ON Friday last week, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former House of Representatives Speaker and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i, former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and former Governor of Kaduna State Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, alongside other political heavyweights, paid a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Kaduna.
It was ostensibly a social visit, and they were seen exchanging banter, having a tete-a-tete, and enjoying lunch—all for the photo ops—before going into a closed-door meeting – where the main issue would be tabled, for as the Igbo adage says, a frog does not run in the daytime for nothing; it is either pursuing something or something is pursuing it.
The opposition, led by the veteran political warhorse Atiku Abubakar, the Wazirin Adamawa, is in a make-or-break fight for its soul. Unlike former President Goodluck Jonathan, a political greenhorn with an amiable, easy-going demeanour who vowed that his ambition was not worth the blood of a single Nigerian, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a dyed-in-the-wool politician whose ambition must be achieved. His famous words, “Power is not served à la carte” – that one must grab it, snatch it, and flee with it – and his “Emi lokan” declaration in the ancient city of Abeokuta, tell of a man who isn’t ready to brook any nonsense in the power game.
During Jonathan’s era, opposition parties were relatively vibrant and could come together to face existential threats. Today, opposition parties, led by those generally seen, rightly or wrongly, as turncoats doing the ruling party’s bidding for pecuniary gains have become shells. While Jonathan was not proactive, allowing himself to be blindsided by those who wanted to end his reign and scuttle his party’s dream of a 60-year rule, Tinubu can be said to be wary, thinking ahead, and staying on top of his game.
To defeat someone who is politically conscious, with tentacles in almost all spheres of Nigeria’s being, like Tinubu, is not going to be a tea party. Add to that the reality that most leaders of the opposition parties, in more ways than one, continue to enjoy privileges from the centre. One can then say the Wazirin Adamawa and company have a lot of work ahead of them.
From this, one can understand why they are courting Buhari and want him to be on their side. Buhari has been touted to have twelve million votes in his kitty, and just half of those millions can sway any election outcome towards where they lean.
Political convenience, the craving for relevance, and survival instincts may ultimately persuade the retired general to give a discreet nod of approval to the gathering opposition. In reality, some factors influence leaders’ decisions, as they are invariably captives of those elements. The first component is the people close to the leader who have his ear and have positioned themselves to sometimes be his voice or image.
These vital links to Buhari have been under fire since the assumption of office by the current president, with some key figures among them facing corruption charges. Those around the former president fear this will escalate when Tinubu returns in 2027. Some fear that even if Buhari is not directly indicted, his image would be sullied. And so, the operation “Tinubu Must Be Stopped” begins.
But like all people seeking power, they must find good reasons that resonate with the populace, and apparently, there are plenty that they can play around with. In a normal situation, the average human being is never content with their situation, agitating for change, running after what they see as greener pastures. What more of us in an abnormal situation?
Buhari is still revered by those who admire his kind of person, so having him on your side may help, but still, Tinubu is not Jonathan—or even Obasanjo. One may not be far from the truth in saying Tinubu pulled out a victory from the jaws of a reluctant, dilly-dallying President Buhari.
Please spare us your ‘truth’
I want to appeal to the former president to allow Nigerians to rest, breathe and face their challenges. Last week, he advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors “to accord importance to the welfare of the people, not themselves.”
He confided in them that he “left office with the same physical assets” he had before his presidency.
Such unsolicited statements may cast doubts in the minds of many right-thinking Nigerians, and some may lament that “he should have left many other things in Nigeria the way he found them,” despite his efforts, tame at best, in containing Boko Haram.
But he may not fear such backlash because, as Senator Ndume is wont to say, “He still has attack dogs that would bark.”
Yet, he says things even some of his die-hard supporters would involuntarily rub their ears when they hear them. For instance, there were many times he said he had only two houses: one in Daura and the other in Kaduna. Then, at an APC caucus meeting in Katsina, he volunteered—free of charge—to his audience that “after my eight years as a civilian president, I have only three houses; one in Daura and two in Kaduna. I have given one out for renting, where I get money for feeding.” Buhari gets money to feed from the rent of one house in Kaduna!
However, (officially) all former presidents and heads of state in Nigeria are entitled to a monthly upkeep allowance of N350,000, which totals N4.2 million annually.
They also receive other benefits, including security personnel such as three to four armed policemen and a State Security Service officer as an aide-de-camp (ADC).
Additionally, they are provided three vehicles, replaced every four years, a diplomatic passport for life, and free medical treatment for themselves and their immediate family within Nigeria. If needed, they can also receive medical treatment abroad at the Federal Government’s expense. Other perks include a 30-day annual vacation, a well-furnished office, and a five-bedroom house in a location of their choice.
It is this kind of “truth-telling” that may lead to threats of court actions by people who utter them when confronted. But there shouldn’t be any fear because, like those waiting for Ribadu to take Naja’atu to court, we may wait forever for that to happen.
- Dr Gimba, anipr, is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Neptune Prime. His syndicated column, The Arbiter, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays.