By Charles Adingupu
Undoubtedly, political pundits will agree that the President elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a political strategist who has mastered the act of real politick. Nigerians who are abreast with Tinubu’s political maneuvers would attest that he is, indeed a Master who reads and understands Nigeria’s political chessboard with effortless ease.
At his acceptance speech as President-elect, Tinubu promised to broker peace with aggrieved politicians, individuals, and groups, as well as forming a government of national unity.
He believed that the last political campaigns created a great animosity between different political parties, individuals and groups. Hence, he felt the need for reconciliation by healing those who were wounded.
The music has just began as his reported alignment with the national leader and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, only confirmed his doggedness to placate aggrieved politicians and co-opt them into his government.
However, some politicians from the opposition camp have outrightly dismissed Tinubu’s handshake across party lines charging that the motive behind his recent move was aimed at establishing the legitimacy of his government.
Nonetheless the president elect has found a very big ally in the person of Kwankwaso. The benefits of this move for his government remains to be seen.
Already the NNPP has 19 Reps-elect at the lower House and two senators at the Red chamber. No doubt, with Kwankwaso, a politician who wields so much influence in the north with his kwankwasia group, Tinubu will surely break into the rank of the northern intelligensia and penetrate the Emirates caucus with ease.
The reported presence of dethroned Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi gave impetus to the fact that Tinubu is on a roller coaster mission to create a government of national unity.
Another burden on the shoulders of Tinubu remains how he would reconcile the two strange bed fellows, the incumbent Governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Ganduje and his former Boss, Kwankwaso who fell apart after a long friendship.
The speculations of whether Tinubu would support the enthronement of the deposed Emir Sanusi upon assumption of office as President is only good for analysis.
Political observers have come down heavily on Kwankwaso for accepting to align with Tinubu’s government. He was one of those presidential candidate who vehemently opposed the declaration of Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as the winner of the Feb 25, 2023 general elections, and called for the cancellation of the results.
Observers were of the opinion that he, Kwankwaso would have accepted the advances of the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi and settled with him as Vice President.
However, politics is all about exit and entrance as there’s no permanent friends but permanent interest.
Already, indications are rife that Tinubu may poach other political parties to make true his planned government of national unity.
Fear Of Political Pundits
With Tinubu’s planned government of national unity, political pundits are beginning to express reservations that Nigeria is gradually drifting into a one party state if the president elect is allowed to have his way.
The concern that Tinubu may turn Nigeria into another Lagos where the APC has held sway since the enthronement of the 4th Republic with his give and take political tactics, is gradually manifesting.
However, Tinubu should not be unmindful of what is before him as a nation. He must realize that Nigeria today, is a nation in dire need of good leadership, one that can douse ethnic animosity and religious intolerance.
Nigeria is a nation burdened with large scale insecurity where innocent citizens are slaughtered, butchered and maimed in their homes, farmlands and even in places of worship.
The magnitude of the insecurity crisis has pushed the nation’s food inflation to 24% with the figure of the nation’s inflation rate, pegged at 22%.
Therefore, he must not use appointment of officers as compensation to reconcile aggrieved political opponents or party loyalists. Its obvious to say the least that at this stage Nigeria is in crisis but as a renowned philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson said: He who hold the helm when the sea is Calm is good but he who hold the helm when the sea is in turbulence is the master.”
The President elect must learn to walk the talk since its the one important thing that will give his government a semblance of acceptability and legitimacy.
