The attention of Tinubu/Southwest Media Veterans Support Group has, once again, been drawn to another spurious, attention-seeking, seriously-troubled and pathetically vacuous presidential campaign of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar through the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.
In a press statement, Mr. Ologbondiyan claimed that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was trying to incite violence in next year’s presidential election when he admonished his supporters at a meeting to work very hard for his imminent victory because “political power is not going to be served in a restaurant, it is not served a la carte. It is what we are doing” and that they should “fight for it, grab it, snatch it and run (away) with it.”
An average student of power and politics knows there’s absolutely nothing untoward about the above statement as it’s an immutable fact that has stood the test of time.
Since Mr. Ologbondiyan and his entire campaign organization has always been seriously discomfited, feverish and nightmarish because of their inability to second-guess Asiwaju as he’s campaign is not the usual lackadaisical, run-of-the-mill with which they’re familiar, we believe it will be a teachable moment for Mr. Ologbondiyan and members of his campaign organization about how not to run a major political campaign.
For those that has been around him long enough, Asiwaju’s admonition that “power is not served a-la-carte” is his usual refrain whenever he’s opportune to speak publicly about power and politics. The refrain is not only to drive home the seriousness of politics to its players and his admirers, but an admonition that must be seen within the context of his struggle for democracy in which history has already recorded him as being primus inter pares whereas political opportunism has always been the stock-in-trade of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, his master.
There’s a distinction between Atiku Abubakar’s unreliable and opportunistic tendencies and Bola Tinubu’s proclivity for hard work that the power is never “served in a restaurant” mantra is not only a significant part of his essence, but have become second nature to him. It therefore makes sense that when one gives his all in fighting for what he believes, there’s also nothing wrong in running home with the trophy for a well deserved celebration. This is the context in which this statement should be seen. Asiwaju wouldn’t have gotten this far in his political journey if he’s in the habit of whining which is what the Atiku/Okowa campaign has been about, and has done in this press statement.
As a strategic thinker and an astute graduate of power and politics whose usual “power is not served a-la-carte” refrain was probably derived from Frederick Douglass’ admonition that “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Perhaps it’s this unusual mindset that propelled Asiwaju to circle the wagons against the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) behemoth in 2015 with now President Muhamadu Buhari in the lead after he had lost all hope of ever becoming the president. Asiwaju’s history of consistent struggle for a better Nigeria should be applauded and not vilified.
While we do not expect the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign organization to understand the unusual candour, audaciousness and purposefulness with which Asiwaju’s campaign is being prosecuted, they should concentrate on selling their ticket to the Nigerian people instead of always crying wolf when there’s absolutely none.
FEMI ODERE
Spokesperson
Tinubu/Southwest Media Veterans Support Group
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