Sometimes, politicians have it all planed. At times, things happen by chance or so they make it look. But one thing that they are very good at doing is to leave the public guessing about their next move, even if the signs are clear.
On Monday, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), told journalists that he had informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his presidential ambition.
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This did not come as a surprise as the campaign for a Tinubu presidency had started long before he spoke about it at Aso Rock.
However, one question many of those commenting about Tinubu’s declaration is, “why now?”
Well, two months ago, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, who succeeded Tinubu as governor of Lagos in 2007, gave a hint on this.
During an interview on Channels Television’s programme ‘Hard Copy’, Fashola was asked if he would support Tinubu’s candidacy and he responded, “I saw him (Tinubu) last week; he didn’t tell me he is running for office and to the best of my knowledge, the last statement he made about it was that people would know in January,” he said.
The Minister was also asked if he enquired from Tinubu about his intention to run, during the visit he said, “No, I didn’t ask him, I only went to see how well he was doing. He has issued a statement that I will speak in January, so let’s wait for his speech.
“As far as I am aware, nobody has said, ‘I want to be Nigeria’s President’. There are people speaking for people. Nobody has come out, we are not at that stage yet.
“I can’t venture out and say that I will speak for X or Y. Let the person come out and say, ‘I want to serve Nigeria’.
“It pains me sometimes when we see that very important job and responsibility to, ‘My people said’. I think the whole sense of it should be that I am able, I have look at myself, give me your problem, you go to sleep’.”
Perhaps, Tinubu’s comment at Nigeria’s seat of power on Monday
