Between Asiwaju and the ACN
The most valuable qualities of a good leader are integrity, perseverance, good character, fair judgment and the fear of God which Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Asiwaju of the Yoruba nation, has exhibited all his life. The journey of this great Nigerian started way back years ago in Mobil Nigeria, where he fought the good […]
The most valuable qualities of a good leader are integrity, perseverance, good character, fair judgment and the fear of God which Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Asiwaju of the Yoruba nation, has exhibited all his life. The journey of this great Nigerian started way back years ago in Mobil Nigeria, where he fought the good fight and kept the faith till he joined the political terrain where he cut a teeth for himself during the dark military era by joining forces with NADECO to struggle for the emancipation of Nigeria from the clutches of the military. When his life was threatened and his country was no longer safe for his likes, he had to escape for his dear life and continued the struggle in far away shores of Nigeria by bringing the attention of the international community to the political plight of the average Nigerian. Today, these are now history. Whatever a man sows, he reaps. Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria but the history of democracy cannot be complete without the mention of the name of a progressive at heart. Since the demise of the great one, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, there has been no clear Yoruba leader with the vision that is nationalistic, progressive, liberal and strategic in nature like Asiwaju who many regard as a bridge builder with boundless influence across the geo-political divide in Nigeria today.
His political clout cannot be denied having carved a niche for himself as the indisputable leader of the ACN in Nigeria with his protégés running states like Edo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos where propensity for the delivery of democracy dividends are now trade marks in their respective states. Tinubu’s resilience to fight great battles until it is won is legendary. We are all aware of the Lagos State local government revenue that was held for several years during the Obasanjo days, the stolen mandate in some states that are today ACN, that if not for Asiwaju’s tenacity and perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds, these states would never have been won politically.
The 2003 elections is still very fresh in our minds where the hurricane swept the AD states with the exception of Lagos State where Asiwaju held sway while the remaining south west states of Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Oyo fell flat to the PDP. It was a development that shocked and surprised the progressives unlike the 1999 elections where six governors of the AD took oath of office along with the 30 governors from other states. The strategic team of Asiwaju went to the drawing board but were still defeated in 2007 by the same means and forces by which the same government dealt with them in 2003, but Asiwaju, knowing full well that in a democracy, the legal system (judiciary) is the last hope of the common man, had to resort to the judiciary. Today the story cannot be said to be the same.
Apart from the fact that many have noticed the stunning and sterling performance of the governors of the party, the political sagacity, tenacity and doggedness of its leaders in the ACN, its progressive slant, commitment to internal democracy, free, fair, credible elections including the belief that every vote must count and be counted are some of the most important factors and attractions that make Asiwaju’s ACN the party to beat in 2011.
Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele, is of NRA, COYAC and CAPRRIN Email: [email protected]