Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, invested so much into the upcoming election on 8th February 2023. He started preparation seven to eight years ago, ahead of everyone. When no one was thinking of 2023, Tinubu had already mapped it out even before President Buhari was sworn in 2015. After the merger between Buhari and Tinubu, at a period when the PDP had too many egoistic characters fighting to wrest power from Jonathan or destroy the party, Tinubu took the advantage of the moment to furthermore destroy the PDP so that the APC can emerge as the ruling party by embracing the PDP faction fighting Jonathan and briging them into the APC. Almost single-handedly he ensured President Buhari got the ticket. He insisted on being Vice President but some party members objected that a Muslim-Muslim ticket wouldn’t work that moment considering Buhari’s image as an Islamic extremist. Tinubu had his eyes on Aso Rock since from there. He thought being Vice President was the easiest way.
Immediately the APC won the election and President Buhari and his family and family friends took over the villa, they relegated Jagaban to the background. Knowing he had no power and cannot fight if he wants to be president in future, Tinubu withdrew into his shell in Lagos and avoid Abuja like a plague. If he wasn’t invited he doesn’t come close. He waited patiently. Even as he waited he made his intentions known, he has presidential ambition, why not?
And as he waited, from the body language of Abuja, he knew the president and the people who control the president in Aso Rock Villa may try to truncate his ambition. When Tinubu may not be close of Buhari and the people who control Buhari that we later came to know as the Cabals, he spread his tentacles around, knowing Kano will be key, he befriended Governor Ganduje and made him his best friend. He had good relationship with Northern Nigerian governors.
Abba Kyari’s demise, Buhari’s Chief of Staff, continued to weaken Buhari. Funtua demise followed. With his nephew and main adviser ill nowadays and mostly in London, Buhari wasn’t sure who to pick as a successor. The fact is that Buhari doesn’t want Tinubu and has never hidden it. He doesn’t want his Vice President Osinbajo either because Osinbajo is perceived to be Tinubu’s boy. Only Buhari can honestly tell why he doesn’t want power to go to Tinubu.
President Buhari fought tooth and nails to ensure the electoral bill wasn’t passed until certain things were removed to put the APC Chairman there, which he did successfully. The APC Chairman, playing Buhari’s game, quickly endorse Senator Ahmad Lawal, the Senate President. As they were busy with the busy of checkers, Tinubu was 5 steps ahead in the chess of politics. Two hours into the APC presidential primaries it was clear to everyone that Tinubu has won. By morning, close up shot by television houses and photographers showed Buhari and his wife Aisha not happy with the result of Tinubu emergence as presidential flag bearer of the APC. With Buhari’s body language, before and now, Tinubu doesn’t need a Soothsayer to tell him that he is more on his own.
Signs of Tinubu being on his started to show as Buhari told supporters to vote for whoever they believe in an APC rally recently. In a new video, Buhari said his interest now is a free and fair election as a legacy he wanted to keep and that is the real reason for change of currency to curtail vote buying by politicians. The change of currency dateline has made many Nigerians angry, especially in Northern Nigeria, with some launching the campaign that the people should not vote Buhari’s party. Angered by this, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come out to voice out that it was all targeted at his presidential ambition.
It is clear that there is a crack between the President’s relationship with the APC presidential candidate. When they have managed to keep it calm, people have seen through the veil. But can President Buhari stop Tinubu?
He couldn’t stop Tinubu winning the primaries, can Buhari stop him now? Will a free and fair election stop him? It will be decided in February.
