BY BRIGHT JACOB
A political strategist par excellence, the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has influenced a motley crew of big political names who were once in the opposition but have now warmed up to him and become unrelenting proponents of the former Lagos State Governor, garnering much-needed support his administration is enjoying today.
Analysts agree that more high profile opposition politicians will jump ship in the coming days to align with Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress and this has precipitated fears among some concerned Nigerians who hold the view that such aggregation would be in furtherance of Nigeria becoming a one-party state.
“I think Tinubu and the APC are almost unstoppable now. Because of the way they are going about their businesses, I foresee more notable opposition politicians joining him so as to save their own political careers,” said a Port Harcourt-based chartered accountant, Ifeoma Ogbonna, who also noted that the opposition was doing “little or nothing” to stop the impending “exodus” from their respective parties.
“As I have already mentioned, I doubt that the opposition parties will be able to stop Tinubu and the APC in 2027. They are doing little or nothing about this.
“I mean, look at what is happening with Atiku and the merger he tried to form with the New Nigeria People’s Party and the rest. I guess things are not yet going as planned.
“In addition, because they (opposition) are doing little or nothing to stop politicians in their camps from embracing Tinubu, they will find it difficult to stop this imminent exodus.” she said.
One such needle mover from the opposition who joined the ranks of those supporting Tinubu and has been of immense benefit to his presidency is the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
During the February 25 presidential election, Wike, together with his “co-spoilers” in the G5, the group they formed to press for equity and fairness in the People’s Democratic Party denied former presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, the votes the ex-Vice President would naturally have amassed in five PDP states controlled by the G5.
All hailing from the Southern part of Nigeria, Wike and the former Governors of Abia (Okezie Ikpeazu), Enugu (Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi) and Benue (Samuel Ortom) States, together with Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, who is serving his second term in office, had worked against and been a thorn in the flesh of the Wazirin Adamawa.
The G5 members were frustrated that the PDP did not only field a Northerner as its presidential candidate but supported Iyorchia Ayu, another Northerner from Benue State, as the National Chairman of the party, and this, according to analysts, cost Atiku the Presidency.
Therefore, courtesy of Wike’s influence, Tinubu beat Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party in the polls in Rivers State, a feat the APC had never accomplished before in the oil-rich state.
Recently, a video purportedly recorded in the office of Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, had Wike humouring the former Speaker. The exuberant FCT Minister also danced and sang “On your mandate we shall stand, Jagaban” to the amusement of those present in the room.
A member of the PDP and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, recently drew attention to the difference Wike would have made if he had fully supported the PDP at the polls.
Omokri said, “The biggest mistake we made in the PDP during the elections was not giving Wike the vice Presidential slot of our party.
“By how many votes did we lose to the APC? Less than two million. If we had a running mate like Wike, we would have gotten that collectively from Rivers, Oyo, Abia, Enugu and Benue with the G5. In politics, you do not do what you like to do. You do what you have to do.”
Perhaps, more interesting, too, is the fact that Omokri, who used to be a strong critic of Tinubu has surprisingly been lauding Tinubu in some of his posts on social media.
Some of his followers have even accused him of abandonment, saying he has ditched Atiku so that he would be offered a plum job by Tinubu. Omokri has, however, denied this allegation.
Though Omokri has consistently said that he would not malign Tinubu or lie against him because he is a member of the PDP and in the opposition, there are indications that he may have decided to soft-pedal a bit because, many years ago, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had played a big part in Omokri landing a job in Aso Rock.
A political analyst, Ben Njoku, said Omokri is a “big influencer” in Nigeria and that the “change of heart” towards the President likely took root in August after Omokri visited the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in Abuja.
“I am among those who are shocked that a big influencer like Omokri would ever start to say something good about Tinubu and his government.
“Omokri has often said that he is not a member of the APC and I strongly believe he had a change of heart and soft-pedalled the criticism against this government after he became a guest of the National Security Adviser.
“Can you recollect how Omokri stayed away from Nigeria most of the time (Muhammadu) Buhari was president?
“However, when Tinubu took the reins of power and appointed Ribadu as NSA, Omokri flew into Nigeria to meet him in Abuja. Ribadu may have urged him to go easy on his boss, Tinubu.
“And remember that Ribadu was instrumental in bringing Omokri to Aso Rock and so, like they say, one good turn deserves another.”
Another political bigwig who recently called it quits with his party for the sake of Tinubu is the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Adelabu joined the Accord Party to contest on the party’s platform prior to the 2023 governorship election in Oyo State. He had been disenchanted with the manner the APC state congress and primary elections were conducted in the state.
“As I have already mentioned, I doubt that the opposition parties will be able to stop Tinubu and the APC in 2027. They are doing little or nothing about this”
Because Adelabu has immense potential and carries a lot of political clout, Tinubu had gone ahead and appointed him as a Minister and political commentators were quick to say that the 53-year-old First Class graduate in Accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, decided to show that he was not ungrateful for the president’s gesture.
Besides, according to a letter he addressed to the chairman of the APC in Oyo State, Adelabu who is also a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, desires to work with the APC family to achieve Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and install an APC-led government in Oyo State.
“I look forward to a robust working relationship with the state executive, party leaders and entire party members towards achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President and the party at large, and in particular, in installing an APC-led Government at the state level in 2027 for an unprecedented development of Oyo State,” the letter read in part.
A clergyman and public affairs analyst, Emeka Onwuha, told The Point that at least two members of the G5 would join the “Tinubu train” before the 2027 general elections.
He, however, said it would not be flattering if Wike were to be among those two.
Onwuha also said that if things “go awry” for the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Phillip Shaibu, the APC might be his “next port of call”.
“Politics is assumed to be unpredictable, I agree. But the truth is that with the proper crystal ball, you can predict one or two events that could shape the polity.
“Starting with the members of the G5, before the next general elections in 2027, at least two would officially join the APC because of Tinubu. But I would cringe if Wike were to be among those two.
“Wike has made a lot of noise in the past about never wanting to betray or leave the PDP. It will indeed be unflattering if he chose to do so now.
“Of course, he can also defect to the APC; or do you think those lawmakers in Rivers State who moved to the APC did so of their own accord? No, Wike helped them make that decision and he can for himself, too.
“Another opposition politician that would embrace Tinubu in my opinion is the Governor of Edo State, Phillip Shaibu. That man is going through a lot.
“I fear that he will not win the PDP primary in Edo State.
“And if you have observed carefully, you would have realised that the APC in Edo State has been wooing Shaibu by asking him to join their party. My fear is that when things go awry and he cannot clinch the PDP ticket, that would help push him into their arms,” Onwuha said.
