In an ideal democratic setting, those jostling for political positions sell their ideas, visions and strategic plans to the electorate to woo them at the polls. It is like a seller of a product who tells buyers the significant benefits of buying and using that product. In a competitive market, sellers adopt all manner of inductive and deductive rhetoric and alluring visuals to tell buyers that “if you don’t buy my own product, you will miss the unique advantage which is found only in it.”
This description pictures the political environment where the aspirants for offices woo the delegates with clear messages on what the people stand to gain if they are elected. It is the same thing at the general electioneering.
This season of political activities poses a great challenge to many of our political products vying for positions, especially, the presidency. Many have been unable to package clear, catchy and convincing political promises to justify leadership, and I am personally disappointed.
Across party lines, I expect those who want to lead Nigeria as president to tell us in a layman’s language what he or she will do to ensure food sufficiency, security, infrastructure, peace, health development, adequate power supply and an enabling environment for proper education. Our roads are bad, what will you do when you become president?
Our students spend agonizing months of inactivity at home instead of being in the universities studying. What will be your strategic plans for a smooth academic calendar? Our youths in their large numbers are not gainfully employed. What is your short and long term employment, empowerment and economic plan?
Instead of emphasising these critical needs, some of our aspirants are busy saying nothing that is relevant to the Nigererian populace.
In particular, I register my profuse disenchantment with the handlers of the political packaging of Senator Bola Tinubu.
I have studied critically the guiding political agenda of Senator Tinubu since the inception of his nation-wide throttling for the presidential ticket of the APC, and each day, he glides from bad to worse in his points. In fact, he has already acquired for himself a political red card by some of his utterances. No intelligent electorate will support him.
Senator Tinubu, no doubt, brought up a number of persons who have become successful today. He has mentored many into leadership. But Tinubu has, in his claim, singlehandedly brought and “coronated” Buhari president. Against other documented claims and in disregard for the Nigerian masses who actually voted, Distinguished Senator Tinubu announced he was the one who also made Prof Osinbajo Vice President. Wait oo! You made Buhari, Osinbajo, Abiodun and many more President, Vice President and Governors respectively in a country with over 200 million people practicing democracy? Let us assume without concession that he actually made them all. Is this the political promise we sell to the electorate in Nigeria?
How does making people governors, presidents, etcetera etcetera translate to you yourself being a leader with the capacity to transform Nigeria? Haba!
Again, Tinubu failed to exhibit leadership first by ever making such comments in public at such a time in his political sojourn.
Why am I critical of this? Tinubu has not made a categorical statement on his plan for Nigeria. If anything, he wants to become president because it is his life time ambition. He wants to become president because it is his turn. He wants to become president because he made Buhari President. He wants to become president because he brought Osinbajo as Vice President.
He wants to become president because he made ‘this one’, Dapo Abiodun, Governor. He wants to become president because it is Yoruba’s turn. He wants to become president because he was not appointed Minister under Buhari. He wants to become president because he didn’t win contracts under Buhari. He wants to just become president and NOTHING FOR NIGERIA. Empty political manifesto! No substance and no unique selling point.
Tinubu was that powerful and had been that successful. What then is the wisdom contesting the presidency at this retirement age?
Ideally, he should have simply anointed young ones to lead while he does the control from the sidelines.
While I have a lot of respect for Baba Tinubu and salute his mentorship of many, I say with all humility that he has no political promise for Nigeria.
We need a president who understands the contemporary dynamics of the Nigerian political space. Such a president should have on his finger tips the challenges of the country and the solutions.
From the inception of his audacious aspiration for presidency on the platform of the APC, the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has stated in clear terms what he knows about Nigeria and how he will fix the problems staring her in the face. He has stated his long term economic and industrialisation plan; the security plan; the plan of inclusive governance; the plan for unification and socio-religious tolerance among the people. Bello turned a den-of-criminal Kogi into a colony of peaceful social group, and he has promised to replicate this unity-ladden leadership at the national level if elected president.
Governor Yahaya Bello does not pride himself in the fact that he has mentored many young men into successful leadership. He is not boastful of the fact that he has given women a pride of place in Kogi State. He does not talk much about the smooth running of academic activities across all levels of education in the state without one minute of strike. He is simply doing his work. He wants a better Kogi State. He can replicate all these in Nigeria.
We who are for Yahaya Bello have his message of hope for Nigeria. A layman will understand us that Yahaya Bello presidency will bring an end to insecurity in Nigeria through putting able hands in place. A Bello presidency will institute a “Josephic” agricultural plan for long term food sufficiency in Nigeria. When Yahaya Adoza Bello becomes president, nobody will be more Nigererian than another Nigerian.
Above all, while we acknowledge that Bello hails from Okene in Kogi State, we jettison regional and tribal considerations and project him as A TRUE NIGERIAN. We are conscious of the zonal political engaging in Nigeria, but Bello’s mandate is a mandate away from the norm of sectionalism, tribalism and regionalism.
When the APC delegates gather to vote a presidential flag bearer, they should seek to know the contents of the manifestos of the aspirants and adjudge which one has Nigeria as centre piece. They should also adopt the performance indices of the aspirants in their present or former capacities and project who will do well. And our optimism is at the peak. Bello has all it takes to take Nigeria to a better level of development.
That is what GYB stands for and that is what PYB means.
