Trial Of Asiwaju: A Tale Of Envy And Political Desperation Of The Pdp

When the world received the news of the trial of Emeritus Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Asiwaju of Nigeria and the Jagaban of Borgu, it was concluded at all quarters that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Federal Government had started another fruitless hounding of the opposition and its centre figure, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As expected, the Code of Conduct Bureau came up with no tangible allegations against him other than frivolous charges. Of course, one should expect such a high level of desperation of the PDP to use all apparatuses of the state within its reach to undermine and clampdown the emblem of opposition in Nigeria. With critical observation of the various political happenings in the polity, we are aware of the fact that Asiwaju and the ACN have always been trying hard to liberate the Nigerian masses from the selfish, greedy and devilish fist of the PDP led federal government.

Do we need to start recounting history from the dark days of President Obasanjo, when he betrayed the entire southwest by trading the collective political commonwealth of its proud people with mainstream option which only favoured him and few of his cronies at the expense of the entire zone? Obasanjo’s political adventure brought nothing to the southwest but set of incompetent, naive, useless, reckless and corrupt crop of politicians who primitively accumulated and, at the same time, squandered our wealth with nothing to show for it.

These are the people who deserve to be dragged from EFCC to ICPC and the Code of Conduct Tribunal before they then finally go for a long sojourn in solitary dungeon. For us, the achievements of Tinubu are unparalleled and while the father of the PDP, Olusegun Obasanjo is a double tragedy to Nigeria, Asiwaju has assumed the position of a genuine leader of the Yoruba and a new Nigeria.

Asiwaju, as an initiator of a better idea for a greater Lagos, left office for a unique actualiser, Mr. Raji Fashola (SAN), whose political performances have made mockery of the sum total of the political performances of the entire PDP. Not relenting in his bid to better place Nigeria on a higher socioeconomic and political pedestal, the ACN, under the leadership of Chief Bisi Akande and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, went ahead to install competent set of worthy Nigerians as the governors of Edo, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun and Oyo states.

In all his political and social endeavours, Asiwaju has combined the exceptional intellectual political sagacity of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the outstanding philanthropic spirit of Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election. He soars above all other political elites in contemporary Nigeria with his excellent political maturity. This is why he is always an object of stern envy from the PDP and other enemies of democracy and good governance, but naturally admired and loved by the poor cum grassroots people of Nigeria.

The Code of Conduct Bureau, an apparatus of the state being teleguided by the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, now thinks that the only way it can be seen as a living machinery of government to fight corruption is by dealing with Asiwaju in order to silence him politically and slamming any corrupt charges on him, no matter how undesirable or frivolous such charges may be.

These, indeed, are concocted charges by a drunken anti-corruption mercenary!

Tinubu’s many sins are that he dislodged the PDP from the southwest and some of its strongholds like Edo State. President Obasanjo will never wish Asiwaju well because the ACN floored all his political sufayos in the southwest. The Bode Georges, Segun Onis, Alao Akalas, Olatunji Olurins, Olusegun Agagus, Olagunsoye Oyinlolas, Professor Osunbos of this world will always want to see Tinubu disgraced.

The recently shocking of the political insult is the inability of the PDP leadership to lord Mulikat over the House of Representatives as its Speaker. In fact, to them, Asiwaju is the cause of all their political woes. The entire PDP family will do everything humanly to silence BAT because their belief is that if he is still breathing, the opposition in Nigeria will continue to put them to check. They have forgotten that Nigerians, in their own rights, are not fools that some greedy elites can keep captive for too long.

Tinubu realises this fact; he aligns all the time with the people and his political tide never moves against that of the people. That is why he is revered and respected. This is why Tinubu is the face of the opposition and the Asiwaju of New Nigeria.

Justice Ayo Salami is another matter the PDP will wants Asiwaju dead politically. Justice Salami is seriously hated by the Presidency and the PDP because they see him to be too honest and ready to cause more defeat for them. Just as Tinubu almost always thinks of the genuine development and growth of democracy in Nigeria, Justice Salami too believes in posterity and the people before taking any decision in the judiciary. He holds the single principle that no power, money or absolute power of the Presidency, however mighty it may be, will ever buy his conscience.

The Civil Societies, the NLC, NBA, pro-democracy activists and majority of Nigerians condemned the action of the President and the NJC over Justice Salami’s case, but immediately ACN and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu went all out to condemn this obvious undemocratic act, the Code of Conduct Tribunal was called by vested interests in the Presidency to reawaken already dead charges against him.

From the foregoing, it is a picture perfect, visible to the blind, audible to the deaf and psychologically sensible to the most celebrated lunatic that this whole cynical and diabolical cold war against our hero of democracy is as a result of a deep-seated envy and desperation of the PDP and the Presidency to silence Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and destroy the opposition.

This is a plot that will eventually meet its Waterloo in no distant time. President Jonathan and the PDP should leave Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu alone because there is no democracy in the world that ever develops or grows without a conscious opposition.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

•Taiwo Ayedun Shanana is President, Congress for Southwest Youth.