Fellow Nigerians, I had another privilege of meeting
President Muhammadu Buhari two nights ago in Abuja. I had accompanied the
former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama to the Aso Rock Presidential
Villa, one of the most expansive and incredibly fortified State Houses on
planet Earth. I had not seen the President one on one since I was invited to
meet him about two years ago, after I sent him a desperate memo informing him
about how his government was losing steam and velocity so early, in its
infancy.
We had very high hopes, and expectations, in his ability to
bring about quick-fire changes in our dear beloved country. Notwithstanding the
fact that change has been sporadic, if not epileptic, I still have no doubt
that he was the only option available to us then, if we were to be rid of the
rot that had become a malignant cancer in our system. Of course, he will always
remain one of the most decent leaders Nigeria has ever had. Our interaction at
that 2015 meeting was convivial and I left reasonably assured that everything
was going to be alright.
Unfortunately, the government started on a combative note,
perhaps, because of its avowed promise to tackle, fight and exterminate
corruption in our nation. The in-fighting within the ruling party was also a
matter of serious concern. It appeared the giddiness of defeating an incumbent
President in Africa affected the way the All Progressives Congress (APC)
managed, or mismanaged its landmark victory. That was how the Party started
frittering away its massive goodwill and monumental equity. What was worse, the
devil is a liar, the President suddenly became afflicted and badly affected by
ill-health whilst he had not even spent two years in office. Those he left
behind during his long medical sojourns abroad were too careful not to be
labelled disloyal and thus could not operate full throttle. It was a period of
confusion and commotion. We tried to warn against starting on such note, but
the falcon refused to hear the falconer.
Eventually, things appear to have returned to normal.
Reality has set in as the President has returned back home and settled into
government despite the wishes of his vilifiers. The President has survived
remarkably well, and we are extremely glad he is back to his home and office.
However, even though his desk must be overloaded with files seeking urgent
attention, some of his staff are still busy bickering and tearing at each
other’s throats. Similarly, his Party, APC, appears to be falling apart and
things seem no longer at ease. Yet, his kitchen cabinet would want him to seek
a second term. To do this and hope to succeed, he needs the services of some of
the experienced politicians who brought him to power in 2015. Many of them seem
to be rebelling. You can’t totally blame them. They think and feel they’ve been
used, abused, dumped and left in the proverbial lurch.
From the swift moves made in the Presidential villa this
week, it is obvious that the President has bought into the idea of running for
a second term. It is his legitimate right if he so wishes. I advised against
such move weeks back for several reasons. I believe at 76, by 2019, and 80, by
2023, when and if he completes his second term, age would no longer be on his
side. He would have become a Robert Mugabe and Nigeria is too complex and
complicated to be governed by a leader without maximum alertness and stamina.
Two, I feel the President should kindly attend more to his health from now
onwards. There’s much he can still achieve in the next 18 months or so. In
seeking a second term, he would have to compromise on a lot of things. He can
never win the election without the services of the ubiquitous “bad boys” of
Nigerian politics.
The furious and spirited political activities this week
suggest that the race for 2019 has begun in earnest and that President Buhari
is a prime candidate, as he seeks a second term. He called and chaired a
meeting of his Party caucus, apparently, the first of its kind since attaining
power at the centre. Baba’s voice was sonorous and his choice of words
soothing. The glow and glint he radiated on his face and eyes reflected his
innermost joy and pleasure. He mingled freely. He was full of grace and
gratitude to Party members. The effusive praise for the National Assembly was
extraordinary. This was a radical departure from the brickbats thrown at them
from time past. This was certainly a new budding romance and honeymoon. To cement
what appears to be the President turning a new leaf, dinner was even hosted in
their honour. Baba seems to have learnt his ropes and is now a quintessential
politician.
The APC, itself, suddenly appears to have woken up from its
deep slumber. A Party meeting was called and held which was well attended. To
God be the glory. No one was fooled about its intents and purposes. Elections
are fast approaching. The rains are coming. Judgment day is near. New promises
must be made. Frayed nerves must be soothed, massaged or even cajoled. Among
the promises, there would soon be a bazaar of appointments. Even some Ministers
may be fired to give way and room to bring in some new ones for deft political
purposes and moves. I pray, that in any reshuffle, the good ones would not be
fired while the bad ones would be retained due to interventions from the
godfathers. We are expecting a deluge of appointments into parastatals. The
President in the spirit of jollification says since the economy has improved,
he’s ready to declare some surplus. So, we are likely to be back to the good
days of merriment. Why not? Politics is a game of interests and whosoever
supplies the whiff of cash is likely to laugh last and longest.
At the very best, this would guarantee another four-year
term, but it would not last an eternity. A demystification may occur
inadvertently or inevitably, if care is not taken and Baba loses the election.
Electoral victories are never cast in stone. No one can predict the outcome of
the 2019 elections no matter the enormous powers the President wields, ask
President Goodluck Jonathan. Is it really worth the risk, wasting time, energy
and resources on mere vain-glorification? If I were the President, I would
spend a fruitful single term, like Nelson Mandela, quit when the ovation is
loudest, and work hard to leave an enduring legacy. I know how tough it is to
quit power, especially in a country like Nigeria where the President wields
such humongous power of life and death. But the greatest achievement is never in
doing and repeating what others have done before but in treading the roads less
travelled by most people. It was, for me, a sort of poignant reminder, of what
can happen, that I had gone to see Baba with a younger, hardworking charismatic
leader, President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, who had sought a second term in
his country, but who had lost gallantly. The days are gone when the power of
incumbency ensured that a sitting President won elections, almost effortlessly.
Elections are also more difficult to manipulate these days. And an
anti-corruption government, such as ours, should not even contemplate such
fraudulent act.
For me, and despite my love for and enchantment with
President Buhari, I believe that the way forward is for him to step aside after
having ensured that he leaves the country in the hands of an astute, much
younger leaders who will protect his anti-corruption, economic and security
legacies. There are more than enough young, cosmopolitan, visionary,
well-educated and very vibrant people who can still be groomed even now to take
over power in whatever combination. Only a strong man like President Buhari can
have the courage to change how we’ve been doing things repeatedly in the past.
Fortunately, he has now had the time and opportunity to study most of his
lieutenants. He is in a good position to provide full support to those he knows
will valiantly carry the flag and assume the mantle that he will be
relinquishing.
If the President fails, whether in his second term ambition
or in leaving us with a worthwhile, credible and veritable leadership, all hope
would have evaporated. Baba can help us kill zoning and cronyism permanently by
assembling a star-studded team of leaders. The world would applaud. Nigeria is
so richly endowed with human and material resources. We are not able to harness
this gift of God because Nigerian politics hardly throws up the best. More
often than not, it throws up the worst. This must stop in order for Nigeria to
make any meaningful progress. We all know what is wrong with us and also know
the solution, but lack the willpower and pre-requisite sacrifices needed to
turn our situation around.
Seeing the President two nights ago, I was extremely proud
for the miracle God has performed in his life. He looked as handsome as ever.
His handshake was firm. His sense of humour was on point. “Dele, have you added
weight?” he thundered at me. We all burst out laughing. There is always this
childlike innocence about him that mesmerises and hypnotises those who come in
contact with him. He is of course not the demon his detractors had tried to
paint him to be. Former President Mahama never stopped admiring and
appreciating him. There was a warmth they shared which I had noticed since the
President visited Aburi, Ghana, in September 2015. Theirs is a relationship
infused with great respect, a truly mutual admiration between the two!
President Buhari is that likeable and admired. However, his taciturnity may be
his biggest undoing. A man of few words is often misunderstood or misinterpreted.
The Buhari you meet is clearly different from the one you see from afar, read
about or watch on television. Such is the irony of life.
I’m not sure President Buhari needs to worry too much about
how long he stays in power. He should worry more about what he will bequeath to
humanity. I’m genuinely troubled about APC wasting this golden opportunity. I
can see the way PDP is repackaging itself slowly but surely. Let no one
underrate or write them off. If they decide to learn and borrow lessons from the
misadventure and misfortune of their recent past, history may actually repeat
itself. All they have to do is build a broad coalition like APC did and attract
the most electable candidates from everywhere. APC must not make the mistake
PDP made when it allowed some of its greatest assets to saunter away to another
party. This may happen again from the look of things.
The President has so much to do if he truly wants to run
again, despite the advice of well-meaning Nigerians, like me. We sincerely mean
well and want him to succeed where others have failed. His biggest burden would
be how to keep his Party intact and together. It would surely take more than a
few meetings with Party members to smoothen and straighten things out. He would
have to use all the persuasive powers in the world, and may even have to
mortgage Nigeria in advance, so as to reassure some foxy and ruthless
politicians that he would not run them out of town after winning the next
election. Sometimes being mortally scared makes strange bedfellows. We have
seen this in the recent past.
Whichever way the President chooses to turn, he has a
herculean task ahead of him. It is a huge mission that must be achieved.
Leaving Nigeria with a heritage of integrity, incorruptibility, good security
and remarkable economy is not Mission Impossible! That should be President
Buhari’s ultimate aim and agenda.
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