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ON THE TINUBU VICTORY, please understand Bola Ahmed Tinubu strategy. We need to learn from his hard work and laborious journey towards power. BAT’s strategy is anchored on the well-known thesis of building a formidable political structure, populate it with diverse, knowledgeable, and skilful actors, provide the required resources, oil the machine with a fighting foot soldier and understanding the electoral map / demographics based on the balance of forces.
It took Bola Ahmed Tinubu crystallisation of his political machine from 1992 till date to make a difference. It was a very serious and incisive project involving ziz- zag movements, failure and rejections and building from the top below. He deployed resources to study the CARIA Movement of Arthur Nzeribe and People’s Fronts of late Yar’ Ardua.
He understood the six indices of power. (Money (economic power) demographic, media, intellect, technology, and cultural matrix. He set up a newspaper and television stations to mode public opinion. He understood the power index of the country, he appreciated the ground game, the voting game, and the minimal wining coalition in an electoral contest. This involves understanding the concept of power in terms of its capture, seizure, and consolidation (apologies to Professor Okwudibi Nnoli and Dr Okey Ekeocha, on Realities of State Power).
If you care to study ” Power indices in Politics” by Philip D. Staffin Jnr, you would appreciate Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mentality. Tinubu engaged in selective philanthropy by focusing on the high voting states in the country. He deliberately cultivated these states and their active players. He owned series of businesses and built bridges across vital voting blocs in the country. His financial power helped in positioning individuals in critical areas of social life. He seized Lagos and deployed its vast resources to build a vast socio- political cum economic machine that later spread to the entire South- West. This homogenous machine was rightly controlled and had many layers of interface.
Tinubu was less emotional in setting up the ground game by focusing on 10 highest voting states in the country. He excluded Rivers and Akwa-lbom because of his inability to find trusted political allies who could deliver. This accounts for his later reaching out to Magnus Abe and later Godswill Akpabio. This were later days alliances constructed but not yet consolidated. He ensured Senator Magnus Abe was appointed to the Board of NNPC. He helped get Senator Akpabio out of trouble by negotiating his soft landing after his disastrous governance of the richest oil-bearing state in the country. Akpabio left his lucrative position as Senate Minority Leader to join APC. This was the handwork of BAT. Akpabio repaid him back by making that important announcement that altered the political calculus of the convention.
Tinubu as the master strategists focused on seizing and consolidating the party machine in 15 highest voting states especially those in the Northwest and Northeast. Kwara, Niger and Nassarawa states in the North Central where his fanatical supporters reside
Tinubu further worked very hard to gain the confidence of Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Borno, Kebbi, Zamfara, Lagos, Oyo, Delta and Akwa-lbom governors and party leadership. He deliberately left out Rivers State since Amaechi was very strong. He balanced off Rivers off by cultivating Edo and Delta States through Adams Oshomhole and Omo- Agege. He also appreciated the strength of former Gov Rotimi Amaechi who controlled the party machine in the state and Niger Delta . He neutralised and encircled Amaechi through Akpabio, who was his rival. Akpabio’s announcement was targeted at Amaechi.
Regrettably, the South- East players such as Gov Hope Uzodinma, Orji Uzor Kalu, David Umahi and Rochas Okorocha were busy fighting themselves for superiority and supreme. None had a strong political machine. None had national appeal, and none had a ground game. They were very toxic and infantile in their response to critical question of capturing of state power through electoral politics. Their ground game was very weak as seen in the last-minute move to foist Ahmed Lawan through the ill- fated consensus.
They relied on Buhari and the National Chairman to foist a consensus game plan. But they forgot that Buhari does not help any body and his reclusive nature had made him to be badly isolated. He had no control of the party machine. Tinubu and his acolytes plus Amaechi dictated party policy. Uzodinma, Buni and Kalu were fringe players in the party game. This was demonstrated through their resounding defeat at the convention ground. They could not match the formidable army of Tinubu as manifested in the coalition of APC governors determined to challenge the consensus plot.
As desirable as the President of Southeast extraction is, it is not given. It must be taken through hard work and broad national coalition building and negotiation How many lgbo politicians have deliberately cultivated other zones for power? How many has built a sophisticated political machine-like Tinubu and Atiku? How many have set up media outlets to mould public opinion and canvas for power?
Arthur Nzeribe attempted to build a powerful machine through the CARIA Movement. He put the east into the electoral map Late Ikemba through APGA. Orji Uzor Kalu through PPA but later messed it up and it collapsed He is currently attempting to resuscitate his machine but his weak performance as a governor had largely discredited his efforts. He is trying but his flippancy, greed and inconsistency has failed to broaden his national appeal. He has the financial clout, media network, but his weak intellectual outlook and quick fix politics has affected his long-term goal. We need to go back to the drawing board to recalibrate how to capture or engage the power corridor in 2027. Power is not given. It is taken. Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conquered the political space through his vast electoral machine. It is another thing if he would win the election but for now let us give him his due.
Igbo politicians have a lot to learn from BAT and that not only the ‘Politicians’ are required in the power pursuit strategy. We all must learn from the community of Ants and assignment of roles.
The Political scammers from Alaigbo – Arthur Edeh
I want to ask a very important question on this SE Presidential candidate issue at APC Primaries.
Which of the Igbo aspirant contested this Presidential Primaries? Of course, none!
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Ogbonnaya onu: He bought form and went home. He believed in Consensus. He was waiting for Buhari as a Nursery Student. He never went to Ebonyi talk less of visiting any SE state or any part of this country. He never informed his ward, never informed his LG or state that he was contesting, had no delegate, had no coordinators.
He didn’t run any election, he didn’t campaign, he was not prepared. His utterances were not only devious, but they were also manipulative.
Emeka Nwajiuba: The worst among all, same thing. He was relying on father and son syndrome. Though, I see that one as a way of resigning from Buhari government, because many of them are tired already, but don’t have the confidence of saying it, nor resigning officially, because of EFCC.
Rochas Okorocha: Complete fraud, same as Ogbonnaya onu. Did any of them go round to consult even the Igbos, that they are contesting? We only heard it on social media; yet you want to blame those who went round beyond their zones for winning the primaries? Think!!!
Ken Nnamani: nothing. We have Enugu leader here, let him upload one meeting with Ken Nnamani. Nnamani had no delegate, did not know any delegate. He bought form just to negotiate for appointment. Same.
Dave Umahi: was waiting for VP slot. He wanted Lawan and never campaigned. He has Ebonyi delegates, visited Imo same day with Lawan only once. He was not in the contest, in the primary’s venue, never came to our stand or Imo or Abia stands. (xxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxxxx) can confirm too. Wasted effort.
Chukwukelu Ikeobasi: complete scam. His form was bought by someone. Ask him who are the delegates from Ekwusigo LGA of Anambra, he doesn’t know. Same Bubu haha scammers.
Now compare them to Amaechi, osibanjo, Jagaban and Lawan etc who consulted, campaigned, had coordinators, and were contesting to win.
This Igbo Presidency of a thing has become a blackmail and a scam.
The only Igbo man that came out to run for election is Mr Peter Obi, others are scammers and a big embarrassment to Igbo race and SE region.
Pls let us stop giving these people credence.
Most of us here are core politicians and we know when one buys form for relevance and when one buys form for contest. These SE aspirants are politicians who are contesting for “appointments “.
Received on Whatsapp forum
