“Nobody who steals Political power uses it for the good of the people“ – Dike Chukwumerije.
Days leading to the nationwide #Endbadgovernance protest that started on August 1st 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made spirited efforts to subvert it. In the process, he divulged some unfiltered truths about the 2023 Presidential election possibly amid pressure. ‘I bought this seat I’m on with my money,’ he told a body of traditional and ecclesiastical rulers drawn from across the country. Most of them, especially from the North and the South West, were not surprised because they were beneficiaries of the largesse when it was flowing.
But some of them who were reading it on social media and doubting it, like Sokoto-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Bello Yabo, were shocked at what he called the naked truth from the President. “Tinubu has really impressed me; he invited all the traditional rulers from the North, West, and East and told them bluntly that ‘I bought this seat I’m on with money” Yabo stated. He praised Tinubu for his candour, remarking, “Tinubu has never impressed me like now for coming out to tell the naked truth. Whoever pays the piper dictates the tune; isn’t Tinubu telling the truth?”
The renowned Islamic cleric criticised those who sold their votes during the 2023 presidential elections, highlighting the fleeting nature of the rewards they received. “You have eaten the spaghetti and macaroni you have been given to vote, and now it is finished, it’s all over, so what next?” he asked, referencing Tinubu’s substantial campaign spending from the primaries to the presidential election.
Reflecting further on the future, Yabo urged, “It’s all over now; let us pray and wait for the next election in 2027. If you like, collect his money again and vote for him, and I assure you, you’ll remain in pain, that’s all.”
Before Tinubu’s divulgence, some other critical players in the 2023 elections in Rivers State who worked with Tinubu’s buddy Minister Nyesom Wike, including his Chief staff, had publicly confessed that they doctored the Rivers election to disfavour the Labour Party and its presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, whom the voters in Rivers State voted for. The controversial Borno Senator, Ali Ndume once said on national television that he was shocked to see Peter Obi winning in some polling booths where he had no voting agents in Borno State.
What Nigerians heard from Tinubu is long known to many; what the people have been waiting for is the breakdown so that Nigerians can know who got what in that great mortgaging of the nation’s future where APC governors coordinated by Nasir el Rufai, INEC and judiciary got the lion shares.
Some people might think that it was a slip of the tongue that Tinubu didn’t mean to say it the way it appeared, but it’s not true. The President was clear in his head; he wanted the rulers to know that they could not eat their cake and go in search of it. If those whom he paid to get the mandate are sincere, they have no justification for protesting against him. Some of them who collected his money for ethnic, religious, geopolitical and party afflictions, including some so-called activists, are today screaming for protest and want those who stood for a new Nigeria to be deceived so easily that they mean well.
They forgot that even though, a Muslim, Brother Tinubu read the Christian holy book and understood its content in Galatians 6:7-9 – “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, he also reaps. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”
What is clear and playing out for all to see in that biblical warning is that those who rejected Godly wisdom for selfish political gain must get ready to reap the consequences of their actions.
Tinubu’s activities as he tried to destabilise the protest remind us of the military era in this country when the juntas, aware that they lacked legitimacy while in power, occasionally summoned critical leaders, traditional, religious, and political leaders and tried to curry their favour. The juntas use such meetings to hold a frank talk about what they are doing in an attempt to get them on their side. More often than not, such meetings result in inducements that force the leaders to publicly identify with the juntas on whatever issues at stake then.
One such glaring instance was during the humiliating aborted coup trial and conviction of late Chief Staff, Supreme Headquarters, General Oladipo Diya, when the ruling juntas felt his ethnic Yorubas were disgruntled. Some traditional rulers from the tribe were invited to Aso Villa for briefing after which they found themselves in a fix over what the authorities wanted them to relay and what they think their ethnic people wanted to hear.
Political pundits believe that the juntas deployed such methods using those leaders to cover up for the absence of parliament and political parties.
This kind of subjective lobby and inducement of critical stakeholders rarely happens in a democracy because they believe they have the people’s mandate. The only time leaders approach such critical but highly conservative leaders is usually during electioneering when they need them to persuade their subjects.
Because of the grab-and-run manner, Bola Tinubu’s administration came under curious electoral circumstances. He has been struggling with legitimacy, and the goodwill of the populace has been hard to come, especially with his anti-people policies. Having found his way into such inconveniencing circumstances that did not meet democratic tenets, getting the needed support was not forthcoming. The regime had to devise a means to circumvent the people the way it was done during his swearing-in on May 29, 2023, when they had to cloak some persons with cleric costumes to appear as clergy to give a picture of clerical support.
Ahead of the August 1st protest, President Tinubu found himself almost in a situation of the military juntas who always had issues with legitimacy. The political class didn’t seem to be united with him; he was not even too sure of his ruling party members. The chief Whip of his party in the national parliament, Senator Ali Ndume, who led a rebellion, appeared to be enjoying the listening ear of not a few within their political folds.
The geopolitical North was almost unanimous in their voice against the President and the tension was palpable. The President had to resort to military-like consultations with rulers. He had to make contact with the conservative critical leaders in a deliberate bid to win their hearts against the protesters. The fallout of such a meeting is actually what generated this week’s political musings.
The President’s military-like approach to reaching the people was therefore not too surprising as his regime has virtually and successfully subordinated and muscled up the other arms of government, the legislature and the judiciary and now enjoys absolute power akin to the military regimes.
The National Assembly under Godswill Akpabio has been turned into a rubber stamp worse than even the lifeless 9th Assembly under Ahmad Lawal who made the Senate he led a considerable de jure power but with little or no de facto power. The current comedian, Senate President of the 10 Senate, in his characteristic manner of joking with any issue no matter how serious rather than following the path of the President to soothe the nerves, chose to mock the protesters to go on protesting while they stay in their homes eating. Of course, most of them were eating under hundreds of troops of security operatives guarding them while others ran out of the country.
In a democracy, the most important office is that of the Citizen but the Vice President Kashim Shittima prefers to label the protesting citizens idiots.
When discerning minds try to fish out why elected people should be so arrogant and uncaring to a people who elected them just 16 months ago, they find it in the unconcealed truth by the President to his summoned Aso Rock special guests while trying to undermine the protest.
The President’s Sunday morning broadcast on Day 4 of the protest didn’t deviate from the arrogant posture of the regime. None of the critical issues raised by the protesters was addressed. Not even a pretentious reference was made to the brutality of the security agencies against the people.
The speech was akin to the ‘balablu’ of the election era, containing nothing from the leader. The lack of empathy shown in the address even provoked and drew out the President’s perpetual ally, Prof Wole Soyinka, who remarked “My primary concern, quite predictably, is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management, an area in which the presidential address fell conspicuously short.”
The Nobel laureate deserves some pity in his new posture because, when the history of this regime is compiled, he would take the front row on the list of those who provided oxygen to them even when their continued living was not in the interest of the state. Until we find a way to stop those who pervert our constitution and undermine the citizens, a Nigeria of our dreams will remain elusive. But with God, a new Nigeria is still POssible.
