The road to the presidency wasn’t always a smooth one for Tinubu, who had to contend with forces within his party, including Buhari himself who did everything to try stopping the Jagaban succeeding him. Ironically it was the same Tinubu who brought Buhari from the political graveyard after several election losses. Tinubu who governed Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria for eight years at the onset of the present Fourth Republic, through sheer political sagacity became instrumental in Buhari’s victory in 2015.
When the former governor made his intention known to run for the office of president early in 2022, Buhari was oblivious to his clamour and most times entreaties. Shortly before the primaries, Buhari’s foot soldiers flew the kite that the presidency had endorsed the candidature of Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President. The chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu made the announcement. Pressure was brought to bear on Tinubu to step down for Buhari’s man but the Jagaban was adamant, no matter how they tried he couldn’t be intimidated. He went publicly to declare he was stepping down for no one.
Buhari and his cabal saw the handwriting on the wall and quickly changed tune. Adamu became the fall guy in that gamble. Tinubu went on with the support of some APC governors past and present to secure the party’s nomination. Not done, Buhari was lying in wait for the Jagaban. Just a few weeks to the general election Buhari through his Man Friday, Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank Governor, the worst in the history of the Republic, launched their now discredited Naira redesign. The policy aimed at squeezing cash from Nigerians would cast APC in bad light and cost Tinubu the election. But the Jagaban was ahead of the game as he turned the heat on Emefiele, at some point calling for his sack.
He would go on to win the election amidst claim by his challengers Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, that the election was fraughted with irregularities. Abubakar and Obi are in court challenging Tinubu’s victory. Other cases brought by individuals and group to try to truncate the Jagaban’s march to the presidency have either been thrown out of court or squashed.
He’s also upbeat about leveraging on tech to create jobs for teeming Nigerian youths. Under his watch a new industrial policy will utilise the full range of fiscal measures to promote domestic manufacturing and lessen import dependency. He is committed to making electricity to become more accessible and affordable to homes and businesses.
He’s also set to change the direction of fighting insecurity in the nation. Counter-terrorism units would be used to confront terrorists groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP. Special forces would be set up to go after kidnappers and extremist groups.
At his inauguration, he reiterated his preparedness for the job, and used the opportunity to preach unity. “The South must not only seek good for itself but must understand that its interests are served when good comes to the North. The North must see the South likewise…Whether from the winding creeks of the Niger Delta, the vastness of the northern savannah, the boardrooms of Lagos, the bustling capital of Abuja, or the busy markets of Onitsha, you are all my people. As your president, I shall serve with prejudice toward none but compassion and amity towards all,” Tinubu declared.
It’s a new dawn for Nigeria
