By Dr. Ebuka Onyekwelu
More than two years after he was sworn in as Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has methodically worked against every element of political cohesion that marked his ascendancy. Wouldn’t the president want someone who would go through the journey of political leadership from the opposition to the government in power, just like himself? Today, the president has fully transformed himself from a strict party man to a pacifist, distributing key political favours that should be reserved for his qualified party men to unqualified non-party members, leaving his own people in the cold. Even people who vilified the president are now his own preferred choice of newfound allies ahead of his supporters and party faithful, even when they have no real value to add to the president’s politics or the government’s mandate. It is strange to reconcile that this is still the same Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, as a party leader, was firm and uncompromising in dealing with his party’s reward system, which naturally evoked faith and cult-followership that easily earned him the trust and admiration of people in his political party. It is difficult to reconcile this President Tinubu, with the other Bola Tinubu, who appointed bright and young Nigerians into his cabinet in Lagos, from this one appointing recycled and exhausted politicians.
In 2011, Barr. Benchuks Nwosu was an aspirant for the Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria – ACN. At the time, Barr. Nwosu had only in 2007 completed his tenure as a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly and was the candidate of the Action Congress (AC) for the federal constituency in the 2007 General Election. In 2011, the incumbent Senator for Anambra South, Senator Ikechukwu Obiora, and incumbent House of Representatives member for Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ekwusigo federal constituency, Hon. CID Maduabum, because of the Ngige wave in those days, left the PDP for the ACN after they were informed that the party wouldn’t be returning them in that year’s election. Earlier, precisely in 2010, Dr. Chris Ngige was the Anambra State governorship candidate of the ACN, while Peter Obi, the incumbent governor at the time, was of the APGA. Dr. Ngige’s popularity in those days was so intense that politicians included his portrait on their campaign posters to be associated with him. He was Governor Peter Obi’s nightmare. But having lost the 2010 Governorship election despite his very large followership and popularity, and now having two serving federal lawmakers come into his party, was a significant boost. But that boost would mean that two faithful ACN party members who have been there for the party, Sir Chris Atuegwu, former Commissioner, who served under Ngige, the ACN senatorial aspirant for Anambra South zone, and Hon. Barr. Benchuks Nwosu, aspirant for the Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ekwusigo federal constituency, would be outplayed by the new entrants. Opposition, even in those days, was not an easy thing. So, one can only imagine what it meant to have serving federal lawmakers jointly move into an opposition party with enormous funds at their disposal and the full weight of their election-winning machinery. At the time, the ACN conducted direct primaries for candidates at the wards, and the two new federal lawmakers were fully prepared. Imagine serving federal lawmakers squaring against a former commissioner who left office five years earlier ( in 2006, when the court sacked Ngige) and a state lawmaker who left office four years before (in 2007, when his tenure elapsed). There was no ground for any real competition. To cut a long story short, despite every possible string pushed by the federal lawmakers for the ACN tickets, the national leadership of the party, under Bola Tinubu, rejected the offer and filed Sir Chris Atuegwu and Barr. Benchuks Nwosu, as ACN’s candidate(s) for the Anambra South Senatorial seat and the Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ekwusigo House of Representatives seat. It was a very bold statement by the leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who demonstrated his unshaken commitment and loyalty to party members. This Anambra scenario was not an isolated case. There were similar cases across the federation at the time because politicians were desperate for options given the PDP’s rascally posturing and god-feeling, with no standard operational modalities and reward system. Many ACN party members attained their political aspiration by just being committed to the party. Beforehand, the ACN grew and enjoyed the genuine confidence and support of members. There is no doubt that Bola Tinubu built a reputation for himself as a party man with absolute commitment to his party members. But today, no one but President Bola Tinubu, who, himself established the ethos of priority for party members, is now undermining party loyalty with such a very slapdash and speedy negligence.
More tragic is that not only are his party members ignored, but the President now finds his fancy in appointing spent forces, and individuals whose natural predisposition is to tell cheap lies. Worst still, there were some persons who took a certain pleasure in vilifying the person of the president. That wasn’t opposition politics, yet, they are the best President Tinubu can find. Yet, this was a man reputed for injecting fresh ideas into governance by appointing new and brilliant hands. A man who was known to have appointed people from all over the country to his cabinet in Lagos as governor now presides over the Nation’s cabinet, which is primarily composed of people of his ethnic group.
Except the president did all those to get to where he is now, and not because he was interested in good governance or nation-building, but if not, then the President must redeem himself.
