The race for the 2019 presidential election is literally on – Media mogul and former presidential aspirant, Chief Dele Momodu is of the opinion that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will contest in the election
– Tinubu is a well respected and highly influential leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) The recent comments of the former interim chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, has sparked reactions across Nigeria.
Akande, a confidante of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was recently quoted as saying there is no automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. Political analysts have interpreted Akande’s comment to mean Tinubu is withdrawing support for the president. Chief Akande’s comment that President Buhari is not entitled to an automatic comment had sparked controversy.
Joining the fray is Ife-born Chief Momodu who went further by suggesting that Tinubu will contest the 2019 presidential election. Chief Momodu opined that Yoruba leaders are preparing Asiwaju Tinubu for presidency come 2019. He stated that the Yoruba leadership will no longer support any other tribe for presidency, adding that zoning would never work again in Nigeria’s politics. “What Baba Akande has not said is simply that the days when the presidency would be voluntarily zoned to exclude most sections of the country in favour of another section, whether the candidate presented and supported by the people is competent or useless, are over. “The truth is zoning never worked anyway, as some presidential candidates left their original parties for other parties in defiance of the zoning formula of their own party. “Without mincing words, it is obvious that the Yoruba leadership has decided it would no longer support other tribes, zones or regions to attain to power to the exclusion of their tribe. “They would rather work hard, reach out, and join hands with like minds to get power. “Their decision is borne out of the acute frustration and disappointment that makes them feel cheated about the Nigerian configuration which does not throw up the best but regularly favours the dregs of society who have only contributed to drawing Nigeria backward, in most cases.
“The campaign has probably started in earnest, culminating in the search for a Yoruba presidency,” Momodu, who is also the publisher of Ovation magazine, wrote. Dele Momodu may have issued an early warning to President Muhammadu Buhari. Photo credit: Aso Rock He said though the governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose has thrown his hat into the ring, Tinubu is also warming up for his turn to take a major shot at the race of his life that is most significant. “Mark my words. One of the greatest political strategists in Nigeria, Tinubu is tired of being a kingmaker and he would rather be the king.
“Indeed, that has always been his ambition but this has been largely curtailed by circumstances. “Like many of those who supported Major General Muhammadu Buhari to attain power, after so many attempts, the former Senator and former Governor of Lagos State, feels he’s not gotten the respect and relevance he deserves for his monumental effort.
Accordingly, he seems determined to make a personal push. “Apart from the virtues of Baba Akande that I have enumerated above, a lesser known one is his deep sense of loyalty,” he concluded.
