I had thought that those who made unethical practices a way of life in their desperate bid to grab power would make do with their booty and let Nigerians be. But that is hardly the case. Instead, they seem bent, in the manner of most victors, on rewriting history. That was why we saw a Bayo Onanuga the other day being mulish in his dissection of aspects of the 2023 presidential election. The subject of his disputation was Peter Obi. He said Obi promoted religion and ethnicity in the 2023 election. He also wondered why Obi’s supporters should continue to insist that it was Obi, not Tinubu, that won the 2023 presidential election.
I suspect that Mr. Onanuga suffers a certain inadequacy owing to the fluidity of the office he occupies in the Tinubu administration. The office is so lacking in definition so much so that the man is always scratching for what to do. That is why he, most often, ventures into unfriendly terrains, believing as he always does that he is making a case for his principal. But the truth is that Onanuga is not helping the Bola Tinubu presidency with his penchant for fishing in troubled waters. Most often, he only succeeds in adding faggots to a blazing fire. If Mr. Onanuga is truly out to defend the Bola Tinubu misadventure in the 2023 presidential election, he should try his hands on matters that could shore up the integrity deficit that his principal suffers, rather than opening a fresh can of worms for him.
For instance, the archives have just dug up an interview Tinubu granted Vanguard newspapers in 1993. Tinubu was reported to be 52 years then. But 31 years after, the same man has just been seen celebrating 72 years of age. Bizarre issues of this nature should be of concern to the Onanugas of the Tinubu administration. Why are they not talking about it? Or are they imagining that Nigerians are not taking note? If Nigerians are no longer talking about the discrepancies and inconsistencies in Tinubu’s age, it is not because they are indifferent. It is simply because the courts of the land, which ought to have upheld the allegations of perjury and forgery levelled against Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election petitions, turned a blind eye to them. The loud silences of the Nigerian people on matters around Tinubu’s family background, age, educational qualifications and related issues should worry those around him. They should find creative ways of staving off this sticky embarrassment rather than deepening his woes on matters of integrity and transparency.
It is this indiscretion that misled Onanuga into venturing into the vexed issue of the Punic faith that was the 2023 presidential election. If Onanuga were sufficiently wise, he would not have ventured into this slippery terrain. Who made religion an issue in the 2023 election? The answer is simple. It is Bola Tinubu. It was he who struck a deal with elements from the Muslim North on how to subjugate Christianity in Nigeria. Fundamentalists from the predominantly Muslim North told Tinubu that they would support his presidential ambition on the condition that he picks a fellow Muslim as his running mate. This was in spite of the divisive and provocative underpinnings of this agenda. Tinubu accepted this poisonous condition without question because he wanted to be President. He was unmindful of the fact that that decision would spark off a religious war in the country. He was not bothered about the fact that the action could bring about mutual suspicion and undue rivalry between Christianity and Islam. By that singular action, Tinubu made religion an issue in that election. The Christian community in Nigeria felt the wound. They are still feeling it up till this moment. With that dangerous precedent, Tinubu and his cohorts have made religion a major subject of concern in our elections, both now and in future. How could someone ignore this bare-knuckled assault that led to religious tension in the country and be looking in the direction of a man who ran his election strictly on the basis of merit?
It is also disingenuous to suggest that Peter Obi introduced ethnicity to the campaigns. This is sheer bunkum. Obi, as we all know, was the most viable candidate in that election. He stood out among the three front runners, the other two being Atiku Abubakar and Tinubu. Nigerians already knew Tinubu and Atiku and were not persuaded by their messages. On the contrary, Obi stood out as a breath of fresh air. Nigerians of all shades were convinced that a Peter Obi Presidency would give their country a new lease of life.
Besides, Obi had a compelling message. He came away as the candidate that knew his onions. He had a good understanding of what could be done to get Nigeria working. He never played to the gallery. He was credible through and through. That was why Nigerians of all strata voted massively for him. And he won the election. A pan-Nigerian candidate who broke down ethnic barriers cannot be associated with ethnic politics as Onanuga is doing.
Onanuga and others of his ilk are also saying that Obi came third in the election under reference and could not have won. But Nigerians know what happened. They know that if the vote counting had tallied with the actual voting, Obi would have come out tops. The fact that the election was manipulated to favour someone else should not stop those who know from stating the facts.
In fact, it can safely be said that the overriding feeling within the Tinubu political camp is that Obi is a problem to whatever Tinubu stands for. Their preoccupation is, therefore, centred on how to tame him. This has led those engaged in this wild goose chase to always miss the target.
Obi is a free Nigerian expressing his honest views about how Nigeria can get better. He is passionate about a new Nigeria. He will, therefore, stop at nothing to ensure that he propagates these ideas. Naturally, Obi’s uncommon approach to issues will tingle the ears of those who do not have good ideas but who claim to have. The fitful displays from anti-Obi elements betrays this tendency.
Having grabbed power the way he did, Tinubu has a responsibility to ensure that the country works. Unfortunately, he has been failing steadily. Nigerians cannot clap for a President that has failed so far to manage their country’s affairs. Even though he bulldozed his way into office, Nigerians expect that the government he formed should not choke them to death.
Now that things are not working, those who are working for Tinubu need to put heads together with a view to getting him to have a sense of direction. This should be their major preoccupation. Staying fixated on Peter Obi is unhelpful.