Perhaps, regarded as one of the greatest politicians and political strategists of this generation, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has illuminated the political space in the country since the Third Republic.
Beginning his political career in 1992 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) joining the faction led by the late Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua, he was elected to represent Lagos West Senatorial district in the botched Third Republic. He also was very much around during the power play in the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Tinubu became a founding member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) along with several other activists and democrats. They fought for the restoration of democracy in the country, a fight that drove him and some others on exile in other to escape the military brutality.
His political breakthrough came at the dawn of the Fourth Republic in 1919 when he was elected the governor of Lagos State on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). Since then, Tinubu has dictated the political space in Lagos and indeed the South West geo-political zone of Nigeria.
Surviving the ‘tsunami’ which swept away almost all the governors of the southwest states in 2003, he was re-elected for another four year-term. During this period, he was on collision course with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled Federal Government headed by Olusegun Obasanjo. The crux of the matter was the creation of 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) which the then government tagged as illegal and withheld federal allocations to Lagos State throughout his remaining part of his tenure as governor from the point the impasse started.
In 2011, Tinubu led the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to sweep the southwest states from the hands of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) except Ondo State.
Perhaps, his greatest political achievement was the leading of four major opposition parties into a merger that metamorphosed into the APC, which produced the current government at the centre, having defeated the then ruling PDP in a historic presidential election in 2015.
Since 2003, Tinubu has single-handed installed over 90 percent of political holders, starting from the ward level to the representatives of the state at the National Assembly.
His word is law in the ‘City of Excellence’ and he tolerated no challenge. Some politicians who had in the past few years challenged him have since been consigned to the dustbin of history, politically. Their political careers ended abruptly.
Tinubu’s influence in politics received a massive boost after the APC he midwived became the ruling party at the centre. He could determine who became what in the party, at least, to a large extent.
Up till last Saturday, Tinubu was seen as a thin-god in Lagos. However, while his political profile continues to rise, there are some politicians who have seriously begun to question the enormous powers he wields and have determined to boldly ask why?
Some of his former political associates have also taken steps to demystify Tinubu’s supposedly over-bearing political influence.
Observers say that signs of the challenge Tinubu is receiving now began to show when factions began to emerge at the national level of the party, with some members being tagged “Abuja Boys” and “Home Boys”.
Until now, parallel congresses in Lagos were never contemplated let alone a possibility. But today, anger and discontent appeared to have run deep and wide that factional state executive that emerged last Saturday is led by the former Director General of the Akinwunmi Ambode 2015 Governorship Campaign Organisation and the out-going Vice Chairman central of the party, Fouad Oki.
Speaking after the factionalised state congress, Oki accused the Tinubu-led faction of manipulating the ward and local congresses to favour some individuals and holding the congress in 20 local government and the 37 LCDAs which was against the electoral law and guidelines for the congress, stressing that several members of their faction were marginalised beginning from the ward congress.
“The congress held at Airport Hotel is the only legitimate one. I’m not aware of any parallel congress; what we did here was the election of one party, the APC. This is a coalition of different groups, namely; Justice Forum, the Mandate and United Group,” he said.
“We asked them that election must be conducted in only recognised 20 local government areas and they said no it must be 57 and we said ok, and we saw the consequences; people have been killed in the last LG congress. They said we want to do state congress and we said no, you cannot do that when there are issues pending from the last Local government exercise. And when they are electing the national delegates they reverted to the 20 local governments, why did they do that if they know they are not wrong.
“The people that were sent from Abuja were chased away with teargas. We made several attempts to do reconciliation but it was met with brick wall, it is only the NEC of the party that can resolve this,” Oki further said.
Talking tough, Oki said he was committed to reconciling all aggrieved members and reposition the party in the state, adding that the era of impunity was over.
“Under our watch, internal democracy will be strictly adhered to with a deliberate policy to return ‘real’ power to the people. No more imposition, no more impunity. Every member of this party can from this moment, consider him or herself, an equal shareholder in our common destiny. I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians of goodwill, to embrace and support this new Executive Committee in this quest for a new APC. In particular, I reach out to our old members who for one reason or the other are deeply aggrieved to please be rest assured that a new dawn is here,” he said.
According to him, the congress conducted by his faction was the duly recognised one which was carried out in the 20 local government areas in Lagos, which he said was in accordance with the electoral law and constitution of the country, adding that INEC was in attendance and had certified the congress legal.
“The constitution and electoral law recognise 20 LGAs in Lagos and that is where we had our congress, it is illegal for anybody to hold congress outside what the law says and that is what they did; holding congresses in 20 LGAs 37 LCDAs in Lagos which is illegal”.
“The way and manner our congresses were conducted is indeed tribute to the resilience of the democratic temper of respecters of the rule of law, sticklers to the Constitution and guidelines for the conduct of the Congresses,” he further said.
According to him, “The thrust of this assignment therefore, is to rebuild and rekindle the progressive energy of our members with the freedom to choose their leaders, fair play, equity and justice as the principle to move the party forward. Let me assure you great members and leaders of our party, that by the grace of God and with all hands on deck, we shall take the party to greater height transparently, without let or fear or favour. We have hit the ground running and we are determined for genuine reconciliation of all members.”
But the newly elected state chairman of the Tinubu- led faction, Tunde Balogun said in an interview with newsmen that whichever congress held outside the party office was null and void; adding that only congress held in the secretariat of the party was legitimate.
“This is the only recognised congress in the state any individual or group holding congress outside this venue is null and void, you can see the presence of officials from the headquarters of the party and INEC,” Balogun said.
Since the Fourth Republic when Tinubu emerged as the political leader in the state, his decisions and actions have largely gone unchallenged; he dictated and decided who held key public offices and party positions.
But if what happened last Saturday is anything to go by, it means that Tinubu political relevance is now in question and it also goes to suggest crumbling political empire of the Jagaban, a political juggernaut.
Analysing the situation, David Bayesha, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said it was natural that long time political dominance is challenged eventually, adding that with the renewed political consciousness, people were seeking opportunity to express themselves.
“Well nothing lasts forever; people are looking for self expression too, even the dominant influence of America in world politics is been reduced. Personalities with such political power should be looking for such because the people are now becoming conscious; they want to express themselves that is what is playing out. But again, we need to ask the question, can they survive on the current reality? This is what we should consider, people would fight for independence but how far they would go is left to be seen,” Bayesha said.
Bolaji Oshinowo, a politician and former secretary of Labour Party (LP) in Lagos, noted that the challenge of Tinubu was expected with time, stressing that politics had evolved over the years from the era of imposition of people on the party which is no more fashionable as a brand of politics.
“Politic is evolving; you don’t continue to do things same way for years. People are getting wiser that is what is happening. Fine, he made these people, but they are professionals today; his brand of politics is expiring; he has lost out in Ondo, Ekiti, and some other states in South West,” Oshinowo said.
Culled from BusinessDay Newspaper
