By Edmund Otudeko<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Anyone attempting to write Tom surname on a smartphone or tablet will
\nfind that the in-built auto-correct feature will attempt to write the
\nsurname as Bikini-that flimsy, not-meant-for-high-occasion clothing
\nwornn by fun seekers on beaches.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While this gives good cause to LaughOutLoud, it isnt really Tom fault
\nbut it is very telling in an ironic way. Tom has come to symbolize that
\ntypical not-to-be-taken-serious Nigerian politician whose value at any
\ngathering is, at best, comic, and at worst, disruptive. This is why, when
\nTom recently felt compelled to write an article justifying why he decided
\nto renounce his membership of the only credible opposition party in
\nNigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC), many people were amused.
\nThis is because he didnt have to offer any justification. No one was
\nexpecting any justification from him. After all, what is it to Nigerians
\nthat this Tom was decampingonce againas usual andas expected?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
After reflecting on Tom flip flopping on the political stage over the
\nyears, his ignominious role in the dark days of Nigeria political history
\nand his childish rant in the letter announcing his departure from the APC,
\none could not but understand how, in the minds of discerning citizens and
\nkeen political watchers, the reputation of Tom as one not to be entrusted
\nwith the important and consequential was fully earned.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Given his antecedents as the sell out Chairman of the National
\nRepublican Convention, Tom is rightly regarded in political circles as the fun seeking
\nbeach goer in a bikini. While I wont advise any one to conjure up the
\npicture of Tom in a bikini in one mind, the metaphor explains why Tom
\nwill never be trusted with any office of consequence. No one invites the
\nbikini wearer to the high table.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom continues to complain to any one who would listen that he was barred by
\ncertain forces from emerging as the National Chairman of the All
\nProgressives Congress. The truth is that Tom keeps missing the point and
\nbreaking one of the fundamental rules of life inscribed in the Temple of
\nApollo in Delphi: Man, know thyself. Tom should look in the mirror and
\nlimit his ambitions and his opinion of himself. Tom was not barred by
\ncertain forces. Tom was barred by the will of the members of the
\nparty.
\nAnd the members were right. No Nigerian would have taken the party
\nseriously with Tom as its Chairman.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Only very exceptional men can manage the inherent weakness of man in
\nfailing to know himself. Tom does not appear to be one of such exceptional
\nmen. Tom needs to begin to see himself as he is seen and as he is:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom cannot, even under the most twisted definition of the term, be
\ncounted as a true Nigerian Progressive. He is one of those of whom Rear
\nAdmiral Ndubuisi Kanu spoke of in the Punch Newspapers of June 12, 2013:
\n\u0153Many who connived with the clique in those debasing and disenfranchising
\nyears are today even masquerading as champions of democracy Such
\npeople
\ninclude those who now today sit atop parties Boards of Trustees
\nSome
\nreign at the pinnacle of the legislative arm of government in Abuja. There
\nare numerous others in the arms of government and even among the
\nprogressives, who ought really to search their conscience, if the survival,
\nwell-being and progress of Nigeria is truly in their agenda.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom cannot live down his role in the scuttling of the aspirations of
\nNigerians in 1993. For, if one is revolted by the duplicitous politicians
\nwho, while heading political parties connived with the military to annul
\nand waste the democratic gains of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections,
\none of one prime objects of anger should be Tom.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If one is convinced-as are all independent observers and students of
\nhistory-that most of our nation woes are the result of years of military
\nmisadventure in governance aided by self-serving and sycophantic civilian
\npoliticians, Tom should deservedly be one punching bag.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom is one of the Nigerians who have helped the PDP design, oil and
\nperfect its anti-democratic electoral fraud machine. One needs look no
\nfurther than to Chief Tom Ikimi, the owner of the
\nObasan-joooh.Obasan-jooh voice that, in 2003, manufactured the
\ncontraption that foisted even more years of PDP misrule on Nigeria. (In
\nfurtherance of that electoral fraud machine, the PDP stole the recent
\nelection in Ekiti and, even before formally declaring for the PDP, Tom is
\nalready helping that party spread the official lie by blaming APC loss in
\nthat state on the perception of APC leaders by the people of Ekiti.)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom is one of the lead facilitators of that dark episode in
\nNigeria
\nhistory when, 19 years ago, the respected playwright and activist, Mr. Ken
\nSaro Wiwa and others were gruesomely murdered by the ruthless regime of
\nGeneral Sani Abacha which Tom enthusiastically, obediently and dutifully
\nserved as an adviser and foreign minister and who proudly and
\nunapologetically defended gruesome murders and miscarriage of justice
\nbefore the whole world.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom is undoubtedly that imposing man who possesses fairly impressive
\noratory prowess. But it is largely for amusement as of those fun seekers
\nin bikinis. However, people who know what is at stake should not be amused
\nby it. We must begin to reject the culture and leaders that promote the
\nuse of empty words and phrases to disguise the issues or to disguise their
\nown lack of understanding of the issues and lack of good will and
\nintentions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom, in his defection rant, claimed to have played a prominent role in the
\nfounding of the Action Congress of Nigeria and the All Progressives
\nCongress and felt that entitled him to the Chairmanship of the APC. In
\nlight of the above, he should know that if he had been promoted in his
\nbikini to such a high office in the APC, which is Nigeria surest
\nbet out
\nof the doldrums, all progressives would have been part of those George
\nSantayana referred to as \u0153Those who do not remember history and are,
\nipso
\nfacto, \u0153condemned to repeat its mistakes. If the military and the PDP
\nwould gladly treat Chief Tom Ikimi as a leader, the APC rightly cured
\nitself of such malady. The APC must not been seen as suffering from
\ncollective amnesia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The only problem with Tom rant and diatribe is his attempt to cast
\naspersions on otherwise principled politicians dedicated to the struggle to
\nliberate Nigeria from the shackles of corrupt and inept leadership foisted
\non the nation by Tom natural family, the Peoples Democratic Party
\n(\u0153PDP). In the same old, intellectually lazy fashion we have become
\naccustomed to from PDP sympathizers and enemies of progressive politics,
\nTim joined the ranks of desperate detractors of the Asiwaju of Lagos, Bola
\nAhmed Tinubu, in attempting to cast aspersions on his person and integrity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is a historical fact that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the
\nvisionary behind, and one of the principal architects involved in, the
\nformation of the All Progressives Congress. It was the Asiwaju personal
\nleadership that led the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria to
\nunanimously support the vision to cast lot with the APC and it was his (and
\nfew others) tireless and selfless investment of time and resources that
\nbuilt the APC into the formidable alternative party that it now is.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Long before the formation of the APC, the Asiwaju has since cemented his
\nreputation as the leader of a new brand of politics and activism in
\nNigeria. The politics that vigorously promote the welfare of the
\nelectorate and activism that courageously and doggedly pursues the
\nenthronement of the rule of law and the pursuit of business as unusual for
\nthe sake of the greater good.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In his first Inaugural Address as the Governor of Lagos State, he famously
\nsaid, \u0153As flag-bearers, we are not unmindful of the heavy burden and
\nresponsibility that we carry. We are not unmindful of the huge expectations
\nof our people, young and old, man and woman, able and disabled. Nor are we
\nunmindful of the misery and poverty that the generality of our people have
\nhad to endure almost forty years after Independence. Our goal, as the
\nProphet of old commands, is to lighten the burden of our people,
\nalleviating poverty by providing jobs for our youths, houses, secure homes,
\nwater, good roads and creating efficient mass transportation system,
\nindustrial development and providing life more abundant for our people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And long before his election into executive office, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
\nTinubu played key roles in Nigerian politics. He was elected to the Senate
\nfrom Lagos West constituency with the highest votes in the country in the
\nshort-lived Third Republic. In the Senate he was the Chairman of the
\nSenate Committee on Banking, Finance, Currency and Appropriations. In that
\ncapacity, he initiated a far-reaching probe of the finances of the National
\nAssembly that set him at loggerheads with the legislative bureaucracy and
\nthe military regime at the helm of affairs at the time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Asiwaju was also at the forefront of Chief MKO Abiola campaign for
\npresidency in 1993. When the June 12, 1993 election, described as the
\nfreest and fairest in the country history was annulled, he emerged as one
\nof the fiercest opponents of the annulment. As the arrowhead of the
\nstruggle to actualize Abiola mandate, the military junta reached out to
\nhim severally to jump ship and come over to their side. He was offered
\njuicy appointments and contracts to no avail. He refused to betray his
\nprincipled commitment to the sanctity of a free and fair election.
\nExasperated by Tinubu intransigence, the military viciously went after
\nhim. He was detained. His house was fire-bombed. He eventually had to flee
\nthe country for his dear life. His wife, now Senator Oluremi Tinubu and her
\nchildren had to be smuggled out into exile. Tinubu, while in exile remained
\nsteadfast in his commitment to the pro-democracy struggle, making great
\npersonal and financial<\/p>\n
sacrifices towards this effort. A pseudo democrat would rather enjoy the
\ntransient benefits of economic and political power rather than risk his
\nlife fighting for truth and justice but not Tinubu who remained steadfast.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is in the light of the Asiwaju indisputable record of service and
\nsterling leadership that the attempts by some elements in and outside the
\nAPC to reduce the Asiwaju influence in the party raise red flags for many
\nNigerians who have anchored their hope of Nigerian redemption on the APC.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Do people like Tom think that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu claim to
\nleadership is simply that he was once elected to the Senate of the Federal
\nRepublic or that he performed as one of the most conscientious Governors of
\nLagos State in recent years? No! It is because of his profile in courage!
\nIt is because of his sacrifice for the greater good in good times and bad
\ntimes. Who was the rallying point and strategic voice for all the
\nopposition figures in the dark days following the annulment of the June 12,
\n1993 Presidential elections? Who was in the forefront of the global
\nassault on the regime of General Sani Abacha? Who was the governor that
\nredefined governance after years of mismanagement by the military? Who was
\nthe governor with the courage and vision to fight all the way to the
\nSupreme Court to establish the fiscal rights of States in the Federation?
\nWho is the politician with acumen and endurance to organize the political
\nopposition that our<\/p>\n
democracy surely needs to survive? It is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thus, to reduce the influence of such a leader or to discount the value of
\nhis guidance is the recipe for doom. The people perish when they lack
\nvision, so the holy writ says. In the same way, the APC will lose its way
\nif it forsakes the counsel, leadership and vision of its founders and, in
\nparticular, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Asiwaju has always sided with
\nthe aspirations of the people of Nigeria and his vision is, first, of
\nleadership that is not about the spoils of office or ethnic loyalties but
\nabout ideas. The prime idea being that democratic governance must be
\ntransparently fair and must deliver tangible benefits to the people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Also, the Asiwaju vision is of the promotion of leaders whose democratic
\ncredentials are unimpeachable, he himself having sacrificed greatly both
\nduring the struggle for the enthronement of democracy and now during this
\nstruggle for the enthronement of good governance. In the dark days of the
\nJune 12 struggle, was it not the Asiwaju who sacrificed greatly to mobilise
\nand support the forces of democratic governance? Was it not the Asiwaju
\nwho successfully led the defence of the Constitution and the rights of
\nstates against an imperial presidency? Was he not the one who led
\ndemocratic forces to ward off an onslaught of the might of the humongous
\nand corruptly oiled political machinery of the PDP in the desperate effort
\nto capture the states of the South West? Was it not during his
\nleadership that the winning electoral strategies that restored
\nprogressivism to most parts of the South West were successfully formulated
\nand implemented?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the Asiwaju vision for the APC is of the elevation to
\nleadership of persons who are not men of mere words but men who have toiled
\nin office for the sake of the people and who have performed so
\nexceptionally well that they can raise their heads up high and walk
\nconfidently among the people of this country. The Asiwaju himself was a
\npopular Governor of the cosmopolitan state of Lagos for 8 years. It was the
\nAsiwaju administration in Lagos that in 2001 became, perhaps, the first
\nstate administration to record 90% budget performance. In fact, for his
\nexcellent performance as the Executive Governor of Lagos State of Nigeria
\n(1999 \u00a02007), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu received several awards. These
\ninclude Best Governor in Nigeria for Y2000 by the Nigerian-Belgian Chamber
\nof Commerce; Y2002 Best Practices Prize in Improving the Living
\nEnvironment, awarded by the Federal Ministry of Works and the UN Habitat
\nGroup; and the Y2000 Best<\/p>\n
Computerized Government in Nigeria Award by the Computer Association of
\nNigeria.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the Asiwaju vision, the APC should be a party of resolute leaders who
\nare in the forefront of the fight for justice, for good governance, for the
\nintegrity of the ballot box, for real development and for change in a
\ncorrupt and dysfunctional polity. It should be a party of leaders who are
\nechoing the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln who himself paid the supreme
\nsacrifice in his leadership of his people by dedicating themselves to the
\nunfinished work which heroes in the past have thus far so nobly advanced.
\nThe APC of the Asiwaju vision should be a party of leaders dedicated to
\nthe great task remaining before us: that this nation, under God, shall have
\na new birth of freedom\u201dand that the government of the people, by the
\npeople, for the people, shall not perish.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The APC will also do well to take advantage of the Asiwaju wide, varied
\nand rich experience of Nigeria. He has been priviledged to know Nigeria
\nwell from the perspective of an ordinary citizen living in a country
\nstruggling with developmental issues and every day infrastructural
\nproblems; from the perspective of a Nigerian living in the diaspora; from
\nthe perspective of a citizen making his first foray into the murky waters
\nof politics; from the perspective of an activist-politician co-leading the
\noften very dangerous struggle against military dictatorship; from the
\nperspective of a public servant twice elected to serve as the governor of
\nthe largest, richest and most cosmopolitan state in Nigeria; and from the
\nperspective of a political leader now seeking to put democracy on firmer
\nfooting by organizing a viable, coherent, and alternative political
\nleadership for Nigeria<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For the umpteenth time, people like Tom must surely be reminded that it is
\nintellectually lazy to capitalize on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
\nrelationship with the Managing Director of Oando Plc to create ridiculous
\nconspiracy theories. Surely, the deal between Oando Plc and Conoco
\nPhillips is one scrutinized by regulators in Nigeria, the United States and
\nSouth Africa. To suggest that it was a front for some shady deal is lazy
\nand also mischievous, uninformed and rash.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tom referred to the number of defectors from the APC to justify his own
\ndefection. But he should be reminded that the struggle of the opposition
\nis not one that can be endured by all. It is a natural phenomenon for the
\nchaff to be separated from the grain. The wheel of the formidable machine
\nof progressivism will continue to roll undeterred. When the battle is
\nfinally ended and the roll is called, we know those whose names will be
\nmissing.<\/p>\n
Even the most ardent sympathizer and fan of the PDP or President Goodluck
\nJonathan now agrees that Nigeria is in desperate need of a breath of fresh
\nair, longing for an influx of air that is not stale or smelly, a portion of
\nair that is not “contaminated” with unpleasant people or situations and
\ndemanding a new, fresh, and imaginative approach to the Nigerian Project.
\nGladly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has, thanks to the vision of
\ncourage of selfless and indefatigable progressives, offered long-suffering
\nNigerians an alternative to the clueless and debilitating failed leadership
\noffered the nation by the PDP over the last 15 years.<\/p>\n
And as the year of battle draws close, there may be more defections but
\nthere also will be more people enlisting for the struggle. But even as the
\nAPC is seeking the help of all and sundry to defeat the cancerous monster
\nthat is the PDP, only men of sterling characters and reputation may apply.
\nBeach goers and large men in Bikinis may keep amusing themselves.
\nEdmund Otudeko is a political analyst and an APC chieftain<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Edmund Otudeko Anyone attempting to write Tom surname on a smartphone or tablet will find that the in-built auto-correct feature will attempt to write the surname as Bikini-that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n