MAKE TINUBU PAY FOR HIS BUHARI SINS

By Akin Ojumu

While campaigning in Abeokuta last June, in the run up to the APC presidential primary elections, Bola Tinubu gave his now famous “Emi lokan” – i.e., “It’s my turn” – speech. It was during that speech that Tinubu boasted that were it not for his effort and unflinching support, Buhari would never have become the president of Nigeria.

According to Tinubu:

“O se kini, o lu le. O se keji, o lu le. O se keta, o lule. O tie sun kun lo ri television, pe laye oun ohun ni run mo. Mo de loba ni Kaduna, waa run. Oro ekun ko le leyi. Ma duro ti e. Wa de wole. Nkan kan ni wipe, o ni foro orilede Yoruba se re. O de gba. Mo wa ni lo te yi o, Yoruba lo kan. Ta ba se sa Yoruba naa, emi lokan.”

Translated…

“He ran the first time, he failed. He ran the second time, he failed. He ran the third time, he failed. He even went on TV weeping and vowing never to run again. So, I traveled all the way to Kaduna to reassure him. I told him he will still run. Weeping will not solve this run of loses. I promise him that, with the full weight of my support behind him, he will definitely prevail next time. The only thing I asked in return was a promise from him never to be flippant and frivolous when it comes to matters that concern the Yoruba nation. To which he agreed. That’s why I now say, this time around, it’s the turn of the Yorubas. And from among all the Yorubas, it’s my turn.”

With his own mouth, Bola Tinubu made it perfectly clear that he singlehandedly brought Buhari to power. He was unequivocal in bragging that he’s the brain behind, and the sole architect of, Buhari’s rise to Nigeria’s presidency. It was him who bankrolled Buhari’s campaign, and it was him who canvassed every nook and cranny of the country to sell the unimpressive taciturn tired and retired general to Nigerians.

Consequently, as the man who foisted a pedestrian ruler on Nigeria, Tinubu can’t escape the inconvenient fact that the stench of Buhari’s maladministration is on him too. For saddling Nigerians with such an uninspiring leader as Buhari, the Jagaban is complicit in Buhari’s mismanagement of the Nigerian state. 

Bola Tinubu cannot, in one hand, brag about putting Buhari in Aso Rock and, on the other hand, plead not guilty to the havoc the man he put in office commits. He’s part and parcel of Buhari’s government. He owns every policy debacle, and he’s responsible for every disastrous program. Tinubu is an accessory before and after the fact to Buhari’s felonious destruction of Nigeria.

Nigerians must never forget that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is as responsible for the current anguish and misery of Nigerians as much as the man in Aso Rock. Tinubu is the root cause of Nigerians’ despair, and the driving force behind their afflictions. The cannibalization of Nigeria by Buhari is on Tinubu. And he’s to blame for the wreckage and carnage Buhari is leaving behind.

Nigerians must not be fooled by Bola Tinubu’s faux outrage against the botched rollout of the currency redesign policy. In the 8 years of Buhari’s misrule, Tinubu has never shown any concern for the hardship of ordinary Nigerians. The man simply didn’t care.

The only reason for Tinubu’s recent umbrage is because he believes the currency redesign is targeted at him personally. In his view, this whole thing was conceived to scuttle his chances of becoming president.

Had it not been for Bola Tinubu, Nigerians would not now be going through the harrowing experience of Buhari’s currency redesign mess. If not for Bola Tinubu, Nigerians wouldn’t have had their money confiscated by the Central Bank. 

What did Bola Tinubu do when thousands of Nigerian youths were cruelly and needlessly massacred at Lekki Toll Gate during the End SARS protest? The Jagaban called for the prosecution of the bruised, beaten, and murdered protesters.

It’s because of Bola Tinubu that Nigerians are experiencing one of the worst fuel shortages in their lifetime. Bola Tinubu is the reason Nigerians are spending 40 days and 40 nights queueing for fuel. The skyrocketing prices of food, goods, and other services are all because of Bola Tinubu.

Just as an arsonist is not rewarded for calling the fire brigade after setting the house on fire, Bola Tinubu must not be rewarded with the Nigerian presidency for lighting the match that set the Nigeria’s house on fire, which he did when he championed the presidency of Buhari.

Quite the opposite. Nigerians must punish Bola Tinubu for sacrificing their country on the altar of his selfish ambition. Bola Tinubu must be made to pay for his hubris, and he must answer for his malignant narcissism. 

This man, who sold Nigerians a bill of goods in Buhari, must be rejected at the polls on Saturday, the 25th of February.