Good morning, Comrade Oshiomhole. I hope this piece meets in you in good fettle. I know that, for you, it has been a long night after your exit from the APC chairmanship and the loss of Edo State.

My dearly beloved comrade, that’s life; you win some, you lose some. Things like this do happen in a world of bust and bubble. So, nobody should hit their head against the wall for losing an election. Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso lost an election as an incumbent, but came back to win again a few years later.

Your godfather, President Muhammadu Buhari ran and lost the race to Aso Rock three times before he won on the fourth occasion. That shows that you can still win another race; I pray that the next would be a more exalted one. So, take it easy. My counsel is that you take a holiday with your pretty wife. You deserve some rest after the tumultuous election. There are greater battles ahead. APC would look up to you to “deliver” Edo State in the all-important 2023 presidential election.

Don’t listen to those who are saying, Osho Baba is finished !That’s a lie. You are still very relevant in the politics of Edo State. You are the Lion of Edo North. The figures in the just concluded polls prove that. That said, why am I writing this? As a life coach, I want to point out some lessons on leadership for our youth, my fans or followers, to see and learn from. I am sure, Comrade, that you have learned a few unforgettable lessons.

Lesson 1: My father told me that when you have too many enemies, make peace with some, so that when it’s time for battle, you’d have more troops. You didn’t do that in the chairmanship tussle and you lost. In the next battle, Aso Rock 2023, look out for the most formidable foes and try to make peace with them, if you are to deliver Edo State.

Lesson 2: Winning strategy should always come before propaganda; not the other was way round. You first plan your winning strategy, prime all your warriors and wrap up your plans thoroughly before you launch your campaign. Snake charmers would tell you that you first charm the reptile and put it to sleep before you attempt to catch it, otherwise it could bite and even kill you.

Governor Godwin Obaseki was a formidable force because of the power of incumbency. A sitting governor is never easy to control; if you are in doubt, ask Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, Godswill Akpabio, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Aliu Wamako. Only Tinubu was able to prevail over the recalcitrant governors that he installed, for reasons we’d see as you read on. He succeeds as a godfather in Lagos because he’s a ruthless finisher who shows no mercy to his foes.

A godfather’s power is actually at the mercy of an incumbent governor because of the enormous resources at his disposal, including the ability to influence the security agents. Tinubu is fully in charge in Lagos State because he controls the State Assembly and the party. He has huge resources at his disposal and he can influence the impeachment (sack) of a sitting governor. No other godfather, including Oshiomhole has this leverage.

The bible says in Ecc 10:8 “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him”. Osho Baba dug the hole and, not knowing how to manage Obaseki, fell  into it. He created the template for retiring godfathers and Obaseki used it against him. What Oshiomhole should have done was to allow the desperate governor get a second term and Obaseki would have given away almost anything to get it.

Lesson 3: Never break a hedge lest a serpent bite you; or you kill off the serpent to avoid his bite. The godfather was bitten because he broke a hedge but couldn’t kill the snake. Tinubu shows us clearly that you go all out to kill your serpent, if you want to stay alive politically.

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However, there’s life after death: you can always come back, if you plan well and, it all depends on what you want. Comrade Oshiomhole only suffered knockdown twice. Like Buhari, he could bounce back and win big, depending on what he wants and how he goes about it. The large votes he garneered for his candidate in the just concluded election shows he’s still the strongman of APC in Edo State.

In his usual style, President Buhari, who admitted not doing enough for the APC candidate in the Edo election, might compensate Oshiomole with a juicy ministerial or board appointment, to ginger him up for 2023.

Lesson 4: In Nigerian politics today, the two centres of power are the party and the legislature. Whoever is able to control these two (not one), is in charge of power. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was almost impeached during his first term because he didn’t control the National Assembly. He almost lost in the battle for second term because he didn’t control the party. So, having won a second term, he went on mercilessly to control both the party and the National Assembly.

Once fully in charge in his second term, OBJ dealt ruthlessly with his political enemies, particularly his Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, who didn’t succeed him because of breakdown of trust between them, after the VP allegedly traumatised his boss before he allowed him to get a second term. Some PDP governors and lawmakers lost their re-election because of their roles in trying to frustrate OBJ’s second and third term bids. The rest is history.

Closing lesson: Learn from these men.

Weekend Spice: Done is better than perfect

– Mark Zukerberg

Ok folks, let’s do it again next week. COVID-19 is real. Keep safe. Stay motivated.

•Ayodeji is an author, rights activist, pastor and life coach. He can be reached on [email protected] and 09059243004 (SMS & WhatsApp only)