YAHAYA BELLO: LIONS AND BATS »

By Sam Aina

Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared for Presidency.

If you have been following the political tide for a while, that move should not have surprised you at all. It had become evident that he would attempt to, at least, pitch his hat into the ring for 2023’s conquest. His stand within the party and the role he played in wrestling power from the then ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party in 2015 cannot be understated. Tinubu is a king in his own political jungle, and has a deluge of politicians who consider him to be a mentor of sorts.

There comes the dilemma. The All Progressives Congress, as the ruling party, now has a real matter on its hand.

Nigeria has certainly changed drastically in the past few years. Keeping power, as was witnessed in 2015 and 2019, is becoming even more difficult than wrestling it from an incumbent party. This is further amplified by the growing discontent within the people and the desire for a change in the sort of leadership that Nigeria has been subjected to. Nigerians have, on several occasions within the past four years, attempted to communicate their discomfort using several struggles, peak of which was the EndSARS brouhaha. The ruling party, in order to remain within contention for 2023’s grand finale, must think long and hard before making premature conclusions on who it wants to field at the polls.

I have been besieged with quite a number of questions on my views following the declaration by the National Leader of the APC, with many considering it to be a dart in the carefully arranged trajectory of an aspirant whose leadership style I am drawn to. I think, to a large extent, that while this concern is founded, the people who have asked this question have failed to realize that irrespective of whatever network or financial strength a person possesses, the funny thing is that no Nigerian President has ever won due to how rich or connected they were.

In fact, it has always been based on the emotions of the people and I will give you a simple example.

The unfortunate death of Moshood Abiola after the annulled 1993 elections left a bad taste in the mouth of Nigerians, and with the nation on the brink of a democratic handover, it was a general consensus due to the emotions that were in play for a Yoruba President to take over. That happened and after eight years, President Olusegun Obasanjo, albeit after a rather ignominious failed third term bid, overrode large chunks of the then ruling party and overlooked obvious candidates to gift the Presidency to the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua.

Many say it is because he thought he could control him, others say it is because of how close he was to his elder brother, Shehu Yar’adua, with whom he shared a prison cell. Whichever way you look at it, Obasanjo made his choice mostly based off of the emotions that were running through his mind at that point, and not necessarily a direct evaluation of someone who was best fit to carry on his already humongous legacy.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who finally won one of Nigeria’s most emotionally ridden elections at the fourth time of asking, is perhaps the best description of this theory which I have employed. Nigerians were tired of the corruption and insecurity that had plagued the land from 2009 to 2015, with wave after wave of attacks and emotionally jarring occurrences putting a nail on Jonathan’s political coffin almost a year before the general elections took place. It was, for many ideologists and political fencists, a case of “anyone but Jonathan.” Buhari was well placed, hence the glory that accompanied it.

The emotion of the nation, as it stands, is crying out for a leader prepared with the solution for her current problems.

Nigeria has never, in my humble opinion for which I am ready to debate, had a prepared leader. I was reading, in the past month, the opinions of Olusegun Adeniyi in his famous book, ‘Against the run of play” and I was shocked to find that my thoughts had been put in fine print long before it came to my mind to write this piece. Olusegun had, as excerpted below and in his usual caress with words, stated that Nigeria’s doom has always been an absence of leaders who were well suited – with time, place and circumstance playing important roles – to the rigours of ruling over the giant of Africa.

In 1959, also noted in history as the First Republic, it was Alhaji Tafawa Balewa that first bore the stain of this curse that has travelled over seven decades. He became Prime Minister simply because his Party Leader, Sir Ahmadu Bello, “didn’t like the idea of living in Lagos”. The second republic presented another curious case. Alhaji Shehu Shagari was wrestled off his Senatorial ambition to become the Presidential candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). They went on to win the election, and an aspiring Senator found himself in rather unchartered waters as Nigeria’s Commander in chief.

The Third Republic never took flight with the cancellation of the general elections, else the curse might have come to an end. The Fourth Republic saw the ‘enthronement’ of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as President to appease the Yoruba Nation who were aggrieved at the annulment Abiola’s 1993 election win and his subsequent death in prison. Obasanjo was said to have detested the idea when it was broached to him, but he later caved in upon numerous consultations. After he had spent eight years in power, he handed over the country to another unprepared candidate, Umaru Musa Yar’adua whose candidacy was so shocking, it surprised the man himself, and signaled the beginning of the end for the PDP and its members; many who felt he was rather unfit and unprepared for the job.

Yar’adua’s death thrust the mantle of leadership on Goodluck Jonathan, whose good luck potion was so potent, even Harry Potter would marvel at it. As Deputy Governor, his principal fell into misfortune and he found himself reciting the oath of governorship. He was then selected to be the running mate to Yar’adua, and barely two years into their tenure, became President after Yar’adua gave in to the sickness that had plagued his entire adult life and rulership. Many would say that Jonathan’s mistakes were not as a result of his lack of mental acumen, but a distinct case of unpreparedness.

Buhari came along and won an election which still stands as a benchmark of democracy across Africa. Never had an incumbent been voted out, and I am sure Buhari must have approached the election with the pent down feeling of anticipated disappointment which had trailed each of his three previous attempts.

Fortunately for him, he won against all odds, but I remain of the opinion that the initial slow-pace which accompanied his inauguration was as a result of the jaw-dropping realization that he had finally achieved his greatest desire at a time he never thought possible, hence setting him up with a lot of uncertainties which was reflected in his actions.

There goes Nigeria’s leadership story.

The manner with which these leaders have emerged is enough proof that Nigeria’s inadequacies have been increased due to a lack of preparation by her Presidents. In order to be prepared for a role, you must have the solution to most of the pre-existing problems or already have a plan in place before assuming that role. That is the secret to success. Nigeria has missed so many opportunities over the years due to this, and puts perfect revelation on Idowu Koyenikan’s opinion that ‘opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared”.

This unfortunate trend needs to end, which is why BAT’s declaration, which I expected, still left a sour taste in my mouth.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political standing could be debated for weeks on end, and it will still place him favourably in Nigeria’s history. He is a man who should be very proud of what he has achieved. After becoming a Senator in the rather short lived third republic, Tinubu took the actions of the military after the annulment to heart, spear heading alongside some others the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO); a pro-democracy group. They fought for the recognition of the June 12th elections and restoration of a democratic setting. When his life was threatened, he allegedly escaped on a motorbike to Benin republic draped under a huge turban and traditional Babanriga!

His political scuffle with the commander in chief during his time as Governor of Lagos state, alongside many other bold moves he made that ultimately solidified Lagos as one of Nigeria’s megacities cannot be forgotten in a hurry. His pivotal role during the coalition of his Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) which led to an electoral season in which both major parties were, for the first time in Nigeria’s political season, somewhat equal in strength. In the end, a stunning victory was recorded by the All Progressives Congress and the party remains in power to this day.

I could go on and on, but I am sure you get the point.

Tinubu is a political legend, one whose name strikes fear into the hearts of the opposition. However, it is my opinion that as intelligent and influential as he is, he has however trained and inspired far more political students whose peculiar manner of rule will better suit Nigeria’s current dilemma. Like I said, Nigeria’s electioneering seasons have always had an emotion at play, and believe it or not, what Nigerians expect in 2023 is someone whose physical and mental disposition is far different from whatever Tinubu can offer at this age and time.

In other words, this run has come fourteen years too late.

The majority of the voting pool in Nigeria is occupied by the youth, approximately 85%. Through social media, many of them continue to recognize their strength on a daily basis and it is estimated that 2023 will witness the highest voter turnout in Nigerian democratic history. However, what has remained stuck on their lips is their desire for a young President who is strong on security, strong on unity, strong on equality within the system, strong on women in governance and has the ability to recognize the eccentricities which the youth currently possess, and is willing to utilize it for the good of the nation.

The Nigerian youth are hesitant to repeat the mistakes of the past. They recognize that the First to the Fourth republic granted access to candidates who were unprepared, which eventually resulted in putting Nigeria on a course that continues to set us back amidst our contemporaries. The Nigerian youth are only willing to put their support behind someone whose disposition and political history aligns with Nigeria’s current struggles. There is no longer time to “test and see” if a President will suit the needs of the people. What we need is someone with a proven track record, with stable health and the drive needed to wipe out insecurity and return Nigeria and her people to the pinnacle of Africa’s economic pyramid.
Whilst his intentions as denoted in history have always been for the good of the Nigerian state, I am sure that BAT would admit that he would struggle to meet all of these needs in the face of the current circumstances.

Thankfully, he has inspired many others.

One of which is Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello; the Governor of Kogi state. Bello, who is the youngest Governor in Nigeria right now, has continued to blaze the trail with his style of politicking. At a time where the Nigerian state has been besieged with insecurity, tribal discontent and institutional hardship, Bello has set Kogi state up with the three core tenets of securing, uniting and prospering. He continues to marvel everyone with his youth and women inclusiveness as well as his determination to ensure that Kogi maximizes her full potential in the mineral sector. In just five years, Kogi has not only tapped into resources that had been left to rot before his ascension, he has ensured that it remains one of the safest states in Nigeria and safest in the north despite being bordered by ten states on every side.

Bello’s actions have forced his name into the mouths of the Nigerian citizenry in the Presidential chatter. His attributes have been found to be fitting for Nigeria’s current travails, and Bello himself has always proved with his daring moves that he possesses the drive and desire required to change the curse of unpreparedness that has always plagued the Nigerian people.

Finally, we have someone tailor-made to rescue Nigeria, even Tinubu would struggle to disagree.

Bello is the face of the Nigerian youth in the Nigerian political scene, and embodies the characteristics that will breathe new life into the defunct sectors in Nigeria. We now have someone whose principles align with the loopholes that have made themselves into strongholds in the Nigerian society. Bello will approach every pressing issue with the boldness that has characterized his rule. He will be available, deliberately conscientious and result driven.

In other words, he will simply be the Lion we have always known him to be.

I think Nigeria is ready for someone like Bello, it will be politically unwise to let a gem like him slip through the arms of the All Progressives Congress at a time when he exemplifies everything we crave in our country. Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispensed his political wisdom for many years. Assertive students like Bello have swallowed and gone ahead to fine tune it to create a peculiar manner of rule which appeals to a greater portion of the Nigerian state.

The Bat has prepared the floor, it is time to allow the Lion to roar.

If you were asked, who would you rather be? The Lion? The Bat?

Choose wisely.