Asiwaju Tinubu: A Warrior Without a Troop - (May 13, 2019)

Introduction

Presidential aspiration is not a Drug War. It is better to build a team than go about annihilating imaginary enemies and potential adversarial forces from your neck of the woods. That Chief Tinubu is a master tactician is not a matter for debate. However, he is not Mr. Fix-It. He is crafty, but not brilliant. Intellectualism is not his trade. And he is ideologically barren. He is an egocentric regional leader without a national appeal. That he incubated the coalition that saw the defeat of President Jonathan does not elevate him to a status where the Cabal and the emerging Kaduna Mafia headed by Mallam El'Rufai will play second fiddle in his political world. Today, within the coalition that he incubated, he is like King Saul of the Old Testament, abysmally deficient in objective moral benchmarks, lacking grace and authority. This essay was a long time in coming. But time and time again, I put it on hold for not-so-apparent a reasons. When Governor El'Rufai, the self-imposed golden voice of the Northern Chapter of the APC, came to town a few days ago, lecturing Lagosians on how to overthrow their godfather, I said to myself, the time is now.

The Sins of Fighting a Natural Ally.

Chief Asiwaju Tinubu engineered the overthrow of Chief Tom Ikimi as the Chairman of his political party to consolidate his supremacy above all else. Tom Ikimi is a typical character - boisterous, garrulous, intimidating, and relatively clean. And Tinubu abhors the presence of another leader of Tom Kimi's style and repute from the South to share power with him at the national stage. While Tom was overseas, Tinubu plotted a coup. When it was all over, Tom was history - out of the Chairmanship and out of the Party.

In Tom's place, he brought in Chief Odigie Oyegun, the man he didn't really know. Oyegun is certainly not overtly boisterous or an enigmatic character reputed of Tom Ikimi. But craftiness, unlike Tom Ikimi, is his game. So, when the Cabal came to town, pushing Asiwaju under the truck (apology to Senator Oluremi Tinubu), Oyegun simply played blind and dumb and looked the other way.

It is worth reminding viewers that Chief Odigie Oyegun is a retired Federal Permanent Secretary. And I do not know where Chief Tinubu was or how old he was or what he was doing professionally or business-wise when Chief Odigie Oyegun, as a PS, orchestrated the resignation of a High Court Judge (Justice Jinadu) from the Bench. Chief Oyegun does not espouse subservience. Asiwaju goofed big time, sacrificing Tom Ikimi the way he did for a man he has the faintest knowledge about.

In no time, Asiwaju became a nobody in the APC hierarchy. No one dares the invisible cabal. Except, of course, the First Lady. Who, herself, was helpless. At this point in time, a Tom Ikimi, alongside Asiwaju and Oyegun, as a team, would have been able to ensure the checks and balances that were missing within the Executive arm (the Presidency) that the Cabal exploited handsomely to their own advantage till this very moment.

With the first term coming to an end, and with no noticeable impacts in the affairs of the state or administration, the Cabal, bent on winning the Yoruba votes, compensated Asiwaju with a spurious portfolio: Councillor of Reconciliation.

In addition to that, Chief Odigie Oyegun was not only made to surrender his Chairmanship position, but he was also booted out in ignominy like Tom Ikimi - all to assuage the god of Oduduwa Republic.

As things stand today, he is primus inter pares within the Southern bloc of the APC leadership. But at what cost or strategic importance? And El'Rufai is watching.

The filthy rich. Morbidly infantile and loquacious Senator Akpabio of the South-South is not coming back to the Senate. He was denied the Federal might at the disposal of Comrade Adam Oshiomole, the chief architect and master manipulator of vote counts.

And thanks to Governor Wike, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Aviation and former Governor of Rivers State, is now a "bloody lightweight." Governor Okorocha, on his part, is between the devil and the blue sea - contending dangerously with INEC on the one hand, and the invisible hands of the Man Asiwaju anointed, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, on the other. And tension is escalating.

In sum, now that Chief Tom Ikimi, Chief Oyegun, Senator Akpabio, Governor Amosun, and Governor Okorocha are out of the way, who else can stop HRH Asiwaju Tinubu from inheriting the Crown when President Buhari is out? No one in particular from the South. Once again, Mallam El'Rufai is watching, not amused.

Asiwaju did not deliver more than 65% of the Lagos votes for President Buhari. Therefore, in the opinion of the self-ordained voice of the Northern Chapter of APC, Asiwaju is not electable or Presidential enough to earn the 2023 APC Presidential ticket. The Mallam didn't stop there, he took the disqualification narrative to Asiwaju's bedroom - Lagos - lecturing Lagosians on how to overthrow a godfather. And that is, to say the least, daring.

Chief Asiwaju Tinubu succeeded in his quest to drone into political oblivion all the APC "Big Shots" and potential Presidential hopefuls from the South. Consequently, he displaced and rendered redundant all the Mamman Dauras and El'Rufais of the South within the APC. In other words, within the Southern APC, there is no voice similar to that of El'Rufai. And no political heavyweight in the style and influence of Mamman Daura or Abba Kyari? Asiwaju wasted all of them. He is not alone; that's the trademark of the present political leaders in the South - frustrating and undermining the intellectual prowess of natural allies due to sheer insecurity.

While President Buhari was busy consolidating his power base, Tinubu wasted no time destroying his. Today, President Buhari and the CBA call the shots. 

Conclusion:

You can have all the money in the world, but without a James Carville of President Clinton's World, you are embarking on a futile journey.

In Nigeria of today, and speaking from my own experience, guys who are naturally endowed or gifted to play the tough-guy image, intellectually and credibly like Mr. James Carville, are branded untrustworthy. Untrustworthy, not necessarily because they will betray the master or have betrayed him in the past, but because the master is worried, thinking disdainfully of the exposure and potential opportunities opened to them.

And that's Asiwaju's World for you. Where is Fashola today? And what about Ambode? You must be a stooge; otherwise, you are not trustworthy.

As events unfold, no reputable political voice is speaking or holding brief for Asiwaju. And no one, in particular, is calling the Mallam from Kaduna to atone for his sacrilege. Except, of course, Mr. Sam Omatseye, whose acerbic rebuttal a few days ago was not unexpected. But he is a journalist and not a politician. And that is the dilemma of the Asiwaju 2023 Presidential journey - a Commander without an Infantry Brigade. With Chief Odigie Oyegun, Akpabio, and Chief Tom Ikimi on his side, who is Mallam El'Rufai to question the reasonableness of Asiwaju aspiring to rule Nigeria in 2023? And who is the Cabal to push him under the truck at the inception of the Buhari Dispensation? It is about the team, the men of "Timber and Iroko" standing by you. Sadly, you don't have them - you killed them. Despite everything, like him or hate him, without Asiwaju, there would not have been a President Buhari or a Governor El-Rufai. And that's by the way.

Chief Justice John Roberts and the Re-branding of the US Supreme Court: A Lesson in Judicial Activism for the Chairman of the Nigerian Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Bulkachuwa, and Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, the Chief Justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court.

"You go to the 9th Circuit and it's a disgrace," "And I'm going to put in a major complaint because you cannot win — if you're us — a case in the 9th Circuit, and I think it's a disgrace. This was an Obama judge. And I'll tell you what, it's not going to happen like this anymore." President Donald Trump, a Republican.

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them,” “The independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.” - Chief Justice John Roberts, USA Supreme Court., nominated to the US Supreme Court by President Judge Bush, a Republican.

That was Chief Justice John Roberts, in an unprecedented no-hold-barred declaration, taking umbrage at President Donald Trump for casting a Judge "an Obama Judge," because the Judge reached a decision that was inconsistent with President Trump's immigration agenda. For the purpose of records, Chief Justice John Roberts was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President George W. Bush, a Republican like President Donald Trump.

In terms of modern American jurisprudence, Chief John Roberts is an enigma. He is unpredictable, to say the least. And when the conservative minority expected him to exude his conservative legal bearing and kill Obamacare, he demurred. He upstaged conventional judicial wisdom and gave life to the new law.

What you may find interesting, and of course, the reason I write this essay, is that when Chief Justice John Roberts was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President George W. Bush, Mr. Obama, as a Senator from Illinois at the time, voted against Roberts' confirmation. And thanks to the Republican majority in the US Senate, Justice John Roberts was confirmed, not just as an Associate Justice, but as the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.

A few years later, Senator Obama ran and was elected US President, succeeding President Bush. And you would expect a pound of flesh from Chief John Roberts; forget it.

After bailing out the US Economy from the brink of recession, President Obama decided to grab the bull by the horns and go for the kill, pushing for the passage into law of the Affordable Healthcare Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

In spite of the intransigence and crude filibuster of Republican members of Congress, the Bill was passed into law by a narrow margin. And it was not yet Uhuru.

Before the ink could dry up from the face of the paper on which the Bill was signed into law, Republicans in droves went to courts at both the State and Federal levels, propounding an unintelligible narrative for a judicial killing. Unintelligible because the philosophy underlying the Bill was first propounded by a Republican Governor in Massachusetts. In spite of everything, I was worried. And Americans were worried.

Given the harshness of Senator Obama's vocabulary during Justice Roberts' confirmation hearing, it was overwhelmingly expected that payback time had come for Chief Justice John Roberts. However, when the decision time came, he voted with the majority, affirming Obamacare as the law of the land. Republican conservative pundits cried foul - President George Bush sold us a dummy!

Not done, the opponents of Obamacare went to court again. And when the case came up before the US Supreme Court the second time, Republicans in unison expected a reprieve from the Chief Justice, to wit, he is going to atone for his sin of the past and vote along the partisan or ideological line this time around and kill the Law. They were wrong. The Chief Justice did not only vote to keep the Obamacare, but he also did, to the chagrin of Americans, author the majority opinion.

And just last year, he made the declaration quoted above.

Today, Americans and, specifically, legal scholars and pundits, are finding it difficult to predict the outcome of the few cases that come before the Supreme Court as the culture was before the ascension of the throne by Justice John Roberts as the Chief Justice.
Conclusion.

It is no longer a secret, the Nigerian Bench has taken a severe beating in recent years, and it is still not free. As the ongoing hearing in the petition filed against the APC and INEC by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the PDP reaches a critical stage at the Presidential Election Tribunal, borrowing a page from Justice Roberts's judicial integrity is not so herculean a task to execute by the major actors at the Nigerian Bench. Without missing words, the concerns most often expressed by Mr. Atiku Abubakar regarding the compromised position of the Chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal are not unfounded. The husband of the Chairman is a Senator under the flagship of APC flag. I do not think that the demand for her to recuse herself from hearing the petition made by the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is without foundation or merit. In addition, the sudden removal of Justice Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court, a few weeks before the Presidential election, by the President was not done in good faith. Nevertheless, it is my hope and prayer that the Chief Justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, as well as the Chairman of the Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Bulkachuwa do the right thing and help to bring integrity, honor, and respect to the Nigerian Bench similar to what Justice John Roberts is doing in the United States of America.

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VANGUARDNGR.COM

Tight security at A-Court, as Atiku seeks private meeting with tribunal panel - Vanguard News

There is a heavy security presence at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal begins pre-hearing session

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The Unfinished Business

It was about the third week of February 2019, and I remember standing by the roadside when I sighted a huge Black Cow with white patches on its side, giving birth to a Calf (a new baby cow).  The calf was huge, looking healthy. In excitement, I shouted, "Look at this Cow giving birth in broad daylight across the street." There were other Cows besides the one giving birth, but they were not as big. As the head, the fore-legs (front legs), and down to the waistline came out, but before the hind-limbs could come out, something unusual happened. I saw two men wearing what appeared like a brown robe walk onto the huge Cow that was giving birth. And climbed onto the horns of the Cow, one on each side of the head. Despite the weight on the head of the Cow, it didn't collapse to the ground or succumb to the pressure from the two men.

Seeing the ugly scene evolving, I shouted, saying, "Hey, look at these two men climbing and sitting on top of the horns of a Cow that is giving birth to a new calf." Instantaneously, I dashed across the road to attack or chase away the intruders, to rescue the Cow and the Calf. As I ran across the street, towards the Cow and the attackers, I opened my eyes; it was just a dream.

I stood up, shaking, perplexed, not knowing what to do. I knew it was not a healthy sign. I then proceeded to do the usual: I prayed and committed the process into God's hands to take control. Not knowing what to make of it, I went to Google for a possible explanation or interpretation, but nothing useful manifested in my search.

I know childbirth ought to represent a new dawn. And I can also conclude, to a certain degree, that impeding the process of childbirth could represent the frustration of a purpose. Nevertheless, deciphering the dream was made more complicated because I was not expecting a new contract, job, or business opportunity. Much as I tried, I couldn't tie the knots. Though I was disturbed, I wasn't disillusioned, given the fact that the Cow did not collapse to the ground and the Calf did not suffer any harm. 

Above all, the fact that someone intervenes to chase away the intruders and is about to rescue the Cow and the Calf elicited a sense of optimism in me. In other words, the attack occurs when the process becomes insurmountable. Forcing the calf back into the Mother's womb is like inducing a cow to sail through the eyes of a needle.  A little bit relieved, I went about doing what I know how to do in the face of uncertainty: fasting and praying for God's intervention.

As I said earlier, I couldn't attach the dream to anything or any aspect of my life, whether businesswise or family-related, that I was anticipating a breakthrough. But today, about three months later, and after a series of quiet introspection, prayer and fasting, I have gained some new insights into the revelation. It isn't about me or about a personal business prospect. It was something bigger. 

Analysis

Medically, as well as in real life, when a woman is about to put to bed, and the legs of baby come out first, that by itself is a disaster waiting to happen. On the other hand, when the head and the hands are out first, there is a cause for joy. Because at that stage in the delivery process, even a novice can help to pull the baby out of the mother's cavity. Worst case scenario, only a little push is required, and the baby is out.

Also, if the attack was during pregnancy and labour, it would be a different matter entirely. Here, the birth was about 99.9% completed - the Baby was almost out of its Mom's womb, healthy and bigger than usual. The frustration of purpose or the attack, jejune as it was, came too late. That it was not allowed to eject completely is an exercise in futility.   

If the attack was in the dark or in a secluded area or in secret, then the attackers could mount a vigorous defence, and indeed there was no attack (we didn't orchestrate frustration). In the instant case, the birth (victory) was in the open, and the attack (frustration of purpose) was in the open, witnessed by the general public. You can't dispute the obvious. And when you had a rescuer on board, poised to inflict maximum damage to rescue the Mama and the Baby, you could rest assured that the newborn would kiss the earth. Also, the fact that the Cow didn't collapse to the ground under pressure, creates room for optimism, to wit, the process may be delayed, but cannot be completely vacated. It may only take some time. Despite everything, I am optimistic that what will be will be. For it is stated, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Amen. This was Vice President Atiku Abubakar's presidential election victory nipped in the bud. I invested a lot of my time into it, and I am not surprised that I am getting this revelation.