As Consultations Continue, It’s Endorsements Galore

2023 CAMPAIGN WATCH

While many are keeping their cards close to their chests, many presidential hopefuls are continuing with their consultations and meetings to garner support for their ambitions. While many are doing these consultations on their own, some are also doing it by proxy. In fact, THISDAY checks reveal that some presidential aspirants, have some high level canvassers that could not be publicly linked to them.

Beyond this, however, some elder statesmen are also putting it upon themselves to move round the country and liase with fellow elder statesmen to possibly give direction for 2023. It must be noted that never in the history of the country have we had this high number of people coming out to signify their interest to contest for the highest office in the land. And it cuts across regions, religions and ethnic backgrounds.

Perhaps, that is why some senior citizens might be trying to constitute themselves into an unofficial ‘screening committee’ to see who to probably endorse. While it might be too early to say what the motives of these elders are, it is also trite to say that while they are not really indicating public support for any particular aspirant, many of them are also not neutral.

Is Tinubu Actually Serious About Fighting Dirty?

In continuation of his consultations for the 2023 presidential bout, a former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, was at the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.

And after paying the traditional homage, the one fondly referred to as ‘Asiwaju’ (leader) by his teeming supporters and associates, first took on the younger Nigerians and admitted that one of them would become President some day. But he added a caveat: “That would be after I have done my own.” His supporters, who crammed into the venue of the meeting with the monarch, cheered. But the astute politician was not done yet.

He explained that the Southwest already had the Vice-President (Osinbajo), Works Minister (Fashola) and Interior (Aregbesola). After mentioning Aregbesola, who rudely tore into him recently over the Osun governorship seat, his supporters hailed him again.

And then the real hit: The former governor said, he was ready to fight dirty to achieve his ambition of becoming the president of the country. This sent shock waves across the country as many felt such remarks smacked of desperation on the part of the highly experienced politician. In fact, many felt he might be ready to crush anything or anyone that stands between him and picking of the ticket of his party and the presidential contest proper.

However, as expected, Tinubu has come out to say he was quoted out of context. His media minder, Tunde Rahman, said what the aspirant said was a metaphor using the pig as an illustration that “if you decide to wrestle with the pig, you must be ready to get dirty.” He explained that the newspaper (not THISDAY) was being mischievous with the report.

He, however, recast what the aspirant said while addressing the revered monarch: “Kabiesi, all I have come for is to beg you to continue to pray for me, the entire Yoruba race and the country. I am out to become the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and there is a wise saying that, if you want to wrestle with the pig, be ready to get dirty and deal with the poo-poo. (Therefore) I am ready to get dirty. No intimidation, no blackmail, no sort of insult will get me angry to the extent that I will say no more; I don’t want again.”

While the clarifications suffice, fact still remains that both neutrals and his opponents are free to interpret what Tinubu said to the point that he would deploy whatever he has, both fair and unfair, to win the context. However it is, the determination of the aspirant iscommendable.

When Professor Ango Abdullahi Came Calling

Earlier last week, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the Convener of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, came to the Otta, Ogun State home of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to, according to the two elder statesmen, deliberate on issues bordering on Nigeria’s wellbeing, and also strategise on the success and possible outcome of the 2023 general election.

After the meeting, a statement by Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, quoted Abdullahi as saying, “We must strategise for the good of Nigeria.” The statement further quoted Abdullahi to have said the country needed good tidings from the 2023 elections, hence the need to strategise, during the meeting with Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Tuesday evening.

Abdullahi did not come alone. He was in company with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Coalition of Northern Groups, Nastura Ashir Shariff, as well as the group’s Director of Action and Mobilisation, Aminu Adam. The fiery former university don, who has not been tempered and humbled by age, said they were on the same page with the former president on issues discussed during the meeting that lasted two hours.
He explained that in spite of their ages, they could still contribute to the society and the country and that was why his “coming to see him”. He then added: “I don’t want to stay away from him for so many months or years without seeing him, especially, at this period. So, I’m visiting him to say hello and get a briefing from him on how I feel about the nation. We also briefed him on how we feel about the nation. We compare some notes and we agreed on some grounds.

“We have been having challenges and we have been talking on this. You are in the media and you know what we have been saying about the situation in the country. Things are not good and as we head for 2023, we hope to be strategising for the good of the nation.”
It is not clear where the ‘strategy’ of Professor Abdullahi will lead to, but suffice it to say they are not likely to be neutral.
Is Tunde Bakare Still ‘Number 16’?

On Thursday January 19th, 2022, the founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, held a special session at the state of the art new edifice of the church located at Oregun Road, Lagos. There, he unveiled what he called ‘Project 16’. This project simply means that he would be the 16th President of country and that he would succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

During the service, the highly cerebral pastor traced the history of the vision he had, which convinced him that God actually meant it that he would be the one to succeed Buhari. But some have criticised the man of God for reducing real and high level politicking to simple ‘God says’. Perhaps, that is from those who do not know the underground moves and consultations being made by the lawyer-turned-pastor.
In the last six months, he had held series of meetings with President Buhari and has also been consulting with other stakeholders. Beyond this, Pastor Bakare, has made so many critical national interventions that are not public knowledge. As a policy, he does not talk of these interventions.

Even at that, he is also aware that you cannot become president without the support of the core North or by making political interventions.

“You need the North if you want to achieve anything politically in this country. they have the numbers and the last time I checked, democracy is a game of numbers,” he once said in an interview with THISDAY late last year. However, none of his aides is giving anything away concerning his strategy. One of them, when probed by THISDAY, said “work is going on”.

Will Age Work for Yahya Bello?

Apart from the former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, another politician, who has been making noise about succeeding Buhari come next year, is the current governor of Kogi State, Yahya Bello. And he has a very good foot soldier in a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode. He has been gallivanting round the country, telling anyone, who cares to listen that his man would defeat anyone that comes his way. In the same vein, while he had not been criss-crossing the length and breadth of the country consulting and selling his candidature like other aspirants, his supporters have also been harping on the fact that he is young (still under 50) and energetic. Hence, he has the grit and strength to run the affairs of the country.

Now, Bello’s ambition got a major boost earlier in the week when a group of professionals from the South-south by name, South-South Youth Network, threw its weight behind Bello in his bid to become the next President of the country. Dr. Owen Stephen, leader of the group, said Bello has the requisite skill to preside over affairs of the country at the national level.

In the same vein, another group, this time of serving lawmakers, called Forum of Members of State Houses of Assembly in the South-South on the platform of the ruling APC, has also queued behind Bello. The lawmakers said it would only be fair if the presidency is zoned to the North Central zone, where Bello comes from.

It could not be ascertained if this endorsementss had the blessing of the governors from the states in the zone going by the near total control governors have over the states Houses of Assembly. But, for now, Bello can enjoy such weighty endorsements.

Beyond this, however, the race to Aso Rock is more than age or legislative endorsement even if many are of the opinion that a younger person should succeed Buhari. In fact, even some gerontocrats are pushing for a younger candidate across the two parties. If that is the only criterion, Yahya Bello has a lot going for him. If there is any selling point, it is the report of his stewardship in Kogi State in the last seven years. And many of his opponents, and even neutrals, will wager that it does not make the best reading.