By Yerima Abdullahi, reporting from Abuja.
Curiously, Abuja, the seat of the Federal Government is agog—maybe for the wrong reasons; the new fad as observed in recent days, in the streets and mostly uncharted places such as mechanic workshops, motor parks and gardens, political thugs, street urchins, okada and Keke Nape riders, is that the APC political leader, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the man to beat. As such they are going about chanting his praise to whoever care to listen that he is the new “sai baba” to replace president Muhammadu Buhari! If this does not constitute a shock, nothing else will; because, despite the state of dystopia in the land caused largely by the disastrous reign of president Buhari, the people are still adamant; they are not fazed by the catalogue of baggage’s on Tinubu’s neck either.
Could it be their mentality? Maybe; but they seemed poised to rally support round his badly damaged reputation. For now, it is big news that he still commands such a massive support. When the report first broke out, a discreet investigation was carried out and the result was no other than Tinubu had splashed cash, materials and cars to the underworlds—you may call it grassroots. “Oga, na Tinubu go win next year election” said one Moshood Taye a mechanic based in Area I of the city. Taye went on to describe how Tinubu had distributed cash and assorted materials to members of the trade as a prelude and promised more before D-day. “Oga, nobody can defeat that man because he get cash too much”, Taye continued.
He referred to Tinubu’s approach to politics as typical of what Nigerians need. “Oga, let me tell you the truth, na reform we go chop? Na wetin go enter pocket take feed family naim we dey find”, he further told this reporter. Taye boldly affirmed that Nigerians don’t want reforms because it is fraught with deceit and lies; instead, he said money in their pockets would assure them of the next meal. When asked about the other candidates notably Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, Taye answered cynically that their presence in the political race was a waste of time and money; they are not even impressed with Peter Obi’s excellent credentials or Atiku’s rising profile. “Atiku has nothing to offer”, he began, insisting that although Peter Obi is good, he lacks the machinery to compete with those he describes as heavyweights. “Obi has no money to distribute; Atiku had money before, but not anymore”, he stated.
To worsen the already bad situation Taye and his irks have been going about chanting the praise of Tinubu and promising to capture the territory for him. Probing deeper, unconfirmed reports say Tinubu had acquired more than 5,000 vehicles as a first step to sweeping the electorate which for now remain miserable from Buhari’s lackluster governance. The next step is believed to be his massive drive to win the elites thereby making 2023 a formality-and certain to draw the ire of foreign observers who see his alleged involvement in drugs as a redline. “We are very confused about Nigerians attitude to life’ confessed one Shehu Usman a self-employed property agent in Area 3. “We said we want good things, yet when it matters most we drop our guard for petty cash”, he said, describing the Tinubu phenomenon as a mythology.
“The people seem to have this belief about this man Tinubu; they are over awed by his astonishing wealth and seemingly endless power of giving”, he says, warning that Nigeria will go nowhere if this attitude is sustained. As for Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential flagbearer, he is viewed more as a veteran politician than a true leader; they see his antecedents not any further than his cosmopolitan nature. Peter Obi’s assessment is not far from his inability to garner enough support nationwide. They reason that his rapport with the grassroots should have been oiled better with loads of cash and maybe bags of rice, beans and all that.
Yet, the tragedy of it all is that support for Tinubu’s Muslim- Muslim ticket appears to be gathering momentum. Many would have thought the elites could have put their foot down to compel a reversal which at the moment is not the case. “Nigerians ought to have integrity, dependable character to stand their grounds; but now, all that is meaningless; they look at personalities instead of the institutions”, Usman said, explaining that unless something dramatic happens, 2023 elections may well revolve round vote buying, ballot grabbing and all that rubbish; so much for a man who lied to Nigerians about leaving behind a lasting legacy!
