Emilokan in triumph over wavering Buhari presidency

Tinubu Checkerboard Battles TrackerAsiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in the early hours of March 1, 2023 returned as the winner of the presidential election held on Saturday, February 25. This materialized the long journey of the former Governor of Lagos State to preside over the affairs of Nigeria. The final phase of the journey actually began on Monday, January 10, 2022. On that fateful day, Tinubu had visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Presidential Villa and the two men retired for a closed-door meeting.

Coming out of the secret talks, the former Governor of Lagos State, who has been recognized as the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), told State House correspondents that the purpose of his visit to president was to inform him (Buhari) of his presidential aspiration. . Tinubu told reporters that "becoming president of Nigeria has been my life's ambition", noting that after hearing his decision to contest the APC presidential ticket, the president did not ask him to give up his his political ambition. However, soon after the official disclosure of his presidential intentions, Tinubu's visit to President Buhari sparked much discussion, especially since unlike those previous visits, he used to have the former president acting national of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande. , in tow; the national chief came to call alone. Describing President Buhari as a democrat, Tinubu told reporters that the president neither asked him to stop nor told him not to attempt to pursue his ambition. “It is a lifelong ambition. You are leading a democratic dispensation and you must embrace the principles, values ​​and virtues of democracy,” Tinubu had said, boasting that he is qualified to improve Nigeria. But, while taciturn President Buhari has never revealed the nature of his discussion with Tinubu, the visit opened up a new perspective in the silent power play between the disparate powerhouses of the ruling party. 2023 has indeed received a boost The APC Progressive Governors Forum, which had never made a secret of its desire to be the ultimate power broker in the party, activated its schemes. for shortly after Tinubu showed up at the presidential villa, Governors David Umahi and Yahaya Bello also used similar visits to announce their presidential interest.However, while other aspiring pr Residentials in other geopolitical zones were pooping, in the South West, where Tinubu holds court as a political godfather, debates and discussions were raging. The concerns of stakeholders in the area focused mainly on the fate of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The vice president was touted as a possible beneficiary of presidential support as Buhari's successor, even as words began to make the rounds of a lingering gentleman's agreement on Buhari's succession plan. While Tinubu claimed that the deal with Buhari's group of the now defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was that after eight years of Buhari, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) led by Tinubu would take over the presidency. Being the article of faith that preceded the merger of fringe opposition political parties into the APC, Tinubu insisted on the argument that he and not anyone else in the South West should succeed Buhari. Yet the APC governors, under the PGF umbrella, decided that because of the alleged deal with Southwest, it was necessary to throw up a younger midshipman. The former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Dr Kayode John Fayemi, has therefore been suggested as the preferred presidential aspirant among progressive governors. And, while the two tendencies rocked the South West, a section of the notorious cabal of the presidency continued to make Osinbajo the best option to succeed Buhari, just as the counterforce within the presidency worked openly. on how to retain the presidency in the north through a compromise. candidate. Noticing the hide-and-seek game of the presidential cabal seeking to back a northern candidate, APC leaders in the south-west, particularly key Tinubu loyalists, launched a low-key campaign to push the Tinubu's presidential race as the most deserving. For example, Lagos APC President-elect Cornelius Ojelabi praised Tinubu for going to officially brief President Buhari on his presidential ambition. Stressing that Tinubu had paid his dues and was the most qualified to succeed Buhari, Ojelabi said, “Informing the president of his intention is the right thing to do. After informing him officially, he can now intensify his consultations across the country. Shortly after, Chief Akande published a book called "My Participations". In the book, the former acting national president of APC...