By Hon. Jonah Bonet (Pompo):
Efforts are not enough without purpose and direction
~President John F.Kennedy
Sen. Ahmed Bola Adekunle Tinubu (Jagaban of Borgu) is a strategist and tactician with one of the weightiest political curriculum vitae in Nigeria. His giant strides are not only in the political terrain, he is also one of the most successful businessmen in Nigeria and in the continent, Africa. Like King Midas, whatever he touches, becomes gold.
Jagaban of Borgu came to political limelight during the annulment of June 12 presidential elections by Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in 1992. After the military’s abortion of an election that late M.K.O. Abiola was coasting home to victory, he joined forces with pro-democracy forces for the actualization of the business mogul turned politician mandate. Tinubu did not only become a leading NADECO member but a close confidant of M.K.O. Abiola. Like most of NADECO members, he eventually embarked on self-exile when the junta of late Gen. Sani Abacha raised a killer squad and let them loose on NADECO juggernauts.
When the junta of Abdulsalami Abubakar mounted the saddle and rolled out a short nine months transition programme, the political Iroko of our time returned home and contested for the seat of Governor of Lagos state. His 1999 and 2003 victories were easy like placing a hot knife on butter. These victories ushered a new chapter in his life and illuminated his path to political stardom in contemporary Nigeria.
Nothing demonstrated his survivalist acumen like the PDP’s electoral Tsunami of 2003 that swept away all his South West Alliance for Democracy colleagues from power. Tales from the political parlance holds that, AD went into a pact with PDP to surrender all presidential votes to PDP while PDP will reciprocate by allowing them retain their governorship seats. Whilst others approached the regionally propelled alliance blindly, he approached it with the sense of a fox and understanding that anything can happen. At the end of the exercise, he was the only player that survived to tell the story. Others were rough-handled by PDP and given a one-way ticket the political wilderness.
This lone player kept pushing-on and shouldered the burden of political opposition in the South West and Nigeria entirely. By 2011, this crown Eagle whose wings are getting older and stronger has soared above all storms and recaptured the entire South West states. He prosecuted the great onslaught with clones he carefully empowered with political offices and contracts while he was in power between 1999 and 2007 in Lagos state.
As a master of accurate reading of political weathers, he partnered with PDP in the presidential election of 2011, despite wide expectations that their experience of 2003 will never allow him dine with PDP.
Later moves showed that Jagaban of Borgu only stooped to conquer, or bended to permit a whirlwind to pass. He is a great respecter of the dictum of fluidity in an act of political game.
The story of the 2015 unprecedented political merger and eventual victory of opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC) cannot be full without mentioning his name. The Lion of Bourdillon did not only provided the cream of opposition politicians with a springboard but financial base to prosecute their campaigns. His presence alone, gave doubting Thomases of the opposition party confidence and fighting spirit. That automatically gave him the title, “The Party Leader”, he is a master of risk taker. No wonder our most distinguished governor, the governor of Kaduna state, His Excellency, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai calls him my leader’ and looking at the Jagaban of Borgu as a mentor; no wonder, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai replicates the outstanding leadership in Kaduna state by bringing peaceful coexistence between all religious groups, tribes, business minds and even people of different political views, empowering people from all works of life and statues. The Sir Kashim Ibrahim Leadership Program is just one of the leadership programs recently introduced to groom young Nigerians across the Nation to become good leaders. Governor El-Rufai today is an outstanding leader and a role model in Nigeria.
Love him or hate him, no political calculus can be made in Nigeria today without taking time to know where he is headed to. Cheer or jeer him, he is a reality you can only ignore at your perils.Conscious of this realism, President Muhammadu Buhari and APC handed over the 2019 electoral project to him which he perfectly executed. He has been discharged that onerous task with the dexterity of a fox and strength of an Argentine stallion horse. He knows when and where to punch. And when he punches, those at the receiving end do not survive. Jagaban takes the business of power with utmost seriousness hence, attaching a do or die disposition to it. He is a foe that any reasonable power player do not wish to encounter because of his lethality and fatalism.
Feelers from all the six geo political zones suggested that Jagaban will make history in the February 2019 presidential polls, and he eventually proved them right. He has delivered a landslide victory to APC and President Buhari. Much of the anticipated victory that APC had was expected as a result of his strategic and tactical sagacity, and the respect Nigerians have for him. In addition to aforestated variables, his gift of marketing political products to mandate givers is unprecedented in the annals of Nigerian history. It is often stated, in a comical fashion that; he can sell ice to Eskimos. He is at the same league with Nigerians first generation politicians like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and Dr.Nnamdi Azikiwe. TINUBU THE JAGABA OF NIGERIA is a national leader who seems Nigerian as one big family.
Though a practicing Muslim, he is married to a Christian wife who is also an ordained Pastor with the RCCG. He also nominated Prof. Yemi Osibanjo who is also a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God as the Vice president of Nigeria, he supports individual not minding their religion, tribe or background. His life seems to be guided by the principles of Saint Francis of Assissi. Where there is injury, he heals; where there is sadness, he gives joy; where there is despair, he gives a direction; where there is hopelessness, he gives hope; where there is war, he makes peace; where there is disunity, he brings unity; where there is no vision, he illuminates the path. He bulldozes rough terrains and makes them smooth for political commuters and motorists to ply without hardship.
Join me and millions of save Nigerians members across the country to celebrate a living legend, grassroots mobilizer a national leader the custodian of our political history, astute politician, a political prophet and excellent personified. May God favor you and your family, we believe through your leadership Nigerians will be great again.
We pray to God to bestow Jagaban with the solomonic wisdom and courage of King David in his political and economic voyages. May he live long to fulfill his dream of helping in taking Nigeria to the height envisioned by our founding fathers. May he continue to be a history maker not a history reader. We pray to the goddess of fate to place Jagaban of Borgu on another undeniable ballot soon.
Hon. Jonah Bonet (Pompo)
National Coordinator, Save Nigeria APC Group writes from Kaduna
