The date was March 16, 2023, and the then President-elect of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, had been putting modalities in place for taking his soon-to-be government to the next level......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
Nineteen days earlier, precisely on February 25, Tinubu had won one of the most polarising elections in the history of the country and because tempers were severely frayed, especially in the opposition side of the divide, the political colossus then decided to form an all-inclusive government.
And in a statement he signed, titled “Nigeria: At the Cusp of Renewed Hope,” Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State, said although there were talks of a government of national unity, he would tailor his all-inclusive government to a government of national competence.
In addition to competence, Tinubu averred that character, and not a trivial matter such as where one worshipped, would determine placement in his government.
“As your incoming president, I accept the task before me. There have been talks of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence.
“In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone.
“I shall assemble competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous and just Nigeria.
“Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or mosque will not determine your place in government. Character and competence will,” he stated.
True to his word, Tinubu had a careful scout around Nigeria to check individuals competent enough to participate in his government. Their political affiliations did not matter, as long as they could conjure results up.
However, the situation did not go down well with many of the President’s loyalists who thought it ridiculous and also argued that they gave their blood, sweat and tears to see Tinubu sit atop Mount Rushmore of Nigerian politics, but were ignored when they should have been reaping rewards from supporting the president.
“The President’s loyalists are also not happy that Daniel Bwala, a former spokesperson for the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation, who berated Tinubu no end prior to the last election, had been offered employment in Tinubu’s government”
Analysts concur that these loyalists may have a point there. This is because Tinubu has so far been “benevolent” to his opponents to the detriment of these diehard supporters and they (analysts) fear it may eventually boomerang on him, working against his reelection bid in 2027.
For what it is worth, at the time Tinubu was forming his all-inclusive government after he took office, some disgruntled APC faithful who spoke to The Point made unsubstantiated claims that the party had neglected its members in the South West, including Lagos State, and prioritized non-party members and technocrats over those members, hence the party’s trouncing in Lagos State during the presidential election by the Labour Party.
A political analyst, Solomon Usanga, said of the President, “I have never seen a politically generous Nigerian President like Tinubu. And unlike most leaders who would never forgive or forget, Tinubu is ready to do the exact opposite.
“He forgives his political opponents and also offers them positions in his government. Tinubu does not only reach out to small and insignificant politicians, he is also interested in working with those who contested against him for the presidency.
“In fact, despite the fact that his main opponents in the presidential election, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Labour Party and the People’s Democratic Party, respectively, did not subscribe to the all-inclusive government, Tinubu still called for input from them.
“The President should be commended for all that, but those in his support base who have been left out are not smiling at all.”
It is now sixteen months since Tinubu came to power on May 29, 2023, and the rift generated in the APC over his choice of lieutenants is still simmering.
To make matters worse, Tinubu recently let go of some ministers in his cabinet and brought in Nigerians who do not belong in the APC family or had even worked against him and the party during the last presidential election.
Many of the President’s supporters questioned, for instance, the inclusion of Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of former Biafran warlord, Odumegwu Ojukwu in Tinubu’s cabinet, where she holds sway as the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs.
Although Mrs. Ojukwu seems suitably qualified for the role, having served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Ghana and later, Spain, some disenchanted APC members are having none of that.
They insist they were in the trenches with the President when those that are now dining and winning with him were strategizing how to bring him down.
The President’s loyalists are also not happy that Daniel Bwala, a former spokesperson for the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation, who berated Tinubu no end prior to the last election, had been offered employment in Tinubu’s government.
They are also not satisfied that Bwala has allegedly been “demoted” from his freshly designated position as Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, and become Special Adviser, Policy Communications.
Although the Presidency tried to explain Bwala’s “re-designation” away by suggesting that there is no arrowhead spokesperson in Tinubu’s media team, insiders say that many APC stalwarts will fully be placated if Bwala is shown the exit door.
Nyesom Wike’s appointment as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory by Tinubu did not also go down well with many in the APC.
The “protests” in the APC, notwithstanding, Tinubu said, through Vice President Kashim Shettima, that Wike, a current member of the PDP, is a force of human nature and that he (Wike) is striving to redefine the meaning and concept of leadership.
Tinubu further ruffled a few feathers when he said that Wike was one of the best appointments ever made in the history of the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria.
Many in the APC have, however, questioned whether Wike, an “outsider,” should gloat over the President’s comments, as he could turn against the President and the APC ahead the 2027 presidential election.
A Port Harcourt-based political analyst, Sylvester Enefele, told The Point, “Apart from Bianca, Wike and Bwala, there are many individuals who are not of the APC but have found themselves in Tinubu’s government.
“But since we all agree that the President said he wanted the best of the best in his government, we must respect his decision to keep non-APC members in his fold.
“I hope, however, that his magnanimity will not become an issue for the APC in 2027.
“Politicians are like the wind. On average, you cannot predict them. So, it will be interesting to see how someone like Bianca will campaign for the APC in 2027. She is mainly affiliated with APGA.
“And I strongly suspect that Wike will stab the president in the back. He will betray the President. That is what anyone that is intoxicated with power would do.
“As for the APC members who feel left out, I will advise them to continue to support the President, even if tomorrow the people he trusts and put in government rise up against him.”
Another analyst, Alex Nwadike, said, “Those who think that the President’s decision to bring diverse hands into his administration will backfire don’t know the man.
“The President is a born strategist. He can play this game, too. He appreciates positive contributions to the growth of Nigeria and that is the reason why he went for Wike and co.
“I pity any politician or person that wants to throw his magnanimity back at his face. That will be the end of that person, politically.
“No one should bite the hand that feeds him or her. And the President is certainly not the one anyone would want to mess with.
“To the aggrieved APC members, I will say ‘relax.’ The President understands your worries, after all, he is a listening President.
“Moreover, politics is a game of numbers. Sometimes, we need those who oppose us to be on our side for us to succeed. I am sure that after the President’s reelection in 2027, most of the people who question him will understand this truth.”
