Tinubu: What’s Next?

By James Orji

The political atmosphere of the country has become charged with the return of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Nigeria on Sunday. The former Lagos Governor and All Progressives Congress, APC chieftain came back to the country after spending three months in London to take care of his failing health.

While he was away, his London abode became a mecca of sorts for top politicians in the country, including President Muhammadu Buhari.

But now that he’s back, close watchers of development in the country insist that his Bourdillon, Ikoyi Home will become a beehive of activity within days, particularly for his supporters who are waiting for him to declare his presidential ambition.

Even though the APC chieftain has yet to make any pronouncement on the issue, close watchers of events said it is a matter of time before he did, considering those rooting for him to be the next occupier of Aso Rock, Nigeria’s seat of power.

“The Asiwaju is back. We have been waiting for him to tell us what is the next line of action for the next dispensation. We are sure he will not mislead us. We trust him to give directions on this very important matter,” a chieftain of the APC in Lagos said on Monday.

Judging by the current political atmosphere in the country, the former Lagos governor appears to have arrived at the material time when top politicians are drumming up support for him. In two years time.

The latest of such is Salihu Tanko Yakasai, a former Special Adviser on Media to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje who listed the former governor as one of the top politicians in the country highly favoured to take the baton of leadership from Buhari.

Speaking last week on the need to zone the presidency to the South west, the former spokesman of the Kano helmsman placed Tinubu on top of three other politicians, who he explained are qualified to take over from the incumbent.

According to him “There are a number of them. We have Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; we have the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; and to some extent, Governor of Ekiti that is being put out there as a potential candidate.

“All these people are potential candidates that the party can go for; anyone of them.” Considering that Tinubu is a strong ally of Governor Ganduje, analysts said the position of his former aide may not be farfetched on where the governor stands on the issue, considering that the former Lagos Governor was said to have played a major role in his return to office for a second tenure.

Before Yakassai spoke on the matter, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state had during his visit to Tinubu in London disclosed that the APC strongman will determine the direction of the South west concerning the 2023 presidency.

Describing Tinubu as the “Capone” of the party in South-West, Akeredolu said his supporters are waiting “for the national leader, we are waiting for him to come so that critical decisions could be taken. He is our leader in the South and the one we can call our Capone.”

Analysts have also pointed out that the calibre of politicians who visited Tinubu in London indicates his rising popularity in the country as the presidential election is fast approaching.

Those that visited him cut across the country, even though they were mainly members of his party, APC.

In spite of this, many insist that the presidential ticket will not be delivered to Tinubu al carte- if and when he declared his ambition- considering that some interests in the ruling party have also planning to support other notable politicians from the party, which include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to take over from Buhari.

Apart from Osinbajo, politicians in the APC that are likely to challenge Tinubu for the presidency are Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state and Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, who has already declared that he will take a shot at the presidency in 2023.

The question on the lips of not a few Nigerians, is whether the Lagos strongman will seize the current momentum to declare his ambition for the nation’s highest office.