For years that ran into decades, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had started working his way up the political ladder, strategising and amassing wealth for his entry as the president of Nigeria. He fixed people into positions of authority and became the leader of a political party from which to launch himself into national politics. Tinubu who had been consolidating in his Southwest zone, making sure many of the governors were from his political party, launched into the national politics when his Action Congress of Nigeria and other political parties merged to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The highest seat of power in Nigeria is no less seen as a turn-by-turn adventure between the northern and southern protectorates and among the six geopolitical zones, even as the Southeast has been edged out. Based on this arrangement, some politicians with no iota of idea on what to do to turn the country around occupy not only the seat of president but also other leadership positions. It is this ideology of turn-by-turn that fuelled Tinubu’s entitled right to become the president with the saying, “Emilokan – it is my turn”. This slogan has long been discussed since the first use by the president during the run up to his party’s primary.
The seat of government should be the moral authority of Nigeria. It should be occupied by a person of impeccable ideas with relatable character and with human kindness.
Over the last five months, Nigerians are faced with an unprecedented hardship. But not only that, Nigerians are equally embarrassed by the character of the president whose past and present records taint the image of the seat of president and by all means lacks credibility and moral authority of leadership.
Tinubu has been embroiled in a barrage of identity, certificate forgery and drug cases.
“The lofty titles that decorate people in power have little meaning if there is a hollowness and falsehood underneath them. Such titles which adorn those in public office mean nothing if they are not original and are fake if those who bear them have no honour to support the weight of the titles they carry.” Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party wrote on X.
Emilokan, is not only a slogan as it seemed or a claim to an entitled right to the seat of power, it is a capture and seizure of power and the institutions of government, it is also a guiding principle on which lay the policies of the Tinubu administration.
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In Emilokan, we have seen politics of plundering of the resources of the country. In Emilokan, the INEC which called the result that returned Tinubu lost public trust and in Emilokan, the Judiciary played to lose public trust which the Supreme Court may be a victim of the machinations of an administration which believe they have arrived to ‘chop’.
Emilokan is the ideology of dictatorship, entitlement, tyranny and nepotism.
“I described Tinubu as a “potential dictator…” God knows, that was the honest TRUTH, and a perfect description of how I felt about him.” Dele Momodu wrote on X.
In Emilokan, the Southwest took it home as ‘ourlokan – it is our turn’. Tinubu has been favouring the people of the geopolitical zone predominantly the Yorubas with prime positions of authority. But is Tinubu the best the zone could offer Nigeria?
Tinubu, who does not seem to believe in the rules-based process, undermined the election, as his supporters went amok in snatching and grabbing votes scored by other parties, especially in Rivers state. By doing so, he undermined the principles of democracy. Tinubu’s government so far has gone against the freedom of speech in using institutional authority to try gagging the media.
In the run up to the disclosure of his certificate forgery by the Chicago State University, Tinubu had tried all he could to conceal his fake certificate.
There is palpable fear that the Supreme Court will go the way of the Tribunal as that is the final nail in the public trust for the Judiciary.
The judges have the power to put an end to the capture and seizure of the seat of the Nigerian government using Emilokan and tainting the image of the seat with identity and forgery scandals.
Well, as I finished writing this, the news came that the Supreme Court has affirmed Tinubu’s election. “The judgment of the court below delivered on September 6th, 2023 affirming the election of the second respondent as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is hereby affirmed.” Justice Inyang Okoro, head of the apex court panel, ruled.
By this affirmation, which has given power to the Emilokan ideology, and has already fuelled the justified purchase of SUVs by the lawmakers with an excuse of bad roads which they the politicians allow to dilapidate. It is an affirmation that thugs, drug lords, persons with no identity, and people with past criminal cases can aspire to be the Nigerian leader.
Nigerians should be wary.
The road is crooked, arduous and long.
Election, it is said, has consequences.