NIRAN ADEDOKUN FROM PUNCH
Barely two weeks in the saddle, President Bola Tinubu is showing Nigerians what it means to have a politician who knows the game at the Aso Rock Villa.
For instance, it would be a wonder if the results of the election of principal officials of the National Assembly on Tuesday were anything different. It was clear that nothing could stop the ambition of the four people already anointed by Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress. They already set the stage for a fait accompli by last weekend.
Hear Amobi Ogah, House of Representatives member representing Isuikwuato-Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, after a meeting with the President last week.
He told newsmen: “Today is my best day. Today, I’m so happy I’m an elected member and seeing my President talking. I’ve never known that this man is so intelligent. I never knew that this man is so prepared to serve this country. I saw the love, character, and charisma — the belief that Nigeria can be a better nation.”
To think that Ogah, elected on the platform of the Labour Party, would be so star-struck and effusive about a President whose victory his party is challenging in court shows the shift in how our politicians operate. It also already indicated that many opposition lawmakers would do Tinubu’s bidding while electing their principal officers.
The thing is, Bola Tinubu knows the game! Unlike his predecessor, who always left things to chance, this President left no stakeholder in doubt about his preference for the four prominent offices in the National Assembly. Even though he strategically avoided a frontal declaration of his bias, he mobilised an army of loyalists in their favour, and went all out for them. His invitation of legislators-elect across party lines before their inauguration is unprecedented. When a President does that, he already worms himself into the hearts of these people and softens the ground for his candidates. A senator suggested that he sneaked out to speak to individual legislators. As former President Clinton was quoted to have once said, “no one says no to Mr President” in those circumstances.
Most significantly, Tinubu did not arm-twist anyone into terminating their ambition to stand against the party’s candidates. His camp tried to persuade the other candidates to see reason. When that didn’t work, they did their homework and waited to conclude the matter on the field. This gave everyone a sense of fair treatment, such that the election and its results bore no resentment. It was the best of democracy at play!
Tinubu has also shown his democratic credentials and preparedness for the job by inviting governors across party lines for discussions. State governments’ performance or non-performance will impact the country’s overall development, and he knows this. Unlike his immediate predecessor, who quoted the constitution when people raised questions about primary education and healthcare, this President understands that Nigerians’ living conditions will not improve unless all tiers of government work together. He also invited traditional rulers and challenged them to collaborate for national progress.
