviors of the common man, Nigerians need to be wary and run for cover. Amechi, Atiku, and El-Rufai are only interested in a power grab, in furtherance of their personal grouse against Tinubu. These men do not have Nigeria or Nigerians at heart. Their interest is only in pursuit of a personal vendetta against the President.
2027 is still far, and I do not know who I will be supporting. One thing I know, however, is that Amechi, Atiku, and El-Rufai will never get my support. Bitter politicians who are more interested in personal vendetta than in the development of our country will never get my vote. I must equally advise other Nigerians to be wary of these three men who are united in hatred against the president. Nothing good will ever come of an alliance based on hatred.
