'Let me now examine the possible candidates for the presidential configuration. The surest bet for me remains the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. I narrowed my choice to him because he readily has a nationwide template and network to work with. He has shown himself as a bridge-builder while the others continue to live in the cocoon of ethnicity. The next leader of Nigeria must be someone who feels comfortable with all Nigerians. The greatest disservice to Jonathan is the desperate attempt by his supporters to turn him into a jingoist whose only qualification to govern is where he comes from. That was one of the mistakes of June 12, when some people either deliberately or inadvertently reduced a powerful national mandate to a localised South West affair. Jonathan will soon realise like we did that his people alone cannot make him President no matter the threat of war. The same argument they are using to justify Jonathan’s compulsory second time is the same the North would marshal to say President Yar’Adua did not complete his terms and they were therefore short-changed. If I were Jonathan, I would hinge my campaign on performance rather than drums of hostilities. I will quickly bury the hatchet and settle with Amaechi and others, like President Obasanjo did with Atiku Abubakar, James Ibori and company, before he pummelled them later. I think Tambuwal stands a better chance than the Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido who has been publicly endorsed by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Lamido’s albatross will be that open fraternisation with Obasanjo who is no longer in control of the apparatus of power and political party unlike when he forced Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the nation. Obasanjo does not even command enough followership in the South West today to install a Governor. That’s not to say he is irrelevant in the scheme of things. His biggest influence is our unregistered political party, the Nigerian Armed Forces, in which he’s not just a General but one of its biggest players. Tambuwal (born January 10, 1966) fits the current trend in the world of politics and leadership. He’s charismatic and brilliant. A lawyer by training and profession, he has been exposed to international standards and best practices through courses at various institutions in Africa, United Kingdom and the United States of America...' --Bashorun Dele Momodu
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:48:46 +0000
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