The Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM), the umbrella platform of fresh breed political leaders in the emergent third force movement, on Monday cautioned a National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and power brokers in Nigeria to learn from the outcome of the Osun State gubernatorial elections and desist from actions tending towards taking voters for granted.
NIM, a pan-Nigerian body currently mobilising towards ‘ballot based political revolution’, said it was particularly important for Tinubu and his political loyalists in the southwest to immediately stop abusing the goodwill of the electorate but quickly learn from the strong signals from Osun election which, according to it, clearly rejected politics of godfather and imposition of anointed candidates by power brokers.
Reacting to the Osun elections which was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), NIM strongly chided power brokers and godfathers in the country for indulging in taking the Nigerian electorate for granted by engaging in what it termed “cabalistic self serving politics” which is currently rocking and heating the Lagos polity.
In a statement issued in Osogbo on Monday, by NIM National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Naseer Kura, the organization decried the unfolding political drama in the Lagos APC, saying it was time for the actors to stop their reckless display of power without proper considerations for the voters.
“We, the fresh breed political leaders in the country again wish to decry the unfolding political drama in Lagos, which is involving the ruling APC cabal in Lagos and the State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, who is being pressurized by power brokers within the Lagos Mandate Group to step down and forgo his reelection bid for their anointed candidate, in person of one Jide Sanwoolu.
“We think this kind of reckless power display by Tinubu and his clique of King makers in Lagos makes a mockery of the principle of internal party democracy as it also demeans the value and dignity of Lagos teeming electorate and voting populace to the effect that they can even jettison the performance of Ambode, who is regarded as the whiz-kid of Lagos development for the blind loyalty of Sanwoolu,” NIM said.
The movement, which is being jointly led by human rights icon, Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and Dr Abdujalil Tafawa Balewa, son of the former Nigeria’s Prime Minister, added that the ‘sort of paternalistic politics,’ being displayed by Tinubu and his proteges could be best described as self overreaching and abusive of the longstanding goodwill the had been enjoying in Lagos.
While congratulating Osun electorate for rejecting what it called ‘Lagos king makers,’ NIM said it was not surprising that the people spoke with their vote to reject Tinubu and his overreaching actions and power show.
“We are, therefore, not surprised that this power show was roundly rejected in Osun, after Tinubu goofed and overstretched his goodwill by daring to assert during one of the campaign trains of APC to an Osun monarch that he and Oyetola, his cousin, anointed as the governorship candidate of APC, are richer than the State of Osun.
“To us, the Osun Governorship elections could not have come at a better time than this as the outcome has turned out to be a big sign of what is to come in 2019, especially in Lagos. So, in a State like Lagos where Tinubu’s power brokers are already boasting about unilaterally determining, who becomes the next Governor of the State, we are of the firm opinion that the electorate would be wise enough this time to reject any anointed candidate of godfathers, as any attempt to deny Ambode the APC ticket in Lagos should really send a strong signal to the Lagos electorate that their power and mandate are being undermined.
“The APC power brokers should know that the electorate can reenact the Osun 2018 dose again in Lagos for the first time since 1991, when a similar power tussle among power brokers in the camp of the more popular Social Democratic Party (SDP) providentially foisted the candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC), the Late Sir Michael Otedola as the Governor of Lagos,” the group said.
