Coalescing For One Man’s Greed

Written by Kunle Awosiyan

They turn their personal dispute with President Bola Tinubu to a national conflict, gathering in pretence to rebuild the country they helped to destroy.

Each of the aggrieved leaders in the newly hijacked African Democratic Congress has a score to settle with Tinubu. Either because he has beaten them silly in elections or has reduced their relevance in the scheme of things or because he has refused to work with them.

Beginning from their interim chairman, David Mark, their interim National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and former minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, the list of men who have personal beef with Tinubu is endless.

Even when he was being decorated with the garland of office as interim national secretary of ADC, it was glaring that Aregbesola was not comfortable sitting beside Mark.

The former Osun State governor forced a smile out of his face. He may have joined the coalition, he was fighting a glaring conscience and this was apparent in his appearance.

But then he put up a bold face in a race he was very sure he would not win. The ministry of interior he left with no mark barely two years ago as a minister has suddenly become one of the performing ministries under PBAT.

At a time he is supposed to be praising his young successor, Olubunmi Tunji+Ojo, for turning things around, Aregbesola is busy searching for new friends to revenge to conspire against his old friend, former boss and erswhile closest ally, PBAT. It’s as simple as that.

To Amaechi and Atiku, their losses at the APC presidential primaries and the general election respectively to Tinubu in 2023 is a bitter experience they can never forget. Even though, Atiku had always capitalised on issues around insecurity to criticise Tinubu, Amaechi had just found his voice. The bitter pill had bridled his tongue until his 60th birthday a few weeks ago where he cried for food.

No one should rewrite the story of Mallam El-Rufai. He was created to be so intolerant when things are not going his way. I pity him though, going by his effort ahead of the 2023 Tinubu’s victory even though he could not win his state for the president.

He wants to be in power at all cost, perhaps ADC will do but the purpose of their coalition is daily being exposed and it reflects their lack of political creativity and working plans.

So ridiculous that the ADC that is boasting to want to remove APC is borrowing the idea of the ruling party. A few of the members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP who now have solace in ADC say that they will be using Nyesom Wike’ strategy to take power away from Tinubu.

How? By remaining in PDP and working for ADC and that in 2015, Tinubu of ACN formed a coalition with CPC and a few other political parties to unseat President Goodluck Jonathan.

Funnily enough, one of the ADC talkers, Kenneth Okonkwo came on national television to vomit what should be the secret of the ADC, saying that the only way to beat Tinubu is to field a northerner in 2027.

It is clear that the coalition is no more about who can lead the country but how to unseat Tinubu irrespective of the quality of the candidate they are bringing on board.

Okonkwo who claimed that Peter Obi of Labour Party won the 2023 presidential election now believes that if fielded in 2027, the Igbo man of the southern part of the country would lose.

Has Obi suddenly lost his clouts in just two years? Where are the “obidients”, who, for me are the real reason the ADC and Atiku’s camp are romancing Obi?

Investigations show that the ADC presidential primary would be thrown open for all the ambitious people but the party knows where it’s going. The idea is to fly Atiku with the hope of gathering the northern votes come 2027.

The idea today among the ADC, according to investigation is to jettison any southern candidate, including Obi by endorsing Atiku to take out Tinubu. “They both belong to the same 1999 class and should do one term each to retire them from governance,” a source said.

The one-term idea for Tinubu and later one-term for Atiku is being sold to northern political elite who, according to Okonkwo is a permutation to reset the tenure anomaly caused by the death of President Umoru Yar’Adua.

Okonkwo said that Yar’Adua only spent two years as president and the northerners were shortchanged when a southerner, Jonathan took over, ruling for six years after President Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight years.

Will this arithmetic work and must it be Atiku who is seen as so covetous of the highest seat in the land but lacking in the capability to lead and manage a political party.

Apparently, the coalition is set for Atiku and his greed for power, which of course may weaken the strength of ADC against APC. As the former vice presidential candidate of Labour Party Datti Baba Ahmed put it, “On ADC Coalition, I don’t yet see anyone in this coalition who can scheme and plan over 16 years. With all due respect to Atiku, he has contested consistently this will be the seventh time. But tell me: is there anyone else in the coalition who will say, “Let it be the other person, and I will support them”? I’m yet to see that. Everyone seems only interested in their own candidacy.

“But what did Tinubu do? He invested in Buhari, unreliable as Buhari was. He backed him and after Buhari, he took over. He stayed committed for 16 years and took it in 2023.

“Tinubu gave Atiku the ACN in 2007. Gave it to Ribadu in 2011. Backed Buhari in 2015. And waited until 2023 to take it himself. I’m saying: to defeat this phenomenon called Tinubu, you must do the unthinkable.

“If this coalition, which I recognise it’s business as usual, it won’t work. It has to be less about individual ambition and more about Nigeria. More action, less talk. Because talk is cheap…”