Presidency 2023: As Tinubu Swallows Orji Kalu, Okorocha, Akpabio, El-Rufai

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 By Obinna Akukwe

The strongman of Lagos State and National Leader of APC,
Bola Tinubu has been strategically swallowing all his potential political
opponents, vis Orji Uzor Kalu, Rochas Okorocha, Godswill Akpabio and Nasir
El’Rufai ahead of the 2023 presidency.

Bola Tinubu is a man loathed by professionals and feared by
politicians. He has held Lagos State in firm grip since 1999 till date and has
installed whomsoever he wished as governor. Tinubu has equally extended his
grips to states in the South West where most of the governors, either past or
present, are his boys. Therefore, you can ignore Tinubu at your own peril.

Buhari’s emergence as President in 2015 and 2019 has Tinubu
playing a major role in swaying South West votes to the Katsina born general.
It took the blackmails of people like former Senate President Saraki and
ex-Governor Rotimi Amechi to stop Bola Tinubu from being running mate to Buhari
in 2015.

Tinubu has made it clear with body language that he wants to
rule Nigeria come 2023 and he is ruthless about it. Many top contenders for the
position or their acolytes have bitter tales as Tinubu marches with his plan.
His effort to make Lawan the Senate President and Gbajaiala Speaker in 2015
were botched by Saraki and the former Senate President paid dearly for it.
Tinubu ensured that Saraki was retired politically in Kwara in 2019.

Tinubu knew that Orji Uzor Kalu, a bosom friend, was among
top choices from the South East quest for presidency. Kalu jumped from PDP to
PPA, back to PDP and moved to APC. He contested and won the Senator-ship of
Abia North. He wangled his way until he became Senate Chief Whip, after efforts
to become Deputy Senate President failed. Orji Uzor Kalu was basking in his new
found position as Chief Whip, when he was whipped into Kuje Prison to spend 12
years due to graft.

Kalu knew where his problem came from. Speaking to
AljazirahNigeria at the Kuje Prison last month, he specifically mentioned the
leader of the APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu as using the EFCC to fight him because he
is afraid that he will contest against him for the presidency in 2023.

Another 2023 Presidential hopeful and former Governor Rochas
Okorocha of Imo State had a taste of what I believe as Tinubu treatment when
INEC refused to give him certificate of return following his victory as
Senator-elect representing Imo West. Okorocha, a most valuable favourite for
Igbo Presidency 2023 was interested in becoming the Senate Minority Leader, in
preparation for his Presidency bid.

 It took the court
order of June 6th for Okorocha to be returned as a Senator and was issued the
certificate on June 12th after the elections of all officers of the National
Assembly. Since he managed to enter the legislative chamber, the vociferous
ex-governor had cooled down. Okorocha had told people that he knew Tinubu and
Oshiomhole wanted him out of the way.

Another Presidential hopeful from the South South zone and
former Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio, joined the ruling APC on the
ground that he will become the Senate President, and help deliver Akwa Ibom to
Buhari. This runs contrary to Tinubu’s plan and Akpabio had to be checkmated.
Akpabio is also a favoured alternative to Tinubu as far as the cabals are
concerned. Unfortunately, the INEC Resident Commissioner, Charles Igini, an
Urhobo man, was allegedly detailed through his kinsman Senator Omo Agege to
ensure that Akpabio does not near the Senate chambers.

 Akpabio had to lose
Akwa Ibom South Senatorial Zone. Yekini Nabena, Deputy National Publicity
Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urged the Independent INEC to
remove Mr. Mike Igini. All attempt by Akpabio to get Igini removed failed
because Oshiomhole   and Bola Tinubu did
not buy the idea. Akpabio had told close friends that his political travails
were induced by Tinubu and Oshiomhole.

Another Presidential hopeful whom Tinubu had put in the
cooler is the Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Angered by Tinubu’s
interference in who becomes Chairman of Nigeria Governor’s Forum, El Rufai
asked Lagosians to dethrone Tinubu as godfather and gave them formula on how to
do that. Tinubu had to flex his muscles by ensuring that El-Rufai’s bid to
succeed Ex Gov Yari as NGF Chairman was scuttled. Instead Kayode Fayemi was
selected. Since then El-Rufai had known that Tinubu’s strongman-ship is not an
exaggeration and the progressive governor have shelved his presidential
ambition and thrown weight behind a southern candidate.

To the best of my knowledge, Tinubu’s long hands is in the
ordeals of late Senator Uwajumogu representing Imo North, the only ranking
Senator from the South East, who could have become a Senate President of
principal officer in the National Assembly. INEC refused to issue him
certificate of return till July 25th after a court compelled them to do so. The
shock of his certificate being withheld, just as in Okorocha’s case, got the
man sick and he never recovered till he slumped and died.

Tinubu installed Yemi Osibanjo as Vice President, Ahmed
Lawan as Senate President, Femi Gbajamiala as Speaker of House of Reps and
Oshiomhole as Party Chairman. He is ruthlessly decimating potential contenders
and they have sorry tales to tell.

Can Tinubu make a good president? I think he can. Tinubu
managed Lagos when former president Obasanjo withheld the State allocation for
up to four years. Thus he ran Lagos without Federal allocation and did not
overtax the people.

While facebook and twitter critics are calling him all
manners of names, the man is strategically implementing his plans. It is
courtesy of Tinubu that the APC crisis have not engulfed Oshiomhole despite the
cabals being against the embattled party chairman.

Can Tinubu win the presidency in 2023? With the formidable
structures, formidable contacts within INEC and Judiciary, and ruthlessly
strategies he has used to swallow up potential obstructs, including Orji Uzor
Kalu, Rochas Okorocha, Godswill Akpabio and Nasir-El-Rufai, only God can stop
him.

(Obinna Akukwe wrote via profetobinna2@yahoo.com,
facebook.com/obinnaakukwe)