2027: Has another Nigerian commenced presidential project like Tinubu?
By KEMI KASUMU
In his own submission via an Open Letter dated Monday August 5, 2024, another stakeholder an former Federal Lawmaker, Hon Uche Onyeagucha, advised Tinubu to choose from two options of either dissolving his government and forming a Government of National Unity or resigning as President and proceeding into Exile so Nigeria can start afresh.
One year three months after rumours had filtered into the Nigerian public space that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s interferences in Kano, Rivers, Lagos and Kaduna states’ politics were to consolidate the grounds for his re-election in 2027 and no official statement has been made to deny them, another interested eminent Nigerian is believed to have thrown himself into the ring.
President Tinubu was said to have started playing 2027 politics 24 hours after his controversial declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, in February.
It was believed to have been pushed further immediately after his inauguration on Monday May 29, 2023 as seen in the allegedly attempted use of judiciary and legislature to take strategic stares with heavy votes like Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Kaduna and Lagos to ease his way to re-election in 2027 until the Supreme Court of Nigeria reigned in on the development at some points.
Some Northern groups had issued statements to say the attempts, which included the recent unprecedented waves of tampering and political interferences that hit the North’s traditional institutions as seen in Kano, Sokoto and Katsina, were ostensibly orchestrated by the former Governor of Lagos State to weaken leaders across the region and set their people against them so as not to be challenged when he starts playing his cards, known from how played politics of elections in Lagos State for 25 years to control what De Renaissance Patriots Foundation leaders call their and not his, for re-election.
To show the President that no Nigerian, especially the President, has monopoly of politicking at an early period where spirit of providing good governance should dominate the minds of truly patriotic political leaders, some sector of the media mistake criticism by sitting Governor of Bauchi State and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, on Friday August 9, 2024, to be that he had launched his 2027 presidential campaign, to spite the President.
They described action by Governor Mohammed to take such step at this time in a report flying around on social media as applaudable.
Bala Mohammed, who some reports sympathetic with Tinubu misconstrued his criticism of Tinubu as declaration of 2027 presidential ambition while on a Local Government election campaign trail, is known nationally as a lover of One Nigeria, who is always on the side of equity and justice when the talk is about politics.
READ ALSO: LETTER: In truth you’ve united Nigerians with your bad government, hunger, Onyeagucha tells Tinubu
One of sources in the reports, while commenting on the development, said in Abuja that he “cannot say same for his performance as FCT Minister because it is difficult to beat El-Rufai and Wike’s records, so it is understandable if Bala is not properly rated here. Also, I can’t rate his performance as Governor too because in his 5 years as Governor, I was only in Bauchi twice! Therefore, I’ll restrict it to his political performance that I studied personally”, although what some reports credit as Wike’s performances in Abuja are projects Buhari with his FCT Minister Mohammed Bello had done up to 90 percent before leaving office.
He, however, maintained that Bala Mohammed “is a gentleman, real unifier unlike Atiku, he stood by Jonathan so as to ensure that Southern Nigeria complete its turn, it was an audacious stand! He also, during 2023 campaign, said that if “Tinubu was a PDP member, they would give him PDP ticket unopposed”, so when he said yesterday (Friday) that Tinubu will be appointed as PDP campaign DG, I realised that Bala’s admiration for Tinubu is unprecedented and what he actually launched wasn’t about 2027 but about 2031.
“If Bala decided to run in 2031, Tinubu may be his DG as a sitting President but Bala must first and foremost decamp from the PDP to the APC before 2031 to make that job easy for Mr President,” he said.
READ ALSO: Again, Gov Makinde counters Tinubu’s claim on N570b hardship grants to states
In the meantime, it was said that, away from the opinion expressed by the source, Bala Mohammed, whose alleged declaration – by our fact-check – is not captured in any reliable media source, looks more real than he thought because the only comment the Bauchi governor had made during the flag-off of LGA election campaign in the state was that Tinubu might not get a re-election going by the hardship his economic policies had inflicted on Nigeria and its innocent and law abiding citizens now pushed into anger to protest.
He was specific as his comment “We will invite Tinubu to be our campaign director” is not unambiguous. Bala straightforwardly said if Tinubu contests, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will lose because, he vehemently said, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will win the 2027 race.
In a report published earlier on Thursday August 8, by The DEFENDER, titled, “PROTESTS IN NIGERIA: Bauchi Gov reveals implications of current hardship for Tinubu’s desired 2027 re-election”, the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘anti-masses’ policies might jeopardise his chances of re-election in 2027.
According to the governor, the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration was implementing policies that were inflicting pains on the masses.
Recall that, before then, the governor had earlier expressed his disappointment over President Tinubu’s Sunday August 4 nationwide broadcast address in the wake of the #EndBadGovernance protest.
The governor had stated that no consultation was made with state governors prior to the address.
He said the president’s speech did not reflect the reality on ground, adding that there was a huge gap between the government and the governed in the country.
Speaking at the flag-off of the state PDP local government election campaign on Wednesday August 7 at the Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu Suleiman Square, Government House Bauchi, the governor urged President Tinubu to change his policies because they were not working
Mohammed, who doubles as the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ Forum, said, “I am urging President Tinubu to change this policy because it is not working and will affect everyone, regardless of political party.
“If he continues in this manner, in 2027, I will invite him to be our campaign director, as the PDP will dominate and we will win due to his self-inflicted injury.“
He added that “As the opposition, we recognise that it is time for governance. We have been patient to avoid overheating the political climate.
“However, the Federal Government is taking actions that provoke unrest. We humbly insist that this must stop.
“The PDP, along with its governor`s, has listened to the concerns of the youth and protesters, as have other governors.
“But the Federal Government continues to offer excuses. They need to stop this behaviour. We do not take the public’s trust for granted. We are stepping up, having already worked hard to provide good governance.”
Reno Omokri unnoticeably confirms Tinubu’s 2027 project has started
Those who claim that Tinubu started undesirable too early to work for 2027 when he “only 24 hours ago” just got into office as President continue to be vindicated as more and more of his hatchet men come to publicly expose the facts that the former Lagos State Governor believed not in Aso Rock to work for for Nigerians’ better life but betterment of his own political project. One of them, who has constantly done this is Pastor Reno Omokri, a stomach infrastructure government largesse seeker, as some Nigerians would say, who criticised very disrespectfully APC President Muhammadu Buhari for the eight years he spent in office as successor of the Goodluck Jonathan he served with all hìs strength as Social Media Aide, only to surprisingly dump the former President and has since switched loyalty to Bola Tinubu since he emerged through the controversial election that wasvlater settled by the Suoreme Court of Nigeria, last year.
Omokri has been wearing Aso Oke with an Eleti Aja cap to match all over his social media platforms, a new brand many described as packaging to execute the job Tinubu commissioned him to do. It is therefore clear that Pastor Omokri hated not Buhari but was being antagonistic because tge Dayra, Katsina State-born Mr. Integrity would never pay anybody, not even a journalist from taxpayers’ hardearned money to launder his image or sing anything about him that he is not. Buhari faced governance while the likes of Tinunu as celebrated “National Leader” of the APC were busy with how to pull the party to themselves for their future purposes.
Reno Omokri confirmed this when, asking “Can Tinubu Be Beaten In 2027?” despite seeing the current sutuation the nation has witnessed under him for over one year, he took Nigerians for a ride as he said: “If you ask me if Tinubu can be defeated in 2027, I will say yes, but it will be a very difficult and uphill task. Why? Tinubu understands the game and plans for the future, whereas politicians like Peter Obi and others like him only react to circumstances.”
He even furthered derided the suffering Nigerian protesters against his new master’s “bad government” when, like the Tinubu administration, he said, “Forget about these protests with their highfalutin names, such as Days of Rage and One Million Man March. They are just distractions.”
Omokri finally exposed all the plans of Tinubu when instead of telling what positive achievements Tinubu has made from where Buhari stopped all he could say was telling how brilliantly he has pocketed 2027 by his Suoreme Court achieved LG Autonomy that he never allowed to work with Buhari’s Executive Order that gave autonomy to both Local Government and Judiciary.
Omokri, without realising, is helping the North that put Tinubu in office to now know that they made serious and regrettable mistake to have fallen for Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket not only has not helped the Muskim Ummah nor benefits the North talk less of Nigerians across the regions.
Pastor Reno Omokri said, “In the past, Governors largely determined how their states voted during primaries and the General Election. This is because the governors controlled all the purse strings in their states. All Federal allocations to the state was paid through them.
“Notice I used the word ‘controlled’, not control. Their control looks set to have ended.
“You see, in July 2024, for the first time in Nigeria’s history, Local Governments started receiving their allocations directly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee due to the autonomy granted to Local Governments by the Supreme Court after the Tinubu administration initiated the case.
“For almost a month since the Supreme Court granted Local Governments autonomy on Thursday, July 11, 2024, Governors and their surrogates have been complaining and grumbling. That is a loud message to the LGAs.
“Former Presidential candidates have refused to endorse this win. Meaning that if they ascend to power, it is not known whether they will sustain it. Which is not a very wise thing. If I were in their shoes, I would have removed every ambiguity by stating that I supported and would sustain the autonomy. It is not too late.
“This has led to a thinking throughout the 774 Local Governments across Nigeria that if Tinubu does not return in 2027, their newfound autonomy, and the cash it brings to the grassroots will go with it.
“In essence, their survival is now tied to Tinubu’s political survival. They are now Siamese twins!
“And what a lot of people do not understand is that all politics is local, and hate him or love him, Bola Tinubu understands that.
“Therefore, there is a very strong vested interest throughout the Local Government cadre for Tinubu to return. And that is where the votes are.
“Forget about these protests with their highfalutin names, such as Days of Rage and One Million Man March. They are just distractions.
“As long as local governments get their allocations directly from the FAAC, no governor will be able to control them effectively. They will have independent thoughts.
“And that is why you ought to respect the political sagacity of Bola Tinubu. He has perfected Habit Two of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Begin with the end in mind.
“His potential rivals in 2027, especially those in the Peoples Democratic Party, should reassure LGAs, if not Tinubu may coast easily to victory.
“This Local Government autonomy was well thought out, which is probably why it was the President’s priority. In pure political calculation, it buys him the loyalty of 774 LGA Chairmen, who are the Goose that lays the Golden Egg.
“And as long as LGA Chairmen continue to collect their allocations directly and Governors continue to grumble, the third tier of government will see Tinubu as a champion they cannot do without.
“If you ask me if Tinubu can be defeated in 2027, I will say yes, but it will be a very difficult and uphill task. Why? Tinubu understands the game and plans for the future, whereas politicians like Peter Obi and others like him only react to circumstances.
“I know they will come and insult me here. It is their nature. You cannot ask a scorpion not to sting. But can they fault my logic? Never, never, and again, never!” Reno Omokri.
Pacifying the North?
Another poser coning to us inculcated that President Tinubu will pacify the North after having opening them u in waybtgat South see them as either enemies or empty. But a source said “any Nrthern leader who is captured by the pacification will be a fool as the region is no going tobre-elect him no matter how strategically plotting he thinks he is capable of doing.”
The North believes that Tinubu is the Nigerian President that is so much engrossed in politics of 2027 when he just got into office on May 29, 2023. They believe it is forvthisvreason the Pr3sident has successfully created crises whose type has never been experienced in nation’s political, economic and traditional institution history, the source concluded.
Everything having said, our checks revealed that by starting 2027 politics at a time governance should be in focus, Tinubu’s administration is being written off by notable stakeholders who say if he could not have redeemed the hope promised to Nigerians in 13 months, he obviously cannot make it happen in the remaining part of his four years, said Professor Jibril Ibrahim, a co-writer of “Nigeria at the Cross Road”.
In his own submission via an Open Letter dated Monday August 5, 2024, another stakeholder an former Federal Lawmaker, Hon Uche Onyeagucha, advised Tinubu to choose from two options of either dissolving his government and forming a Government of National Unity or resigning as President and proceeding into Exile so Nigeria can start afresh.
