Let me sound like General Muhammadu Buhari whose take away statement after he was sworn in as president in 2015 was : ‘I belong to nobody, I belong to everybody’. I am not a politician but my association with politicians taught me a lot.
My dad belonged to the Nigerian Peoples Party in the Second Republic and rose to the position of Local Government Chairman under Dee Sam Mbakwe. When President Shehu Shagari visited Imo State, I could read his body language. The president respected Mbakwe.
I have watched keenly, President Bola Tinubu’s heir, Seyi. What I admire about him is that he is more interested in the father offering something good to Nigerians than collecting money from contractors and jumbo job seekers.
The younger Tinubu has built bridges instead of walls around him, through marriage and association. It is not just the name Tinubu that opens doors for him, he has the swag to win yuppie souls for the president. I can smell a good politician from afar.
Let me state this boldly, Seyi Tinubu is good enough to be Lagos State governor as from May 2027. By 2039, he will be ripe to vie for the position of president. What I see sitting down, many who are benefitting from Mr. President may not see it, standing on Zuma Rock.
All the energy pumped towards using the City Boys Movement to boost his father’s presidential chances, should be channelled towards winning the gubernatorial seat in Lagos, come 2027. This may sound strange but it will work.
President Tinubu is the strongest politician ever produced in this country. Give it to him. He is fully in control of power, without forcing anyone to do his bidding. All those screaming that Asiwaju is buying people with money should be ashamed of themselves. All the turn coats are cheaper than Ayilara whores.
When Tinubu was in Opposition, he stood firm, like Olumo Rock. No one could buy him with money or contract or position. When Hurricane Obasanjo swept through the South – West in 2003, the Lagos State governor was the only man standing.
I read about Nelson Mandela, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Vladimir Lenin. All were great men who are still revered in their respective countries- South Africa, United States and the old Soviet Union. There is something about them that connects Tinubu.
Mandela spent one term as president, 1994 – 1999 and left office gloriously. Here was a man who spent 27 years in prison, the same number of years Tinubu has spent being a strong force in Nigerian politics. And that is also the same number of years Seyi has spent understudying his father.
Kennedy was president of the US for 1037 days before his assassination on Friday November 27, 1963. As a Navy Lieutenant, his PT – 109, was half blown up in Solomon Islands by the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri, in 1943, during World War Two. A combination of courage and fate saw him survive that battle in Nauru.
Lenin was president of the Soviet Union(beyond Russia) between 1922 and 1924. He suffered persecution, sentenced to jail in cold Siberia for three years. Lenin did not spend as much time in power as Leonid Brezhnev but is more popular in Moscow and environs today.
Tinubu’s road to Aso Villa was not paved with gold. After serving as a senator in the Third Republic, he went on exile between 1994 and 1998 due to his association with the National Democratic Coalition(NADECO).
The president has paid his dues. My take is that he should take a bow in 2027 and begin to prepare Seyi for higher offices. After being honoured by King Charles, there is little to prove.
Those who argue that Seyi is too young and inexperienced to be governor in 2027 may have hidden agenda. The first governor of Lagos State, Mobolaji Johnson, was 31 and an Army major when he assumed office in 1967. Seyi will be 41 in October 2026.
The second governor of Lagos State, Adekunle Lawal, was 41. Ndubuisi Kanu was 34, Ebitu Ukiwe, 38 years. Alfred Diette – Spiff was just 25 when he was appointed governor of Rivers State. Seyi has been part of the Tinubu campaigns for 27 years, and is an Entrepreneur, managing Loatsad Promomedia.
Asking him to wait till 2031 to contest gubernatorial election in Lagos sounds like a trick. There is no guarantee that the 2031 primaries in Lagos will be so easy, depending on the influence available after 2027.
President Tinubu has empowered so many politically. This is the time to look inwards and promote his own son. Segun Osoba’s son, Olumide, went to the House of Representatives. Lam Adesina’s son, Adedapo, was there too. James Ibori’s daughter, Erhiatake is there now. Peter Odili’s daughter, Adaeze, was a commissioner.
Jomo Kenyatta’s son, Uhuru, became president of Kenya years after Mzee left office. Remarkably, Seyi and Uhuru, are October Children. I think this is the best time for Seyi to vie for governorship. A man who has followed the Governor General of Nigerian Politics for 27 years is a semi Jagaban, good enough to deliver.
The naked truth is that Tinubu should be a true national hero by supporting a candidate from the South – East to succeed him in 2027 while Seyi goes to Government House, Lagos. In 2031, a Northerner will be president until 2039.
The road will be clear for Seyi to contest for the presidency. That is Fair Play. Nigerians will be making pilgrimage to Bourdillon to worship the King, King Maker and Liberator.
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