BY BRIGHT JACOB
The proclivity of Nigerians for having high expectations of the political class turning the fortunes of the country around is a subject matter that has sent many citizens to an early grave. This gloomy picture is more often than not the reason why not a few Nigerians alive today denote politicians as harbingers of dashed hope and broken dreams.
From one politician to the other, it has been an unpleasant experience for Nigerians who put their hope for a better life in these supposedly nation builders they entrusted the soul of the nation to, but who invariably disappoint Nigerians on many fronts.
However, today could mark the turn of the tide as Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man stakeholders agree is a symbol of an alternative perspective, will be emerging on the political horizon as Nigeria’s newly minted Head of Government.
“Nigerians have suffered from Politicians a lot. It is like these politicians are all the same. To make matters worse, it is really difficult to determine which among them has the best interests of the masses at heart,” said Ifeoma Ogbonna.
Ogbonna, who is a Chartered Accountant, based in Port Harcourt, added, “May 29 is already upon us, and I cannot think of a better way to express the joy within me. I am glad that there will be a change of baton, and we can start all over again as a nation.
“Every sector is suffering….name it, health, agriculture, education, sports, tourism…you name it, and I have not even mentioned security and the economy. A lot of progress that Tinubu will make will depend on the extent the two can be addressed.
“So, I am keeping my fingers crossed….I also believe that Tinubu is the best man for the job and that he will try to make a difference, even if I didn’t vote for him during the polls. I frankly don’t think that anything can truncate his inauguration or even his presidency,” Ogbonna concluded.
Indeed, the die has been cast and the Lion of Bourdillon will be inaugurated as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces before the very eyes of Nigerians and the international community who will converge at the iconic Eagle Square in Abuja to be a part of the epoch-making event that is expected to propel democratic governance in the country into the stratosphere.
Consequently, while standing on the podium, Tinubu will, naturally, be heaving a sigh of relief. The political powerhouse will be embracing the reality of being ushered into a new phase in his storied political life, courtesy of his victory at the February 25 Presidential election. From then on, he will also begin to wield the mandate freely given to him by the majority of Nigerians who turned up at the polls.
But despite the result of the election being contested before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, most analysts are optimistic that victory will swing in favour of the former two-term Governor of Lagos State.
Nitty-gritty of legal fireworks
“Every sector is suffering….name it, health, agriculture, education, sports, tourism…you name it, and I have not even mentioned security and the economy. A lot of progress that Tinubu will make will depend on the extent the two can be addressed”
Last week Monday, there was celebration among Tinubu’s supporters who got a whiff of victory when the court dismissed the application brought by Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, to have proceedings inside the Court broadcast live to the public, as lacking in merit.
The ruling was akin to a handwriting on the wall, interpreted by the analysts and supporters alike, to be a foretaste of a likely impending, overall Tinubu victory.
Also on Thursday, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja slammed a fine of N40 million on the presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party, Ambrose Owuru, for filing a suit against Tinubu’s inauguration.
The Abuja-based lawyer, Owuru, had filed a lawsuit with which he had sought to prevent the May 29 inauguration from taking place at the Eagles Square in the Federal Capital Territory.
In a judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of the court was unanimous in holding that the appeal by Owuru and his party, the HDP, amounted to an abuse of the court process.
In the lead judgment, Justice Jamil Tukur held that the appeal was an invitation for the court to review its earlier decision which it cannot do.
Justice Tukur further said that the issues in the appeal had earlier been determined by the court while sitting as an election petition court after the 2019 election with a judgement given on August 22, 2019.
He equally found that the Supreme Court had also heard the case and pronounced it with a judgment given on October 28, 2019.
Tukur held that the case, having been litigated up to the Supreme Court, was an abuse of the judicial process for Owuru and his party to seek to have the matter relitigated.
He upheld the January 30 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja which earlier dismissed the case for being an abuse of court process.
Justice Tukur proceeded to dismiss the appeal and ordered Owuru to pay each of the respondents N10 million in cost.
The respondents are President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission and Tinubu.
The appeal by Owuru and HDP was against the January 30 judgment by Justice Ekwo, dismissing their suit in which Owuru had sought to be sworn in as Buhari’s successor.
While the ovation over the Appeal Court verdict was still vibrating, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, on Friday, dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima from contesting the February 25, 2023 presidential election on account of double nomination.
The decision of the five-man panel led by Justice John Inyang Okoro was on a suit filed by the PDP.
The PDP had, in the suit filed on July 28, 2022, challenged the validity of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2023 presidential election, arguing that Shettima’s nomination as the running mate was in breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84{1)}(2)} of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).
The PDP claimed that Shettima had double nominations, arguing that his nomination as a vice-presidential candidate, as well as the candidate for the Borno Central Senatorial seat, contravened the law.
Therefore, the PDP sought an order disqualifying the APC, Tinubu and Shettima from contesting the presidential election.
Apart from praying the court for an order nullifying their candidacy, the former Vice President and the opposition party, the PDP also prayed for an order compelling the INEC to remove their names from its list of nominated or sponsored candidates eligible to contest the election.
But after hearing the suit, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on January 13, 2023, dismissed the PDP’s suit, describing the party as a busy body to have instituted the legal action.
The Independent National Electoral Commission and the All Progressives Congress were joined in the suit as defendants.
Consequently, Justice Ekwo slammed a N5m cost against the PDP for dabbling into issues that were the internal affairs of the APC.
Miffed by the trial court’s judgment, the PDP headed to the appellate court to seek redress by having the judgement set aside and dismissed.
However, the Court of Appeal in its judgment, led by Justice James Abundaga, on March 24, held that the PDP failed to establish its locus standi.
Leading a three-man panel of the appellate court, Abundaga refused the application by the PDP to reverse Justice Ekwo’s judgment.
Again, not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal, the PDP approached the Supreme Court for it to reverse the judgement of the court below.
Delivering the lead judgment on Friday, Justice Adamu Jauro held that the Plaintiff/Appellant (PDP) lacked the locus standi (legal right) to file the suit against Tinubu and Shettima.
The apex court held that the appellant was unable to show that its civil right had been infringed upon, and how the action of Tinubu in picking Shettima as his running mate had affected or caused injury to him.
Justice Jauro noted that for a person to have the locus standi to challenge a nomination process of a political party, the person must be a natural person, an aspirant to that position and a member of that party.
“A political party has no right to challenge the action of another party or the decision of INEC in respect of another party,” he said.
Another reason why the suit of the appellant was “shaky”, the court said, was that no matter how manifestly wrong an action might be, “It is only a person that has locus standi that can initiate a cause of action”.
As it is, the nitty-gritty of legal fireworks will continue to unfold, and pending the determination of the cases brought before the Tribunal, Tinubu will, ceteris paribus, take up the reins of government in order to prevent the creation of a political vacuum that could snowball into a constitutional crisis after outgoing President, Muhammadu Buhari’s exit from office.
Onerous task of nation building
It is at this juncture the onerous task of nation building will officially commence and Tinubu will prove his mettle trying to sell to Nigerians, most of whom already have their own fixed perspective about the country, the possibility of a prosperous and working nation.
A political strategist par excellence with a heart of gold, Tinubu will also likely be looking back to where he is coming from, politically. It hasn’t been a smooth ride and the Jagaban did not attain any political height on a platter by any stretch of the imagination.
With all the bumps, frustrations and unavoidable near misses he encountered in the course of trying to be the new landlord of Aso Rock Villa, Tinubu has shown, therefore, that perseverance is the greatest compass on the voyage of self-discovery.
The new sheriff in town will also be the leader of the most populous black nation on earth. This has been his lifelong dream – to be the President of Nigeria. Therefore, taking the oaths of Office of the President and Allegiance to the Constitution, he will be making himself available for service and, in the same fashion, he will be carrying the weight of over 200 million Nigerians on his administrative-tested shoulder.
And as for Nigerians who think that heroes must wear robes and exude amazing physical qualities as well as perform superhuman feats before they are celebrated or feted, they will be mildly surprised to know that the Tinubu effect has not worn off and that the political colossus encapsulates every admirable trait that advertises that good, old Nigerian can-do spirit.
Even though Tinubu will be an alternative to the current order and coming with a fresh perspective to governance in order to put an end to the restrictive pattern of events and behaviour in the country by doing things in a markedly different way, it will still be hard to separate him from the All Progressives Congress and Buhari’s presidency.
Some Nigerians argue that it will not be ideal to use the word “alternative” on Tinubu or his presidency as that would “make it look as if it is opposite to the Buhari presidency.”
One of such Nigerians is legal heavyweight, Itsey Sagay, who says Tinubu will be “more responsive to developments (in the country)”
Sagay, who also sees Tinubu as a beacon of hope to the security woes plaguing the country, which he says is “nearly the only negative aspect of the Buhari administration,” urged the soon-to-be-inaugurated President to “stop all the wanton killings going on.”
The Professor of Law bemoaned the security challenges across the country and also criticised security agencies for their slow response to the carnage perpetuated by terrorists and other criminal elements.
Sagay said, “I don’t want to use the word ‘alternative.’ It will look as if it is the opposite to the Buhari presidency. No, it is not. It is the same party, but a different government.
“I think Tinubu is going to be more responsive to developments. There is this appearance of remoteness at times of the Buhari government. Tinubu is going to be more responsive. For example, I believe that from his previous records, he will respond more quickly with the security situation, which is nearly the only negative aspect of the Buhari administration.
“Buhari did well in every other respect, as far as I am concerned, but in the security aspect, I am not happy.
“Look at what is happening now in Plateau State, and then Kaduna State, and all the other places. It shouldn’t happen in any country that is of any standard of development. This is not a primitive society. This is a modern state…it is an organised, modern state… and a democratic state, too.
“So, we cannot have a situation where we have degenerated to brutish, nasty behaviour…shutting down the lives of others.
“People will just enter a community and kill a hundred people, and there will be no response from the security agencies. For me, this has been the biggest failing of the Buhari regime. I don’t think under Tinubu it will be permissible.
“All those easy killings and getting away with it will not happen, in my view. Because if it happens, it will be a very terrible mark on his government and for that, the first thing Tinubu has to do is to stop the wanton killing going on,” he said.
In addition, Sagay said to make a difference, Tinubu has to send a message to the “murderers” by arming the youths in the communities prone to attacks so that they can defend their land and people.
On revamping the economy, Sagay, who is the author of several books, said, “Well, look at Lagos. I don’t think we need to go anywhere else. It is a fantastic city.
“Lagos used to be a sleepy, dirty colony of a place. There were refuse everywhere. The place was almost a smelling city. The roads were bad. Those were the days when one of the military administrators of Lagos said there was no bitumen to fix the roads.
“When Tinubu first came to office as Governor, he did a lot of organising to address the situation. We even felt that he spent a lot of time planning, and people started blaming him for not doing anything.
“But when he finished his plans and came out with it, the city became clean, road constructions started. All sorts of things were going on….he brought in LASTMA and introduced so many other things. He introduced land use charges and increased revenue drive in the State.
“So, what I noticed about him is that he is a very well organised person. He knows how to go round and deal with problems and the economy will not be an exception.
“And I think the most glorious aspect of his regime (as Governor) was when former President Obasanjo stopped paying the monthly federal allocation (to Lagos State), thinking that it would collapse….not at all.
“They continued paying salaries, repairing and paving roads, building bridges….it was even as if the federal allocation was irrelevant. I mean, that is really a high point of competence and excellence in administration,” Sagay concluded.
A political scientist, Moyo Jaji, said that Tinubu used the opportunity presented by the electioneering campaign to change the perception people have about governance and politicians.
In Jaji’s submission, Tinubu’s antecedent as Governor stands him out from the pack.
Jaji said Tinubu and the LP candidate, Obi, accomplished a lot when they were Governors, but the same couldn’t be said of the candidate of the PDP, Abubakar, who Jaji said wasn’t able to be “his own person” because he was the Vice President under Obasanjo.
Furthermore, Jaji said even if Tinubu made promises which prompted Nigerians to “invest their confidence in him,” it was time to ”wait and see how far he can go” in delivering what he promised.
“Thank God we went through the rigours of the campaign, and all the candidates were able to tell Nigerians what they have in store for them. And Nigerians listened.
“So, based on antecedents and track record, Asiwaju won. And from the theme of his campaign, Renewed Hope, whatever feeling you must have had before about Nigeria being this or that, he is here to tell you that he will change everything and infuse in each and every one of us the confidence that this country is a work in progress and we should all invest our hope in our development,” Jaji said.
Still speaking, he said, “And if we should look at it from that perspective, he has done it before…we know what he did in Lagos.
“Peter Obi, too, was a Governor in Anambra State…we know what he did over there, (but) we cannot say anything about Atiku because he was Vice President to Obasanjo.
“So, he has not been his own person, and say this or that is what he has done, unlike Obi and Asiwaju. This is why I am sure that it is based on the promises made by Asiwaju that Nigerians now invested their confidence in him.
“We are now to wait to see how far he can go in delivering what he promised, and to that extent, we should just hope he will do it the way he had promised,” he concluded.
“He will be the first President of Nigeria who was once a Senator and also once a Governor. I believe all these stand Tinubu in good stead. He probably has a bird’s eye view from the part of having been an activist in exile from his beloved country, and from the perspective of having been a Senator”
A social commentator, Reginald Anene, said Tinubu had scored many firsts in his political career.
According to Anene, this has made Tinubu the most prepared President Nigeria has ever had.
Anene, who is also a pastor at the Christian Life Ministry, said Tinubu was going to bring something different to the table because he always had the ambition of becoming the President of Nigeria.
He also noted that since the advent of democracy in the country in 1999, all the Presidents Nigeria has had didn’t always have the ambition to become President, but Tinubu was the only one who had that ambition and had nursed the same for more than 30 years.
Anene said, “Tinubu has a number of firsts. He is the first Muslim from the South to become President. Secondly, he is the first President of Nigeria from an activist background….remember his days in NADECO.
“Thirdly, he will be the first President of Nigeria who was once a Senator and also once a Governor. I believe all these stand Tinubu in good stead. He probably has a bird’s eye view from the part of having been an activist in exile from his beloved country, and from the perspective of having been a Senator, he probably knows about how the legislature works. And then being a former Governor, he knows how the executive works.
“So, when you put all these together, you will know that, first of all, Tinubu will perhaps be the most prepared President Nigeria has ever had…it was not overnight. From 1992, for more than 30 years, this man has always had the ambition of becoming the President of Nigeria. It shows you that he is definitely going to bring something different from the other previous Presidents,” Anene observed.
Continuing, he said, “You probably could look at somebody like Obasanjo and say he was an opportunist. He didn’t know he was going to become President until what happened in 1998 with the death of (Sani) Abacha, and Abdulsalami Abubakar coming in, and then providence providing him (Obasanjo) with the opportunity to become President.
“And then you look at Musa Yar’Adua who Obasanjo singlehandedly made President, if you look at it from that angle. And then you have Goodluck Jonathan who was just a beneficiary of the death of Yar’Adua.
“As for Buhari, he had given up hope of becoming President. We all remember how he cried and it was Tinubu who told him to run for office again, and he (Tinubu) did say that much in Abeokuta before the APC primary … ..the story to which no one refuted.
“You will see that all the Presidents we’ve had from 1999…and you can even add some of the military Heads-of-State we’ve had in the past…they were never prepared to lead. This will be the first time Nigeria has ever had a President who has been 30 years waiting and in training.
“And so looking at it from that perspective, I don’t think Tinubu will want to come and fail, knowing how long it took him to get to this point,” Anene
said.
