10th NASS: Tinubu Has Demonstrated Good Leadership Skills That Buhari Lacks–Sholyments Olusegun Olusola
The candidates supported by President Tinubu have both emerged as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively in two fairly contested elections .
This to me , was a product of vast consultation, re-consultation and another consultation by President Bola Tinubu and his inner caucuses . This did not only presented Tinubu as a charismatic Democrat but also indicates that he’s on top of his job as a leader of the party and father of the nation
Are you are aware he also held meetings with lawmakers- elect of the opposition parties , including Labour Party, SDP, PDP to negotiate for his anointed candidates who later triumphed at today’s national Assembly inauguration?
This was the same role expected to be played by Ex-president Buhari but he failed , he only did not fail to consult the lawmakers and his party, he did not also speak out on who his choice was , he allowed the ACN camp lead by Tinubu to speak for him , unfortunately, their nominations for SP and Speaker did not reflect justice, equity and fairness but was rooted on revenge mission , attempt to deny the nPDP led by Sarakis their portion in the sharing equation, hence , Saraki outsmarted his traducers and emerged as the SP leaving Dogara to claim the speakership position.
That was the beginning of crisis in the APC-led administration since 2015, many thoughtless people blamed Bukola Saraki for outsmarting the party , they failed to realize that the opportunity came because the then President was not offering reasonable leadership, his aim was just to become the president, he didn’t care about rest members of the party who laboured for his emergence .
Ex- President Buhari symbolizes selfishness , corruption and lawlessness, that was why his government from beginning of 2015 to the end in 2023 was crisis- ridden, intra and inter party conflicts , terrorism -ridden and corruption ridden .
Look at the killings in Benue and other parts of the country, there was no record the president made any official visit to those volatiles zones to encourage the citizens , save for the Facebook sympathy messages produced by his Media representatives, the president’s failure to offer leadership ignited and still igniting insecurity in many parts of the country .
Buhari successfully sent away all the brains and digital political players off his government including the likes of Dr Bukola Saraki, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar , Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Senator Okorocha of Imo, Dino Melaye of Kogi Asiwaju Tinubu who’s now the president was not given any say in that government and many others I cannot remember to name.
PMB therafter surrounded himself with sycophants and opportunists who entered his government with the aim of increasing their wealth. Even his own wife , the first lady was sent packing to Dubai leaving behind those who the president called his trusted allies .
Buhari also failed test of leadership each time political gladiators who brought him to power has issues within themselves,(intra party conflict)
His weak leadership made problem between Senator Dino Melaye and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi to escalate to an unfortunate level that resulted in loss of lives and property during elections. The later was instrumental in bringing Yahaya Bello to office , little issues which the president ought to have prevailed upon from scratch was left unattended to . The problem escalated and made Kogi politics so volatile till date .
What of Kwara state , Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq’s emergence as APC candidate in 2019 was at the instance of Buhari and his Aso rock cabals, yet when AA took office as Governor of Kwara , Buhari did not offer him any support to put together all of Otoge champions when they had crisis. Instead, Baba was just looking , watching his party men in Kwara dragging themselves and even violently attacking each other. Hence , the first term of Mallam Abdulrahaman was also crisis -ridden and this led to a fragment of the party collapsing to form SDP .
If not for the failure of leaders of PDP in the state to take full advantage of the conflict, if the opposition leadership had shown understanding and played an inclusive politics within the party ,especially with the mobilisation of resources for the campaign and motivation of party members and those at the forefront of the struggle, Kwara today ought to have become history for the APC .
The same issues could be seen in Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Rivers , Bayelsa , Imo, Kano, Katsina even the home state of the president and now Kogi state even when Dino Melaye is not more in the party , the APC in Kogi today has been divided into APC and SDP, giving PDP in that state opportunity to stage a come back
Has it not dawned on Buhari , who ascribed fake integrity into himself that himself and his allies almost ran Nigeria aground before the new Tinubu administration?
Nigerians should stop blaming Dr Bukola Saraki over his emergence as SP in 2015, any smart political player who senses cheating in institutional arrangements, by the party he had toiled to build would pull similar stunt if given opportunity. Politics is not for small boys , it is for the brave , the courageous and the smart .
I congratulate Senator Godswill Akpabio and Hon Tajudeen Abbas on their emergence as well as other principal officers for both Chambers who emerged alongside these two great men. May your tenure bring good luck and prosperity to Nigerians .
To those who lost out in the race , that is democracy , you must summon courage and work with those who have won, today is for them, tomorrow may be your turn .
How PBAT is running his government is really an indictment on Buhari’s weak and selfish leadership . May Nigerians not experience such a wicked dispensation again
Sholyments Olusegun Olusola writes from Ilorin, Kwara state
