It is no longer news that, earlier this week, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, declared his intention to run for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, at next year’s general election. He has by so doing joined a multitude of distinguished Nigerians who have also declared their intention to vie for the same office and succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
It is so easy for anyone to declare intention to run for any office in the country. At a time when the Nigerian nation is on tenterhooks, the one thing discerning compatriots have been interested about is the quality of the aspirants to the highest office in the land. If in the past we could afford to toy with feeble ideas and push forward feeble aspirants just to make up the numbers or give in to primordial sentiments, the reality is, we cannot afford to do the same this time around. There have been credible arguments that the year 2023 is pivotal to Nigeria’s survival. Others correctly see it as a make-or-mar moment, when we must get it right.
So, now that Tambuwal has joined the fray, Nigerians, especially millennials that do not know much about him are asking: what are the things that stand the Sokoto State governor out from the crowd?
There are at least 10 qualities Right Honourable Aminu Tambuwal possesses, almost all of which are exclusive to him alone.
When Tambuwal emerged as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011, a major decision taken by the Presidency at that time was to deal with him in all ways possible. Being a man in his 40s at the time, those ruling the nation thought he was going to be swayed by the lures of this world and fill his pockets and cupboards with gold and silver.
As Speaker and the nation’s Number 4 citizen, Tambuwal had access to billions of naira of public funds. The misplaced thought was that the man sought to become Speaker just to enrich himself, as was the norm. But those who subscribed to this point of view were mistaken. Tambuwal sought and gained power just to make a positive difference and deepen our democratic ideals. He went about providing credible and accountable leadership without knowing he was being pursued every step of the way. From day one, up to four years later when he rounded off a resoundingly successful tenure as the best Speaker of the House of Reps in memory, neither the EFCC nor the other anti-corruption agencies found anything incriminating against him, to their bitter disappointment.
He left that plum job without any blemish, a record he has taken to Sokoto Government House for almost seven years as governor. Among all the people that have so far indicated interest to contest for the presidency, there is none of them that has held public office at such a high level that can boast of a similarly great record. Of course, this is not suggesting that all of them are corrupt. But so clean is Tambuwal that, in his case, there is nothing at all to frame him with.
Secondly, Tambuwal is the only contestant governing a big state that is experiencing banditry, who wants to be President in 2023. His state of Sokoto borders Niger Republic, where terrorists operating in Nigeria at times run to. As President of Nigeria, the experience will place Tambuwal in good position to exploit his knowledge of the environment and close relationship with the authorities of that country to seek their real buy-in towards ending the scourge of insurgency afflicting Nigeria for years now.
The N12 trillion reported to have been spent by the Buhari administration in managing our worsening insecurity could, therefore, be saved when the nation elects a Tambuwal who, even as governor, has been playing key roles in helping the federal security forces curtail insecurity in Sokoto State. Imagine how excellent the result would be if, as President, he has the final say on matters of national security.
Thirdly, Tambuwal is only one of two of the contestants that have very rich and diverse experience at the level of the two top arms of government, the executive and the legislature. At the federal and legislature levels, he was Speaker of the House of Reps. As governor of the frontline state of Sokoto, he has become well-grounded in governance at the executive level. As President, Nigerians should expect a truly robust relationship between the executive and the legislature at the federal level, without the legislature being reduced to a grovelling one, as is happening today.
Students of power interested in the craft of responsible governance should be interested in how Governor Tambuwal has been managing the Sokoto legislature when only 14 against 16 are members of his own political party after the 2019 election when he won a second term of office. Tambuwal did not rig the way to ensure only members of his party were legislators. Yet, the relationship between the executive and legislature in Sokoto is the healthiest in Nigeria. Little wonder some wonderful achievements have been recorded, though the state has consistently been placed at the lower rungs in statutory allocation of resources from the Federation Account.
Another thing going for Tambuwal is his firm belief in grassroots, people-centred politics. For those interested in knowing how the man has been able to always squeeze water out of stone and why he has never been afraid of facing gargantuan challenges, here lies the secret: As a strong democrat who believes only God gives power, through the instrumentality of the people, he does not compromise on his principles just to gain power.
Those who believe otherwise and felt they could play God have been taught a bitter lesson in politics, without him even confronting them. And they include some of the strongest godfathers in Sokoto who ganged up against him in 2015 and 2019. Though Tambuwal has never been known to brag, God has always given him the grace to uproot even bigger obstacles, such as those placed on his way when he sought to become Speaker of the House of Reps.
Even though some of the people that are likely to contest for the PDP ticket are said to be richer than some state governments, Tambuwal remains unfazed, knowing that, in as much as the contest is credible and about the people, he is going to emerge victorious at both primary and general election levels.
Tambuwal is also the only contestant to the office of President that can lay claim to being a northerner and southerner at the same time. Why is this so? All through his private and public life, Tambuwal has remained one Nigerian who has clearly stood out in deepening national integration to optimal levels.
As Speaker of the House of Reps, some of the major forces that pushed him to vie for that office are southerners, though at that time, the slot was earmarked for a legislator from the South.
Those promoting him then knew that the nation needed the best to make the needed difference in legislative governance, for our democracy to survive. Though Tambuwal personifies humility and simplicity, he is also firm when any issue is about Nigeria and the interest of its people. There is no governor in Nigeria at the moment who has almost equal share of true and passionate friends and disciples between southerners and northerners, as Tambuwal does. Little wonder that one of his greatest friends is the very hardworking and high-achieving Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, including very many credible, distinguished Nigerians. Tambuwal is also friends with the pauper on the streets of Sokoto! as much as those in Onitsha, Yenagoa, Ibadan, Benue, Yola and elsewhere,
The whole argument about zoning of political offices is to ensure fair governance. The millions of Nigerians that firmly believe in Tambuwal are simply looking at the bigger picture: Nigeria is at a crossroads, and unless it’s true sons and daughters that believe in the entire country, not just where they come from, are pushed to gain the mantle of governance, there may be no nation to govern beyond 2023.
Tambuwal is the only aspirant to the office of President that can lay claim to rich experience in all the three, not just two, arms of government. He has proven his versatility and accountable management of scarce resources as governor of Sokoto State. He is believed to be the best speaker of the House of Reps that the nation has ever produced. And he is a lawyer of distinction, even before he became a politician and now that he is a role model to millions of Nigerians.
Even if the presidency is going to be zoned to the south, as justifiably being clamoured, compatriots in that part of the country will see in Tambuwal a true son of theirs who will ensure a just and egalitarian society in which all its components parts will be treated with justice, honour and integrity. This is one aspiration that is almost certain to reincarnate that of MKO Abiola of blessed memory. In 1993, northerners rallied behind Abiola, a southerner, and voted him into office, even though a prominent northerner was contesting against him.
It is the very reason why many southern-based groups believe firmly in Tambuwal as a leading brand of distinction, saying there are no guarantees their kinsmen interested in the highest office in the land could be as good as the Sokoto Governor when it comes to ensuring the best deal for them all.
To be continued