As He Intensifies Bid For 2023 Presidency
In the next few days, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the APC will be returning back to the country to further intensify his campaign for the forthcoming 2013 presidential elections. Already, his party, the APC is preparing itself for the elections, and like Gov. Akeredolu recently said, there are some decisions that need to be taken when Asiwaju returns from London. That is how important he is rated by his associates.
Although he still has not announced his interest in the presidential race, work has reached an advanced stage, as he has made wide consultations with all the stakeholders.
But his biggest headache so far is how to get all his Boys to work together, towards a common goal and not dissipate energy.
According to an insider, Asiwaju Tinubu has his Game plan well laid out. He has Plan A, Plan B and even Plan C, but his worry is for his Boys not to play into the hands of his enemies.
City People gathered that part of the plans to scuttle Asiwaju’s moves is to break his ranks and promise some of his Boys juicy appointments.
According to the agenda of the Mafia who plan to stop Asiwaju, many of whom are predominantly from the core North, the way to go about it is to pick on one of his Boys and play him against the former Lagos Governor.
Already many of them have had their names repeatedly mentioned at some point or the other, as possible candidates for the race, like Vice President Osinbajo whose name keeps recurring. There is Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Faymi, who is the Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors Forum, who is tipped to come out.
There is former Lagos Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola who is the current Minister of Works & Housing. He has not said a word.
There is former Ogun Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who is currently a serving Senator.
There is the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola whose name features constantly and many more who nurse the ambition but are afraid to come out to make public their intention.
According to insiders, Asiwaju has made his intention known to all his Boys, but none of them has come out to openly oppose him or tell him to his face that they won’t support his ambition.
They all carry what has been described as a moral burden because Asiwaju it was, who built their careers for them. Like many have mentioned in the recent past there is none of them that can disown the role Asiwaju played in their emergence as successful politicians and public officeholders.
It is this issue that has divided the ranks of Tinubu’s Boys. Because those who are fiercely loyal to Tinubu insist that they would not allow any politician who Tinubu has produced to come out and contest against their political godfather come 2023.
“We would work against any of these people who decide to contest against Asiwaju because he produced all of them and they knew what the Agenda was. They are all part of the grand plan to help Asiwaju achieve his ambition as the next President of Nigeria when the time comes. So, why will they turn round, after Asiwaju has done his own bit to position them well in the scheme of things and they on their part now want to bite the fingers that fed them”.
Asiwaju himself, we hear, has met with all of them, individually, to further appeal to them to rally around him, as he makes a bid for the Presidency.
But some of these Tinubu Boys, we hear have a slightly different view. They believe that Asiwaju should remain as their godfather, whilst he picks on one of them to go into the race. They feel that what the country needs today is a much younger and vibrant politician with a proven track record of service and achievements.
Some have even argued that Age and Asiwaju’s rumoured health challenges may hamper his ability to deliver on any promise he makes. So they are calling for a generational shift.
All these arguments don’t go down well with many pro-Tinubu loyalists who now liken such argument to that of a footballer who is now calling for the movement of the goal post away from where it is, after scoring his own goal.
READ ALSO: BOSE ADEGUNWA REFLECTS ON HER NEW LIFE @ 50
