With the political rat race intensifying and leaving surprises, betrayals and casualties in its wake, a recurring question about what or who can stop the president, Bola Tinubu, has popped up yet again in the polity.
The question has taken on a life of its own and is being asked by Nigerians chiefly because of the myriad crises rocking the nation and trying to bring it to its knees.
Expectedly, too, the uncertainties brought about by all the crises have given tremendous impetus to the continued asking of the “what” or “who” question about stopping Tinubu.
“I do not envy the president. Now is certainly not the best time to be a president in Nigeria,” said a public affairs analyst, Solomon Otolorin, who added, “There is a lot of trouble in the country and we are also in a precarious position.
“Many things are working against the president and trying to grind his wheels of progress to a halt.
“Individuals too have suddenly rediscovered their ability to criticise him, trying to find fault here and then with him just to stop his plans for the country and even his reelection in 2027.
“So, yes, the ‘what’ or ‘who’ question about Tinubu, in my opinion, can’t be waved aside”
A LOOK AT SOME OF THE ISSUES
Insecurity has morphed into a hydra-headed monster with many facets like banditry, kidnapping, highway robbery and others which have become a menace to hapless Nigerians, especially travellers, who cringe with fear their journey could be their last.
As if that were not enough, the economic hardship in the country was egregiously jump-started after petroleum subsidy was removed, leaving most Nigerians asking where their next meals would come from.
Corruption has allegedly been festering in the president’s cabinet with some ministers already affected and waiting to know if the president would have their hide when the outcome of the investigations ordered by the president are out.
Tinubu’s loyalists have said if the president does not keep his feet on the ground and nip corruption in the bud, it would come back to haunt him, sooner than later.
Then, there are those individuals who think there are other ways out of all the country’s dilemmas. These influential Nigerians, like Omoyele Sowore, have called for a revolution. Others have mooted protests, saying such actions would “humble” any government.
Apart from revolutions and protests, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last general elections, Peter Obi, has also been calling attention to some of the shortcomings of the present administration. No other opposition figure has been as vocal as the former Anambra State governor.
Thus, whether a political alliance between the PDP and Labour Party, with former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as presidential candidate and Obi as running mate, would put paid to Tinubu’s ambition, remains to be seen.
A MAN WHO FOUGHT MANY BATTLES
Tinubu fought many battles in the past and is no stranger to controversy.
The former National Democratic Coalition stalwart once fought to entrench democracy in Nigeria in the 1990s and became public enemy number one for the dreaded military junta of the late Head of State, Sani Abacha.
As the Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, Tinubu endured isolation from the then-president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, who withheld funds meant for Lagos over matters relating to the constitutionality or otherwise of some Local Council Development Areas established by him.
During the last presidential election, he raised the alarm about plans by some would-be powers in his party, the All Progressives Congress, to truncate his presidential ambition and had to grapple with immediate former Vice-president and his political godson, Yemi Osinbajo, for the APC presidential primary ticket.
Before he won the election and even after he achieved the feat, there was bad blood between his supporters and detractors over issues relating to his academic qualifications, real name, state of origin and who his parents were.
Not only those ones, the state of his health, too, was spotlighted with ample unprintable words crisscrossing both the regular media and the internet superhighway. But all in all, Tinubu managed to saunter into Nigeria’s seat of power, Aso Rock villa.
Those who attest to Tinubu’s resilience and doggedness hold the view that he has the ability to take on new battles.
“Nobody (or anything) can stop Tinubu other than the National Assembly. Anything outside that is a coup and I don’t think we have reached that level”
A MAN STILL FIGHTING
Interestingly, Tinubu’s attitude, too, has been attacked and called into question.
For instance, during the heat of the last governorship campaigns in Lagos, he had talked down on a deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Funke Akindele, and implied in a message to APC supporters in Lagos that the Nollywood actress was a political nonentity.
Tinubu’s critics used that incident to describe him as an insecure politician who sees politics as a “do or die” affair and even appealed to his sense of fair play.
However, the president may have doused all the tension when he recently congratulated Akindele on the success of her movie, “A tribe called Judah”, after it shattered box office records. The president also commended the actress and movie producer for making an impact on the creative industry.
Tinubu had also congratulated one of his critics and opposition figures, Reno Omokri, on the latter’s 50th birthday.
Tinubu commended Omokri for “his dutifulness in providing constructive opinions on national issues, regardless of his political disposition”.
A political analyst, Ifeoma Ogbonna, said that by wishing his supposed enemies well, Tinubu was likely fighting back against those who are speculating that his attitude towards his political opponents would “find him out” in office.
“By congratulating Akindele and Omokri at such momentous occasions, I believe that Tinubu is trying to pass a strong message to doubt who are rubbishing his attitude.
“He is showing that he can adapt. To me, he is fighting back to correct wrong narratives about him. You have to do what you must do to keep your opponents guessing.
“They should, therefore, cut the man some slack. And trust me, his attitude will not find him out in office,” Ogbonna opined.
ONLY NASS CAN STOP TINUBU
A political scientist, Moyo Jaji, said that despite the unpleasant conditions in the country and the question about what or who could stop Tinubu, only the National Assembly can stop the president.
Jaji said, “Nobody (or anything) can stop Tinubu other than the National Assembly. Anything outside that is a coup and I don’t think we have reached that level.
“There is no doubt that people are suffering but Americans will tell you that when shit hits the fan, it spreads on everyone. Both the rich and poor are feeling the brunt of the economic quagmire we are facing now.
“You see, the president is doing what other leaders before him were afraid to do and it will be very difficult to convince Nigerians about what he is doing because everybody is suffering and the Yoruba will say that you don’t listen to any argument when you are hungry.
“Fortunately, the president has people around him who key to his agenda. That was what (Muhammadu) Buhari didn’t have and you can see from all the scandals being unearthed on a weekly basis that something fundamental is being done to correct the anomalies, but our people are in a hurry and you can’t blame them.”
Asked whether insecurity in some parts of the country could hamper the president’s strides, Jaji said Nigeria was a funny place where some people, especially in the North, would start screaming ethnic cleansing if the government were to use its full might to fight insecurity.
According to Jaji, everything happening in the country now is given an ethnic or special colouration. He lent credence to his position using the recent transfer of some departments in the Central Bank of Nigeria from Abuja to Lagos.
The former banker added that anyone who was planning a coup and using the situation in the country as an excuse was ultra biased and would be committing treason.
Jaji reiterated that the situation in Nigeria has not reached a level where anyone would want to carry out a coup but he reminded the government about ancient Greek philosopher, Pericles, who said that eternal vigilance was the price to pay for liberty.
And whether Tinubu would win re-election if an election were to be held tomorrow, Jaji said, “This is Nigeria and I must be very candid with you. As a political scientist, I will tell you that Tinubu will not win, and this is because of the current feeling that is pervasive all over the society.
“It is that sentiment people will take to the polls for now.
“That said, I don’t know between now and 2027 when the results of the foundation Tinubu is laying now would have started yielding positive results. It will likely then be a different ball game entirely,” he concluded.
