By Barrister Wakil Oyeleru Oyedemi
I have listened to Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s speech in which he spoke against Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few times. Each time, I become overwhelmed with emotion, and I feel like a painful tear will drop from my eyes. My tears are not for Rauf Aregbesola, because whatever happens after all this politically motivated imbroglio, Rauf Aregbesola will be fine. Of course, my tears will not be for Ahmed Bola Tinubu for reasons that are very clear: Bola Tinubu will be on record as one of the best leaders on this part of the globe. History will see him as one of the best builders of cities, and most importantly, one of the best builders of men in the history of Nigeria. He is and will remain the most celebrated leader of his generation bar none, regardless of how the current political “war” ends. My tears are for a generation that cannot decode that outside Aregbesola and Tinubu is a system that is potent in destroying the best among a people as well as destroying the best structures among the people’s men by fomenting internal cracks. I cry for the Yoruba as an ethnic group for repeating the same internecine war over and over without learning anything from the ruins of its great cities as well as the ruins of its greatest men due to wars from within. I cry about what to tell my kids if they ask whether the Yorubas have defeated their internal war demon that has been eating them from the inside since 1793.
We are quick to point to Awolowo and Akintola. Along with Bode Thomas and a few others, they built the best structures that have stood the test of time. Then came a system that penetrated them and debarred them from attaining the height they toiled for – the system worked the attack from within. There was Ajasin and Omoboriowo, a Governor and his deputy. There was Bisi Akande and Iyiola Omisore. There was Rashidi Ladoja and Alao Akala – another Governor and his deputy. These are men who had great chemistry and were bound to do great things for their people. Then the system penetrated them from within. As they say, the rest is history.
Aregbesola versus Tinubu is the latest saga. Just like their predecessors in the above tales, they are men who did great things together before the system penetrated them. Other than Senator Oluremi Tinubu, I don’t think anyone is or will ever be closer to Tinubu than Aregbesola was. He was the second in command. If I remember correctly, Aregbesola was the Director-General of Tinubu’s gubernatorial campaign in 1998-1999. If you knew Aregbesola in 1999, you will know how he regarded Tinubu’s success as his success. I knew this in 1999 when my former boss, Mr. Fred Agbaje was hired on some litigation involving Bola Tinubu’s election. I remember vividly how Rauf Aregbesola acted as if his life depended on Bola Tinubu’s success – such a loyal associate he was. He was Commissioner for Works for Bola Tinubu, a portfolio no leader will give to a subordinate he doubted – for eight good years. He was a Governor in Osun for eight good years, with Tinubu’s backing all the way from the litigation stage to capture the seat, to Aregbesola’s eight years as a Governor. If Aregbesola had any shortcoming in his style and accomplishments, Tinubu never mentioned such in public. Aregbesola spoke glowingly of Bola Tinubu. From Aregbesola’s own words, Tinubu had a hand in Aregbesola becoming a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Then the 2023 Presidential election knocked on the door and a crack ensued, the system penetrated them from within and the center no longer holds. As always, the system is full of hands whose job is to make the crack between Aregbesola and Tinubu wider. As if they’ve been waiting for a time like this, even supposedly well-educated men and women keep pouring gasoline into the fire of discord and encouraging the weakening of the enviable bond between the duo. Aregbesola’s salvo and action in the build-up to the Osun State APC primary election has been the most lethal and the most unfortunate. Tinubu has not retaliated in plain language (Unless you know what a big pause means after a leader mentions the name of one of his subordinates or when a leader jokingly suggests that you wait for your turn), but there are thousands of freelancers who have started doing what they’ll term responding on Tinubu’s behalf. The fact is that none of these jobbers will ever know Tinubu as much as Aregbesola does. None of them will be close in terms of doing great things together with Tinubu like Aregbesola did.
In hindsight, Aregbesola could have supported an aspirant without openly attacking Tinubu. However, I have no doubt that Tinubu will forgive and reconcile with Rauf Aregbesola. You can’t traverse the kind of landscape Tinubu has traversed without having a big heart and the ability to forgive easily. Surely, I am not naïve to the point of thinking things will go back to where it was between them just three years ago. Yorubas will say “ka ja ka re, lailai ere o le dabi ere apile se.” I hope though, that the reconciliation will come sooner than later.
Caution, I will say, should be the watchword for Bola Tinubu. Although he is entitled to be enraged, Tinubu must remember that there are men and women whose primary job is to destroy structures others have built over a long period with serious attention to detail and by toiling day and night. Trust me, these types of destroyers can’t build any lasting structures of their own, for they lack the integrity, good name, good history or background, brilliance, mental capacity, the discipline, stability, kindness, and most importantly the generosity needed for such endeavor. The pattern however, is to poach the closest of allies, and fan embers of discord between a leader and the most loyal of associates. These political cancers will stop at nothing in bringing down enviable castles with otherwise solid foundations – they can even borrow to fund their campaign of calumny. Of course, these elements do not end well, they become mere anecdotes in the book of history and they leave traces of curses for their offsprings and descendants. However, the reason they are referred to as political lepers is that, while they cannot skim milk, they can overturn gallons of milk made by others – they care not about the inevitable consequences on them or their lineage. That is why Yorubas will say, “Ki ile o to pa osika, ohun rere a ti baje.”
It is left for the leader to guard his castle against destructive intruders with everything he has, including the ability to quickly forgive associates and subordinates who err. This is where Tinubu’s big heart must become bigger and his thick skin must become thicker, otherwise, the serpents who were not there when he was toiling to build his structure will carry the day. I know it is not easy, but Tinubu has no option.
Not only that, Tinubu needs to speak words of assurance and calmness to those who definitely will be agitated at seeing him being attacked. Otherwise, vituperations and verbal attacks will continue unabated – and this is not too good for the polity as it could degenerate into something worse. The fact is that millions of people are bound to take Tinubu’s ambition personal, based on the great things they feel he is capable to do for Nigeria using his Lagos template, or most importantly the feeling that his greatest capacity is that of building great men and making otherwise great men greater – this they believe he will do even better should he become the President of Nigeria. They’ve seen Awolowo. They’ve seen Abiola. They don’t want what happened to these two to happen to Tinubu. He must appeal to persons who take this dimension to be calm, for he does not want the embers of disagreement to continue or emotions riled unnecessarily instead of being diverted to promoting him and his ideas.
When certain elements who joined APC a few months ago were out to cause division in my ward (Ward 1, Akeetan Baale, Oyo West Local Government of Oyo State) as they tried but failed to do everywhere else, my people weren’t going to take it easy. Funny enough, the embers of discord were being fanned from the outside, by persons who had no stake in the progress of the ward or the party. As always, it started by my people trying to remind these elements that they have just joined the party and cannot start causing divisions. This was followed by the attempts to trace the history of these elements. You may not know, but once my people start telling you how your forebears got to a ward or to Oyo, escalation to violence will follow. I knew I had to step in to avoid possible calamity.
While appealing for calm at the ward on August 3, 2021, I used the parable of the war drummers who will ginger you to engage in an all-out war (“Digbo lu, ko lu, too ba digbo lu ma pada leyin e”). But, if you hearken to listen, the same drummers will warn at some point that, when the chips are down, you may be by yourself (“To ba buru tan, iwo nikan ni o ku”). I reminded them that we are a close-knit community and these elements won’t be there when the ruins of war stare us all in the face, for they would have moved to another party or another ward to foment trouble, and we will be left alone to lick our wounds – a scenario we don’t want.
I assured my people of our future victory based on the measurable parameters of loyalty and consistency at a time the party was in comatose and the fact that our party leaders may be patient but they are not fools. Therefore, everyone must be calm so we could enjoy the fruits of victory together.
Then, I used the parable of the artwork displayed in the office of my former boss, Mr. Fred Agbaje, of a big cow being pulled by two brothers, one by the horns, the other by the tail, while a third person sat calmly while benefiting from the milk as the brothers fought. I did not hesitate to warn that, we must all be calm and avoid war so we may enjoy the benefits of our labor when victory finally arrives and so that troublemakers don’t steal the joy of our enduring efforts. Bigger and greater leaders like Tinubu no doubt, must use the same approach in appealing for calm, even in the face of the toughest provocations. A period like this definitely requires such an appeal.
Barrister Wakil Oyeleru Oyedemi is a legal Luminary and a chieftaincy title holder (Bale Aketan Compound, Oyo). He is also an aspirant for Oyo Central Senatorial District under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC)
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