Nazir El-Rufai – Kayode Fayemi is your man
I have been watching this alignment and re-alignment of politicians as we enter the second half of this tenure with keen interest
The incumbent has fought a good fight with the economy but has recorded a very tepid result
His main failure has however been his inability to rise to the levers of a statesman but instead has remained in the abyss of politics where he is a maestro
Sadly, Nigeria, at this time, needs a statesman who understands the flows of ethnicity and how to coral unity from it and now use that as fuel to tackle the economy and, from there, push international respectability.
What we have seen is an obsessive romance with power which has seen a terrible lopsided engagement with federal appointment, a lack of cohesion with federating units and an apparent dictator-like push at major issues all climaxing with the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State a very strategic state if you ask me
This move shows fear on his side. Anybody who does not see the Rivers state engagement as anything but a knee-jerk one does not really understand the flow of power in our Nation.
Let me explain. The South West is almost gone. SANWO-OLU’s Lagos launched a rebellion which took 45 days to stamp out.
To regain control, Obasa has been reinstated with fiat against all democratic ethos, Jandor has been pulled back from outside appointments, and the noose is being tied very seriously around SANWO-OLU’s neck as punishment and a strong warning to others like him.
This have shown that Lagos will be a tough call in 2027 as the rebellion has strengthened divisive voices like Lagos Indigenous movements and other such tendencies in the state
Osun and Oyo are with the PDP, and all attempts to wrestle Osun during the last local government elections failed.
I just heard that Ogun is not really in tandem, so what we have left is little Ekiti with no real population
Daddy has not gone near the south-east since his ascension and the only real thing you can claim for them is the establishment of the SEDC which is neither here nor there
Akwa Ibom is PDP even though we keep hearing that the Gov will flip but till that happens we still call Akwa Ibom for PDP
The anger in the North is raging. The two Emirs on Kano will be utilised to weaken Kano, but that will backfire as the current emir is voraciously more popular than the dethroned one.
North West and North East are gone. Have you noticed that the seating Vice President has been silent for a bit, being overwhelmed by the Lagos boys who wield a lot of influence but lack the political sagacity needed at the National level?
So the presidency is weak. It controls all arms of Government which is a bright strategy as elections in the last two circles have all been decided in the courts
The full control of those arms showed its effectiveness in the Rivers wahala and in some judgements, we have seen at all levels of the Judiciary
So, the only hope of a reprieve for Nigerians is a wave.
A wave in politics is a movement. A huge movement that cuts across all political divisions to deliver a purpose
The arab spring, mandela’s movement and what Obidients tried to do
The Obidients are the closest Nigeria has had to a movement since MKO Abiolas June 12
It rallied around Nigerians, especially the youths dealt some lethal blows on the establishment, taking Lagos, as mentioned, and taking some Federal seats and other less strategic states before it lost its strength.
So this time around, absolute care must be taken in building a credible opposition
The strategy from inception should be very simple
Dont look towards the ballot and democratic institutions but look at feeding into national discontent and generating a strong push that would pull in all tendencies and then create a squall that would now build into a tsunami with the single purpose of taking power
In trying to achieve these, the arrowhead of the movement must be very powerful
A symbol of discontent must be thrown up
Peter Obi is tired and with no real weight any more. He is now a little bit more than a motivational leader who just appears at weddings. Burials and the rest in a vain attempt at maintaining a good position for the upcoming race
We must now look for a new leader. One who understands the inner workings of the Tinubu empire which is a robust and sturdy one
The person must also have a sellable international stature, be able to engage the youths and be cerebral enough to have imagery that is not attached very strongly to any ethnic grouping
Have you noticed that we are a little better than an international pariah state- no state visits to the US, UK or Germany – I had said this at the inception of the administration and was laughed at.
Two years down the line, this is the reality. You didn’t need to be a soothsayer to come to this conclusion, especially if you watched the low-level officials from the states who attended the inauguration.
Pulling into a place people like yourself, Atiku and other such funny politicians into a coalition is nothing but a joke
Seriousness would mean pulling new guys in, building a structure, leaning on your experience and then pushing a new fellow with all the above-mentioned characteristics to run
In this regard, I would recommend very strongly – Kayode Fayemi
The Yorubas deserve a second term, and this would tick the box; he has been able to detach himself from the imagery of a Tinubu boy; he is relatively young, experienced as a two-time Governor and a Minster and can be a bridge between the youths and establishment.
He can sing a new song and can be rough, which is a requirement, and he also can be a gentleman, which is another requirement.
He understands the issues, has the Network, has the respect of the military and does not really have the shady pedigree that has kept the international community away.
He can quickly build a structure that would bring in like minds from all over the country into a strong coalition that would rebuild Nigeria devoid if this parochial outlook Buhari fostered and being entrenched in this present administration.
These are my initial thoughts on these matter.
Yoruba land has an assortment of relatively young intellectuals with strong pedigree and a foothold on issues – People like the often-mentioned, Adeshina, Bimbo Ashiru, Lekan Ajisafe, and Olumide Aju SAN, to mention a few who can be thrown at this fire at various levels of federal engagement and who would woek very assidiously towards mending fenced and heaking wounds
These, my brother, will be our only hope at salvaging this country because any hope of an Atiku or your candidacy would be DEAD ON ARRIVAL, I swear.
If you think, im lying do an opinion poll tomorrow and watch the results. I swear you will thank me.
These are my thoughts my brother, you may now feel free to come and beat me.
Thanks
Duke of Shomolu
