EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
The summons when it came was urgent. It was novel, so it rang all the curiosity bells. And one of the presidential aspirants, invited on short notice, to the bounteous Ramadan (Iftar) fast breaking with Aisha Buhari, was heard muttering: Nothing wey Musa, the gateman, no go see for gate for this country! Recall, that, out of the blues, the First Lady, during her cameo visit to the country, last week, from her palatial Dubai base, summoned presidential aspirants to come and break fast with her.
While some thought it was a goodwill gesture, others felt, what the heck? On what basis, and from what law does she derive her powers to summon, okay invite, those aspiring to take over from her husband next year? Most of those summoned, however, had to double guess the political capital of either honouring her; to dine with her behind her husband, the President’s back, or incur her wrath by ignoring the summons.
For those who are Christians, the story of Biblical Queen Esther, wife of King Ahasuerus, the all conquering King of ancient Persia, perhaps moderated their decision. A Jewish slave girl turned queen, Queen Esther had the onerous task of saving her people from genocide and extermination devised by a power-hungry confidant of the King who hated the Jews because one of them, Mordecai, arrogantly refused to bow and pay obeisance to him. Queen Esther had to use all her subtlety and charm to organise a special dinner to which only the king and his ambitious lieutenant, the conniving Haman were invited. Too late did Haman realise that it was a dinner of death, a setup for which he paid the supreme price on the gallows he had prepared to hang Mordecai, who unbeknownst to him is Esther’s uncle.
This is not to imply that the First Lady had any such deviousness behind her summon. For as it turned out, she just wanted an occasion to contribute to the political discourse. She wanted to be reckoned on the side of the women of Nigeria and be their voice in canvassing for recognition, for concession, for consideration for higher political roles. In this case, since no notable woman has shown any interest in vying for governor of any state or president of Nigeria, she felt they should be coopted and be made deputies and Vice President.
Nevertheless, some who know how estranged the President’s wife is in Aso Rock knew better than to attend the Ramadan Iftar. Not knowing what the First Lady was up to with her invitation they took caution and absented themselves. They just could not risk offending either the President or his minders, who from all indications were not invited and were not part of the dinner. Attending could have huge implications on whether a particular aspirant emerged the anointed candidate or not of the All Progressives Congress.
This was of no consequence to the self acclaimed National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He was the only one among the top three contenders to make it to Aso Rock. He led a short list of aspirants, which included the joker from Ebonyi state, Governor Dave Umahi. The list surprisingly also included Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bala Mohammed who is Governor of Bauchi State.
Political watchers are not sure what the motivation was for the Jagaban of Borgu. But detractors are quick to claim that the out-of-favour former Governor of Lagos State with Aso Rock Insiders, including, it is rumoured, President Buhari, perhaps saw an opportunity to recruit Aisha to his side. He is in a fight of his life to confront the mafia around the president who do not want him to be president. As he confessed, his life long ambition has always been to be president of Nigeria. But how he will package his Moslem-Moslem ticket and convince Nigerians to vote for him is another kettle of fish altogether. That is, if he is able to overcome the opposition from Aso Rock, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to emerge the candidate of the APC.
Some have asked me, why I did not attend to the summons by Aisha Buhari. And I am quick to tell them that, apart from other aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party who probably were not lucky enough to be gifted this epochal invitation, presidential hopefuls like Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo joined me in boycotting the presumably sumptuous assortment of delicacies that were on offer. My big brother and friend, Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor, former Governor of Edo state, represented Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. I also adopted him as my representative!
News filtering out of the repass however indicates that Aisha told those who ate her dinner that they must consider making their Vice Presidential candidates females. The Jagaban and the rest of them have kept sealed lips since after the dinner. But Aisha did achieve her goal: get into media limelight; irritate her tormentors in the Villa.
N100 MILLION NOMINATION FORM
Shame to all my friends, supporters and all those who have sent in messages of support, urging me to fully throw my hat into the ring and run for the 2023 Presidential Election. I have waited and waited for them to build me a war chest with which I will stand on to commence in earnest. Rather disturbing is the fact that none of them has come forward with either a N60 million or N100 million cheque to enable me get the nomination form of either the Peoples Democratic Party or the All Progressives Congress.
As the two leading parties have made known, their nomination form is the first hurdle any aspirant will have to cross to show proper interest in the race. While the PDP is asking interested aspirants to cough out N60 million, its rival, which says it is fighting corruption, has mandated all aspirants to bring a paltry N100 million each for the form. Like some analyst have properly shown, the legitimate emolument of a Nigerian President in eight years comes short of N100 million.
The electoral law has stipulated that the maximum a presidential candidate should spend on the election is N5 billion which we all know cannot elect even a governor of the poorest state in Nigeria.
I think I have to do a rethink and a rejigging of those I call my friends and those who want to impose themselves on me as friends. I can’t believe that no group has come up to offer me the money for the forms. Yet groups and individuals are falling over themselves offering to buy the form for Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi and even for the stingy, bad market Peter Obi!
Which also sends me a message: they do not think that funding my election is a good investment. They know I will not steal, and I will never allow anyone in my government to. Which means if you splash N100 million or N5 billion on my campaign with the hope you have a rich harvest ahead, you must be a BIG MUMU.
LAST LINE: No doubt, the mumu of the week must be former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan! A ragtag, possibly induced gang of youths allegedly stormed the former President’s office to urge him to contest for the 2023 Presidential Election last week. Jonathan and those who don’t wish him well must believe the people of Nigeria are deceived.
A shame that he wants to use his own hands to destroy the little credibility the outstandingly clueless and poor governance of President Buhari has given him. A shame really.