Senate President Bukola Saraki loomed larger than life until last Saturday National Assembly results trickled in. He was bulldozed out of the way by those he hitherto regarded as inconsequential and political neophytes.
Saraki was demystified and the family political empire which was primed to last forever came down crashing.
From all indications, last Saturday grand humiliation will be concluded with the imminent defeat of Saraki’s lackey, Rasaq Atunwa , the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate in Kwara state.
The Saraki crash in Kwara signals that no political empire lasts forever. Saraki like Bola Tinubu in Lagos believed he can’t be conquered but he was wrong.
Afterrall, his political dynasty has systematically empoverished the people and subjugated their minds using poverty as weapon. But, alas God proved him wrong and humiliated him publicly.
The Otoge movement tsunami that swept away Saraki and his men will berth in Lagos. As it was in Kwara, so shall it be in Tinubu’s Lagos. The people are ready to set themselves free from the shackles of a man who corners lion’s share of the state resources and worst still brags before the people.
Tinubu played God when he reiterated and confirmed that he was indeed richer than Osun State. Even when his propaganda machinery spinned that he was quoted out of context, he said it again that he was indeed richer than Osun.
It smacks of wild callous for Tinubu who looted state of Osun dry through his god son, Rauf Aregbesola and turned a once vibrant state to a chronic-indebted pariah state to turn around and mocked the people of the state and their paramount monarch.
In a similar manner, Tinubu insulted Lagosians by asking what was their headache over the money-loaded bullion vans which offloaded at his Bourdillon, Ikoyi residence.
He claimed it was his personal money that he never benefited any contracts from Buhari. But we know that bullion vans money belongs to Lagosians. What business earned him such money? He should disclose it.
Election results in recent past especially the last Satuday’s presidential election result in Lagos indicate that TInubu is not invincible after all.
With low turnout of voters of about 1million out of 5million registered voters in Lagos, Tinubu’s APC struggled to defeat Atiku with about paltry 30,000 margin in a state of 22 million people. Worst still, voters were intimidated in the strongholds of opposition like Mushin, Surulere, Okota, Oshodi , Ajeromi- ifelodun among others.
The power drunk emperor at Bourdillon who changes governors like diapers should take heed less he falls. The signs are ominious. Ambode narrowly won Jimi Agbaje with about 100,000 votes in 2015.
That was when Lagos APC worked with one accord but the dynamics have changed today. And the party has imploded and there are army of renegades waiting to strike from within.
Yet, Tinubu is so ego-filled that he could not concede something tangible to those who had been cheated, vilified but has capacity to wreck havoc.
For Ambode’s sake many voters in Lagos will not sleep. They will avenge the injustice meted to the governor with their thumbs.
Many politicians who are tired with Tinubu’s dictatorial signs and high-handedness will also mobilise support against his stooge on 9th, March, 2019.
Lagosians are speaking with oneness against godfatherism and one man showmanship.
If bullion vans money cannot buy the conscience of Lagosians last Saturday, even if Tinubu uses trailers to ship in cash to buy votes for his governorship candidate, the people have resolved to end his dictatorial and corrupt reign.
#OtogeEko
Dabira Olorunfemi, a Public Affairs Analyst writes from Lagos
