BY MOSHOOD ABIOLA

The current political atmosphere in Nigeria is ruffled with many uncertainties as we go to polls in less than 10 days. The new naira note policy and the fuel scarcity are the major obstacles that make Nigerians skeptical about having a free and fair presidential election in 2023. The power-play between the CBN Governor, the alleged Cabals in the Aso Rock and the State Governors is stirring up the political waters in Nigeria and has nearly put the country in a state of chaos. Protests are erupting from different parts of the country as a result of the hardship citizens are facing due to the scarcity of Naira, which is now the most sought-after resource in the land.
The ruling party leaders have been going from pillar, to post to calm the angry citizens, while Aso Rock appears indifferent. Why will President Buhari be indifferent? This is a man that sent his VP to all markets in Nigeria for a cash transfer scheme pre-2019 elections. The VP, for a long time, travelled from state to state – market to market – sharing raw cash to people. That time, spending physical cash or vote-buying was not a crime? The thinking of concerned Nigerians now is that not being on the ballot this time has turned him to a latter-day reduction of currency in circulation crusader, thus coming up with the ill-timed policy. The ruling party had never found herself in this type confusion since the inception of this administration. Many party members are angry with the wrongly timed policy of the CBN as well as the hardship all and sundry are going through before getting access to their hard earned monies.
Interestingly, the opposition political parties are praising the CBN Governor for the hypocritical political favour they feel the policy would earn them at the polls, while the ruling party members find it hard to convince angry Nigerians the retrogressive policy is not a progressive deal. Since it is impossible to separate the President and his policies from his party, on whose side is the President? On the other hand, has the apex bank’s Governor, Godwin Emefiele, successfully turned the CBN into a political party he can use to spite his supposed opponent at the APC presidential primary? Could Mr. Emefiele be suffering from the pains of his loss in the contest that favoured Asiwaju Bola Tinubu?
The fact is that I am not surprised to see the machinations of political heavyweights in Aso Rock to ensure Bola Tinubu does not become the president of the Federal republic of Nigeria. Do they fear the Lion for his sagacity or they fear him for his transformative policies? My curiosity took me down the memory lane as I remember the political journey of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the man that has always conquered the odds to favour his ambition. Tinubu mastered the art of the strength hidden in weakness. He plays the underdog and only the underdog can beat the odds. The language of the omen can only be interpreted by the elders with foresight; the omen is clear that Asiwaju Tinubu has never ridden on the easy-horse to his political destination. For a man whose Kismet wakes up to fight for him during gang-ups and crisis, his fame towers above kings’. Tinubu has the resilience to face the fearful odds.
His first time on the ballot was 1993, as a senator representing Lagos West under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the tyrannical influence of the military regime of IBB. Asiwaju Tinubu won the elections landslide despite the military oppression while he stood firmly with his principles and loyalty to his leader, Chief MKO Abiola. He absolutely learned from the best. It is clear as crystal to young and old the multiple roles Tinubu played in entrenching the democracy of Nigeria till date. So, how has he stepped on the toes of the Cabals? The year 1999 marked the dawn of a new political era in Nigerian history and Asiwaju Tinubu got the political privilege from the gods that share odds again. The odds conspired to favour Tinubu perhaps because of the oddness of the year. But if it were for the year alone, I would have accepted it was a mere coincidence, the uncertainty of a new party winning election that year was very high.
Nonetheless, these uncertainties did not stop Tinubu and his colleagues from winning the 6 South-Western states. The political war of 2003 is still fresh in my memories, where the then President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was hell-bent on imposing his party on all states of the federation, thereby sweeping off the opposition governors in all state. The political mop-up embarked upon by the OBJ’s administration buried the political career of many governors in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Defying the military tactics and federal mighty power of OBJ, Asiwaju Tinibu maneuvered his way to win a second term election as the Lagos State Governor. The palm frond that thrives in the thorn is the perfect way to describe the unique destiny of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Year 2003 elections gave me intelligible conviction about the favours Tinubu gets from the odd numbers, we can’t overlook the odds that come from enmity and betrayal which empowers him further.
The odds in the 2023 general elections started showing from the day Tinubu threw his hat into the ring of Nigeria’s presidential race. The party’s caretaker committee with the AGF devised all means to stop him from becoming the party’s flagbearer, while his loyal boys turned their backs against him . Also, the theatrics of the party leaders to bring the Senate President or the CBN Governor through the backdoors cannot be forgotten. The intimidation nearly sent the legendary lion outside his den, but the “Eleyi declaration” in Abeokuta made the betrayers cringe in their nests. Again, the pyre prepared for the vulture turned to the hearth of another bird. The recent happenings in Nigeria awaken my knowledge of Yoruba pantheon and the inspiring story of Eleruwa Af’ota m’odi, who spent his resources on boys that never dreamed of becoming men. Eleruwa was so generous he transforms orphans and destitute men to bourgeois. Unfortunately, the men and orphans he trained got so successful and became envious of their benefactor that they schemed with his enemies to destroy his empire. I know of no higher fortitude than stubbornness in the face of overwhelming odds, as Eleruwa faced the odds of enmity and turned the shots from the gun barrels to a success palisade, which got him the name “Af’ota m’odi”. Yorubas believe so much in kismet and it is fair to say Tinubu shared from the grace of Eleruwa, who build success palisade with bullets from enemies.
The year 2023 is an odd one; the odds of naira policy and its pressures are stacked against the Lion of Burdillon, but he has confidently shown himself as a visionary Leader with no sense of fear, and no concept of the odds against him. The odds of 3s’ are out to favour Tinubu AGAIN!!!