Politics

2023 PRESIDENCY: Troubling loud silence of Tinubu’s ‘boys’

Published

4 years ago

March 13, 2022

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Political activities in Nigeria has increased in tempo since the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu declared what he described as his life-long ambition to contest the next presidential election in the country.

Since he unveiled his plan to aspire to become the fifth democratically-elected president of Nigeria in this present democratic dispensation, he has received endorsements from all parts of the country. Tinubu’s declaration of interest to occupy the presidential seat did not come as a surprise to many political analysts.

Those who have been following his political strategies easily connected the dots. Even before he publicly revealed his ambition, groups such as the South-west Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA), led by former Senator Dayo Adeyeye, had begun to roll the drums. When he went to inform President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention, he also told journalists that becoming the President of Nigeria was his life-long ambition.

However, there has been a deafening silence from many of his erstwhile political associates from the South-west, who once took every word he spoke as the gospel. Ever since Tinubu, who is revered as a kingmaker in the South-west, threw his hat to the presidential ring, the leading lights among his associates in the geo-political zone have declined to endorse or oppose him.

Considering his wide influence in the zone and the array of political bigwigs among his associates, Tinubu’s announcement to run for presidency was expected to have been greeted with fanfare, with his strong allies singing his praises to the high heavens. But the reverse is the case as his political allies appear to be watching the political developments before taking sides. Those who are expected to swim or sink with him have decided to either sit on the fence while developments unfold or oppose him behind the scenes.

It is believed that some of his associates also want to taste power and therefore would prefer that he remained the oil that would lubricate their smooth transition to power. After all, since he left the governorship seat in Lagos State over a decade ago, he has played the role of godfather so perfectly, churning out governors, and ministers. He also contributed significantly to the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 by rallying other political bigwigs to deliver about 2.5 million votes from the South-west to support the votes of Buhari’s traditional 12 million followers.

Tinubu has consistently maintained a tight grip on Lagos State, playing a pivotal role and continuously determining who gets what, when and how in the state. He was instrumental to the emergence of the current Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola as the governor of the state from 2007 to 2015. He also anointed Fashola’s successor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. He also stamped his authority in the state when he frustrated Ambode’s second term bid, describing him as a performing governor but a bad party man. Tinubu replaced Ambode with the present Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu whose fate on the issue of second term will also be determined by the former Lagos State Governor.

Tinubu had also spread his political tentacles beyond Lagos State. He was responsible for the emergence of Governor Gboyega Oyetola in Osun State. During one of his recent consultations over his presidential ambition in the South-west, he had revealed how he helped the likes of the Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to become Osun State governor. Aregbesola played key role in Tinubu’s emergence as Lagos State governor, having worked as his campaign director.

Tinubu had also recalled how he supported the incumbent Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to retrieve their mandates.

“I helped Mimiko get his mandate through court after two years that he was elected. I helped Fayemi get his mandate after three years. It took Aregbesola three years and 10 months to get his mandate. We have helped many people like that.

“We helped Buhari sack them (PDP). We supported him to complete his eight-year term and I have told him I want to succeed him. He said I should go ahead, that is why I came to seek the support of the traditional rulers,” Tinubu reportedly said.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was also the Lagos Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice during Tinubu’s administration. Osinbajo was behind the success of Tinubu’s administration during the state government’s legal battles with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. Ambode, who was at different times the Auditor General for Local Government, Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the State, was also part of the team that helped to raise the state’s internal revenue.

The increase in the state’s IGR helped Tinubu’s administration to survive the financial challenges caused by the seizure of the statutory allocations of the local governments in the state by the federal government.

However, none of the aforementioned has publicly declared support for his presidential bid and their body language has not suggested that they will do that any time soon. Aregbesola’s recent outburst over the second term ambition of Governor Oyetola was a strong indication of the bad blood among Tinubu’s allies.

His only strong ally, who voiced out his reservations about presidential ambition was the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu. Ojudu however did not toe the mudslinging path but simply argued that his preference for Osinbajo was a matter of principle.

Others have remained silence, sitting on the fence or working behind the scenes to truncate his ambition.

One wonders why those who had worked together with him in the past under a mutually beneficial arrangement have turned their backs on him. While some political analysts have accused some of his allies of betraying him, other analysts have blamed the attitude of his allies on his alleged overbearing attitude and style of politics.

Now that he has declared his interest in the presidency, many of his well-trusted allies are fighting for personal survival and many not want to sink or swim with him any longer.

Tinubu took the bull by the horns when he dared his disgruntled allies and announced his aspirations. However, if his quick declaration was to make his allies with similar ambition to shelve their dreams, then this objective is far from being achieved.

It is believed that more aspirants will emerge from the South-west. Osinbajo’s undeclared ambition is already ruffling feathers in his camp.

Tinubu’s influence on the political landscape has fetched him a massive followership in the South-west. It is likely that anyone who leaves his camp may not be really missed because there are thousands of people who can fill their space. But the rate at which his political associates turn their back on him and move on is a cause for concern.

CULLED FROM THISDAYLIVE

Politics

2027: Peter Obi not a threat to Tinubu, says Sunday Dare

Published

2 weeks ago

June 28, 2026

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Sunday Dare, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and public communications, has dismissed talks that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, poses a political threat to the Tinubu administration, insisting that the government remains focused on delivering on its mandate.

Dare, while speaking during an interview on the Mic On Podcast, said the administration was confident in its achievements and ongoing reforms, arguing that its performance had strengthened its political standing ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, the government has carefully assessed the country’s challenges and is implementing policies aimed at addressing them.

“This government is not afraid of Peter Obi. He is not a nightmare to our government. Maybe before, Peter Obi was a threat, but right now, he is no threat because we stand on the solid ground of performance,” Dare said.

He added, “We have been able to interrogate the problems of this country. Decisions are being taken, policies are being unfolded across the country, and we have a scorecard to show.”

Dare also criticised Obi’s public comments and media appearances, describing some of his responses to questions as lacking clarity.

“Peter Obi is not a nightmare. Maybe you replace nightmare with nuisance because if you see some of his reactions, they are very pedantic. Sometimes you wonder. You listen to some of his interviews, ask him a question, and he goes in a roundabout direction that does not make sense,” he said.

Commenting on the 2027 presidential election, Dare expressed confidence that Obi would not replicate his performance in Lagos, where the former Labour Party presidential candidate defeated Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.

“Peter Obi defeated President Tinubu in Lagos in 2023. This is 2027; he can’t defeat Tinubu again in Lagos,” he said.

Dare’s remarks come amid increasing political positioning by major parties and key opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections, with both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition leaders intensifying public engagements over their records and electoral prospects.

News

Court orders INEC to deregister ADC, four other political parties

Published

4 weeks ago

June 15, 2026

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A federal high court in Abuja, the federal capital territory (FCT) has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.

The other political parties are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The plaintiff had asked the court to determine whether INEC is constitutionally required to deregister political parties that fail to satisfy the performance thresholds stipulated in section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The group argued that the five parties had consistently failed to meet the conditions for retaining their registration, including securing at least 25 percent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at the national, state, or local government levels.

According to the plaintiff, the parties failed to achieve the required electoral performance in the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.

The former lawmakers contended that allowing the parties to remain registered despite their poor electoral showing was contrary to constitutional provisions and detrimental to the integrity of the electoral process.

They prayed the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties before preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum.

The plaintiffs also sought orders restraining the affected parties from participating in elections, conducting primaries, organising rallies, or carrying out other political activities pending compliance with constitutional requirements.

In his judgment, Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, upheld the arguments of the plaintiff and ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties.

Politics

‘Learn from LP crisis’ — Abure warns Seriake Dickson to beware of Obi and his supporters

Published

1 month ago

June 9, 2026

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The factional national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, has warned Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), to be cautious in his alliance with Peter Obi and his supporters.

Obi, the presidential candidate of the labour party in the 2023 general election, is the presidential candidate of the NDC. He secured the party’s ticket on May 30 after he was ratified at its national convention held in Abuja.

Speaking in a statement he personally signed, Abure said Dickson appeared to have learnt from the recent crisis in the LP, describing the NDC leader’s alleged refusal to concede all elective positions in the party to Obi’s supporters as commendable.

The LP factional chairman, alleged that Obi and Alex Otti, governor of Abia, and many of their supporters who won elections on the platform of the LP in 2023 have since turned against the party’s leadership.

He stated: “They say, history usually repeats itself. Senator Dickson and Co have seen their trajectory and learnt from what happened to us, that a lot of them after they have won and now in government turned round and were struggling with the leadership of the party,” the statement reads.

“I want to say that Obi and his followers are ingrates who will never remember the sacrifices you made for them. It is even dangerous for the leadership of the NDC to wholly hand over the elective positions to Obi and his followers.

“We did it in 2022/23, immediately they saw that Obi was interested in the leadership of the party, all those elected under the platform of the party simply followed Obi, forgetting all the sacrifices and suffering we made for them.”

Abure claimed that the crisis in the LP worsened when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) obeyed a court ruling which said the tenure of the party’s leadership had lapsed, giving rise to the Nenadi Usman-led interim national committee.

“They fell into the trap of INEC, when the commission deceived them to say that the tenure of the executive has expired. We had expected them to reject that position,” Abure said.

He noted in the light of what transpired in the LP, “it is strategically” important for Dickson to retain some control within the NDC by ensuring that his own supporters occupied positions in the party.

“He needed to bring his own people so that when the chips are down, he will also have people that will speak and defend him,” Abure said.

Abure further claimed that Obi’s supporters joined the NDC to dominate the party’s structure as they allegedly did in the LP.

“They trooped into NDC with Obi hoping to occupy every space like they did in the Labour Party. No leader of any political party seeing what Obi did to the Labour Party, along with his followers will make that mistake again,” he said.

He noted that his comments were prompted by questions about how the LP managed Obi and his supporters during the 2022/2023 election cycle.

According to him, the party made significant sacrifices to accommodate Obi’s interests, including granting many tickets to his supporters free of charge.

“We ensured that Obi’s interests were adequately taken care of. We only looked at his body language, and we obliged most of his supporters’ tickets,” he said.

“Most of the tickets were for free believing that we were investing in those persons in line with the philosophy of the party, expecting that when they win, they will bring along necessary support that will help in the growth of the party.

“But ironically, when they came into power, they went after the leadership of the party.”

Abure also accused Obi and Otti of attempting to take over the party’s leadership following disputes over the tenure of its executives.

“The leaders, particularly, Peter Obi and Alex Otti decided to take over the leadership of the party,” he said.

He added that elected officials who emerged on the party’s platform failed to support it financially, urging the NDC to learn from the LP’s experience.