Undaunted, He Wrote.

Dr. Bukola Saraki's ascent to Senate President during the 8th National Assembly (2015–2019) was, essentially, a carefully planned civilian coup executed within the National Assembly against Chief Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Central to this plot was a deliberate attempt to weaken Chief Asiwaju and diminish his influence and relevance in the new administration he nurtured and helped bring to fruition.

A vital question remains: Where did the instruction originate that directed certain lawmakers to proceed to the National Assembly for the decisive vote? All evidence suggests it came from Aso Villa.

However, to this day, the identity of the person who issued or authorised that call remains unknown. Significantly, the senators excluded from this process or phone call were all members of the APC loyal to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who were prepared to vote for his preferred candidate as the Senate President, instead of Dr. Saraki for the role.

This manoeuvre was part of a broader strategy to politically sideline Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu within the very government he helped install — President Buhari's administration.

One might have thought that, considering his enormous sacrifices that propelled Gen Buhari into the Presidency, President Buhari and his close-knit inner circle would have handed the APC Presidential ticket to him effortlessly. But no, they wanted him out, humiliated. Unfazed, he fought back. To this day, only God knows how he did it - defeating the presidential machinery with a single strike.

A similar crude scheming pattern re-emerged during the last PDP presidential primaries, leading to the controversial defeat of Governor Nyesom Wike. The Sokoto man he trusted the most pulled the rug from under him, resulting in a crash. Even though he rose from the fall, he seems not to have forgotten how he fell and those responsible.

These two fighters didn't resolve to nurse their wounds in seclusion, defeated; rather, they are actively disrupting the status quo, undeterred. They feel no moral lapses in taking the fight to their tormentors' comfort zones, simultaneously pulling all strings to reinvent the federal government for the good of our future generations.

And what could be worse than changing the national currency on the eve of presidential campaigning and election, then failing to make the currency available months after the change? As a result, many vulnerable Nigerians died in the process, while the targeted victim, overcoming all the odds, soldiered on to victory undaunted.

Today, for the first time in Nigeria’s political history, a pro-people administration occupies the centre stage. Yet, ironically, many seem reluctant to grant them even three full years in office. It prompts the question: When was the last time Nigerian universities completed two consecutive academic years without disruption?

Leadership should be assessed not only on past grievances but also on current intentions and future outcomes. Let us give Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team a fair chance to deliver on their promises while remaining vigilant and committed to constructive engagement.

They are not merely governing within the limits of available human and material resources; they are pushing boundaries, reinventing resilience, and optimising the process.

A culture of low expectations does not define them. This is more than conventional governance. This is a complete reset, heralding not just the remaking of a broken system, but a total replacement.

Consequently, tough times can only be alleviated, but hardly eradicated, during a sudden disruption. Thus, being patient becomes unavoidable.

Barr Alex Ehi Aidaghese

July 03, 2025