On Wednesday, the campaign train of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) landed in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
It is interesting that each time Tinubu visited the gateway state, he goes there with a clear conscience.
Before the APC presidential primary on June 2, 2022, Tinubu made his first trip to Ogun State. He had likely seen the political climate and sensed betrayal or a plot on the part of people with whom he had previously worked to ensure their electoral triumph.
By bringing up recollections of the occasion from party delegates, the politician from Lagos grabbed the opportunity to verbally dispel the purported conspiracy.
As a presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Tinubu described how he made Yemi Osinbajo (APC). Additionally, he described how Muhammadu Buhari approached him for assistance following three abortive efforts to take over the nation.
The ex-governor of Lagos claimed to have had a significant role in President Muhammadu Buhari’s political success in 2015.
Those were the words that Tinubu spoke, and his staunchest supporters were utterly terrified. A section of the APC alleged he made fun of the office of the governor of Ogun and disparaged President Buhari personally.
Another section reported that he did not reciprocate as expected or supposedly worked against his party ambitions, but rather merely brought back memories of those people he had assisted in the past.
Unexpectedly, the relationship between Buhari and Tinubu did not deteriorate as many had anticipated after the outbursts. The goal was accomplished despite how blunt and confrontational the outbursts were.
It disregarded any attempt by some APC insiders to garner support from the North and compelled Buhari to remain impartial. Buhari urged contenders to gauge their standing inside the party and promised to back any victorious contender.
The outburst, however, not only shocked the ruling party but also benefited Tinubu. Due to three key words—”Eleyi, Olule, and Emilokan”—going viral and influencing 2023 politics, it was more like publicity stunts.
“Eleyi, Olule, and Emilokan” were Tinubu’s three catchphrases that ruled the political sphere. When describing how he helped Prince Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, win the 2019 election, he addressed him as “Eleyi.”
He used the word “Olule” to indicate how President Buhari lost three times before they decided to cooperate. In the APC presidential primaries, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu overcame the obstacles and defeated candidates like Amaechi, Yemi Osinbajo, and others to win.
Again, Tinubu drove his campaign train to Ogun State on Wednesday to drum up support for his bid. In sharing his thoughts on the situation of the country and its implications as the election comes near, he spared no words. What made him choose Ogun State? He recently left Ondo, Bauchi, and Katsina.
What about Ogun provides Tinubu the moral clarity or self-assurance to speak his opinion without fear? No one would have predicted when the microphone was handed to him that he would criticize the Buhari-led administration and assert that the government he worked so hard to establish purposefully hampered his electoral prospects.
He risked the repercussions. He criticized the new Naira notes, the price increase for fuel, and its shortage. Why would people stand in line for new Naira notes and gasoline simultaneously? He thought impolitely.
Was Tinubu sincere when he asked these questions? Was he concerned because Nigerians experience tension at petrol stations and at banks? Or perhaps he simply believed that if these problems went unsolved or unattended to, it might harm or hinder his prospects of winning the election.
In response to the bizarre situation, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the major opposition party, and his supporters claimed that President Buhari had been blackmailed by their challenger. They continued by saying that Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, was distancing himself from the shortcomings of the Buhari-led government.
Barely 12 hours after another outburst by Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign committee asserted that Tinubu was speaking of saboteurs and enemies of the state rather than Buhari. It was asserted that some elites are secretly supporting Atiku Abubakar by making it difficult for Nigerians to support the APC.
He was open about how he felt about the immense suffering that Nigerians endure on a daily basis. The purpose was clear to see. He would not have denounced the lengthy line and demanded accountability from the government if there had been no election in February.
The presidency shouldn’t have kept such a protracted silence. Tinubu is also aware that there will be repercussions. He was aware that Buhari’s men were prepared to bite and bark even harder. Would Tinubu’s second outburst have the same consequences as his first one in Ogun State?
I look forward to read your view at editor@withinnigeria.com.
