Who is the authentic leader of the
Yoruba? Who among the present crop of politicians in the South-West
geopolitical zone qualifies to be called a leader in the mould of
Obafemi Awolowo, the revered leader who made the region a development
model in the First Republic? Are the so-called “progressives” in the
region true followers of his ideology or just pretenders who have
benefitted from his name to gain following and political mileage?
Given his exploits at both regional and
recently at national level, can the former governor of Lagos State and
national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, fit in
the shoes? The question of the quintessential leader like Awolowo is one
debate that has raged for years since the passing on of a man described
by the late Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as the
“best president Nigeria never had”. The idea of “the leader’’ in a
country where politics is dominated by ethnic loyalty and hero
worshipping has defined Nigeria political following since independence.
Even in the Fourth Republic where
political power at the centre can only be achieved by a political party
with national spread, the ethnic groups have often looked up to that
individual with enough political pedigree to champion their cause. In a
federal structure that has concentrated political and economic powers
at the centre, ethnicity and regional politics still dominate political
discourse. It has also determined how government patronage is dispensed.
More so, in the political dynamics at play in the country, the idea of
the “leader” is an important index of political following. Over the
years, power struggle among the ethnic groups has been characterised by
who among the political elite is positioned to lead the ethnic groups or
speak on their behalf. Just as these groups have championed their group
interests in the larger Nigeria, also have individuals with political
influence and pedigree emerged as leaders.
Last week, I chanced on this same debate
by some Nigerians in Lagos. It was interesting. The protagonists had
based their positions on Tinubu’s contributions to South-West politics.
His recent foray into national politics through the spread of the APC is
also said to stand him out. While I consider the debate irrelevant
given that the strength of a regional leader may not guarantee political
power at the centre, the debate seems not ready to go away anytime
soon. The argument for Tinubu had centered on his doggedness in
building the Action Congress of Nigeria into a formidable opposition
party especially with the results of 2011 elections which saw the party
defeating the Peoples Democratic Party, in the takeover of the
South-West. It had been argued then that by rallying the region into the
progressive fold, a feat that was only achieved in the First Republic
when Awolowo was the Premier of the then Western Region, Tinubu had
become the Awolowo of our time. Since the death of Awolowo’s protégés
such as Adekunle Ajasin, Bola Ige and Abraham Adesanya, the question of
who could step in his shoes has divided the region. However, none of the
leaders that have laid claim to being the successor of the late sage
has lived up to his achievements and larger-than-life image. Not until a
decade ago when Tinubu emerged from the ruins of military rule has the
debate assumed contentious heights.
However, Tinubu seems to have his future
role cut out for him. In 2003, he had survived the PDP blitz when the
party took over the South-West in a landslide election that will go down
as the worst in history. How he survived the federal machine unleashed
by former President Olusegun Obasanjo is still being discussed. As of
the time when the region leaders fell to the maneuvering of PDP, Tinubu
ensured that his party retained Lagos in the massive rigging of 2003
elections.
Prior to independence, Awolowo was
persuaded by prominent members of the Action Group to lead the party as
the Leader of the Opposition. Excluded from national government, the
position of Awolowo and his party became increasingly precarious. In
spite of the travails of the time, he remained in the opposition,
sticking to the progressive philosophy of his party.
Is there any similarity between him and
Tinubu in his doggedness to remain in the opposition despite the Federal
Government breathing down his neck since 2003? There seems to be a
sense of déjà vu that the events which shaped the politics of the
South-West from 1959 to 1963 have played out in the last 12 years.
Perhaps, the role the former Lagos State
governor played as the face of opposition since 2003 and 2011 election
has increasingly brought him in close comparison to the late leader. But
it is too early to compare him as the successor. In a region where the
“egbon” (elder) syndrome determines leadership and privileges, he
continues to be opposed by the elders of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, who believe he does not possess what it takes to succeed Awolowo.
Similarly, an issue has been made about
his overbearing attitude. But some have said that in the tough political
terrain, those traits come in handy. Awolowo was also famed to have
used these methods to keep errant members of the old Action Group in
check. Can Tinubu then be said to be the number one leader of the
South-West with a strong national presence? Is he the new Awolowo? This
surely is debatable.
CULLED: www.punchng.com
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