In Nigerian politics, no one is a saint. Our political system has a history of politicians who made poor decisions or used dubious and dishonest methods to mock our democracy, but who afterwards set records and built statues of honor in their names. One of them was Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s fifth president and the continent’s most populous nation.
Like many others, I disagree with the political philosophies and strategies that Tinubu used to win the election. I have vehemently denounced and written about political thuggery and moneybags and their impact on our developing democracy, which other politicians are also guilty of. I also do not like that Lagos State has been governed by a faction of one party ever since civil government began.
Despite his apparent shortcomings, I concur with many who said it would be wrong to ignore his political accomplishments in the greater context of Nigeria’s political history. Would it not be fair if his detractors, who criticized his strategy and the political outcomes or results, withdrew from the intended democracy and outcomes that their methods could not provide?
When his detractors assert that he attained all of his success through political thuggery, they not only reveal their own failures with similar strategies but also deny Tinubu credit and recognition for his superb grasp of human resource management in politics.
Tinubu is more of a political tactician, and it seems as though fate is constantly on his side. He is one of the select few politicians who has never lost an election in his entire political life.
Although Tinubu’s foray into politics was unique, one might be politically astute and still not be favored. He was well liked in addition to being politically astute.
He was elected to serve in the Senate as a newbie during the brief Third Republic. He entered the election for governor as a member of the Alliance for Democracy, defeating Funsho Williams and Wahab Dosunmu in the party primary to become the first governor of Lagos State years after taking part in the effort to recapture MKO’s mandate.
He did not become politically extinct after serving as governor, unlike some others. In addition to spreading his influence to more states in his region, he strengthened the party that elected him governor.
From Edo to Akure to Osun to Oyo to Ogun to Ondo, he installed persons who believe in his cause as governors and took control of Southwest politics and used it to advance a greater cause – Presidency.
What Bola Ahmed Tinubu – the newly sworn-in president did was more than a miracle. Can we call it good luck? Indeed, it is. Does preparation meeting opportunity any longer constitute luck?
His political battles are judged on their strategies, victories, and defeats. Bola Tinubu differs from other Nigerian politicians in that, if he suffers a setback, he focuses more on his ambitions rather than complaining. Can we really take his composure and acceptance of circumstances that don’t work in his favor?
He expanded the base of his party and joined forces with Muhammadu Buhari, the departing president, and others to create the largest coalition in African history. A tsunami in the North, particularly the Northwest, was Muhammadu Buhari. He needed a second tsunami to hit the south to satisfy his deepest aspirations. He recognized a strong force in Tinubu who may aid in his victory. Both achieved their goals and found allies.
You cannot benefit from a cause’s benefits if you are unwilling to make sacrifices for it. As of right now, no one has refuted his assertion that he gave Professor Yemi Osinbajo the vice presidential nomination in order to clear up the confusion that almost caused the party to split and cost them the 2015 election. When it was all said and done, he relished the benefits of his sacrifice.
Uncomfortable lies the head, according to wise saying that would wear crown. Politics in Nigeria is not unfamiliar with hypocrisy, deceit, and hostility. Each controversy that arose throughout the campaign is not brand-new. When Tinubu declared he was willing to play hard, he was aware of the requirements for achieving his goal and realized how easily he might win the presidency.
Moshood Kasimawo Abiola (MKO), who is now deceased, worked extremely hard to win the presidency. He could only see the seat and not sit on it. He was declared the winner of the most free election in the nation’s history, but Ibrahim Babangida, the military president at the time, prevented it. He declared the election invalid and appointed a temporary leader.
Tinubu’s labor was not in vain, thanks to Muhammadu Buhari. Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba native, former head of state, and two-term democratic president, wrote letters on behalf of notable Nigerians asking for the annulment of the election.
Electoral losers also hurled venom at him, but he just advised them to take their complaints to court. Buhari would have been successful in justifying his decision to run for a third term by proxy or extend his current term by citing the requests of losers in the election and their supporters.
The most successful political alliances and participations in the history of the nation were led by Bola Tinubu and Muhammadu Buhari. Two individuals from various tribes, languages, backgrounds, and orientation who were together in a population of 250 million people projected survived intrigues, conspiracies, and arguments among other things for years and sequentially attained their long-term goals.
His personality, family history, source of income, early life, including career, have all been extensively discussed. These cannot be addressed entirely since, for every hundred who assert that he has no discernible or traceable origin, there are an equal number who assert that he is not alien to them. The accomplishment of Tinubu’s long-held goal is his greatest triumph.
Despite all difficulties, he rose from the position of senator and ascended the ladder to the presidency. He escaped traps and plans set up by kin and party members to politically bury him.
He is now president of the largest black nation, 16 years after stepping down from his position as governor and leaving the halls of power. We shouldn’t discount his successes in the political sphere just because we disagree with his approaches and strategies.
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