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Every election, experts say, has a story. And truly so. So is every person who offers himself or herself for high public office such as the presidency. It’s Bill Clinton (42nd U.S. President) who said that “election days have always embodied the great mystery of democracy. No matter how pollsters and pundits try to demystify it, the mystery remains”. According to Clinton, it is one day when the ordinary citizen has as much power as the millionaire and the President. But some people use that power and some don’t. For him, those who do, choose candidates for all kinds of reasons, some rational, some intuitive, some with certainty, others skeptically. “Somehow, they usually pick the right leader for the times, that’s why America is still around and doing well after more than 228 years”. This quote is taken from Clinton’s memoir, “MY LIFE”, published in 2004.
Nigeria is not America. Here, things don’t follow a natural trajectory. Unlike America, in Nigeria, election is not a leveler where the “ordinary citizen has as much power as the millionaire and the President”. In Nigeria, a cataleptic can in spite of his obvious handicap, hide it from the public or ignore public outcry, contest and perhaps become a President. It had happened many in Nigeria, where a presidential candidate despite coming under intense spotlight, ignored his own missteps and disabilities and contest for the highest and hardest job in the land. And you begin to ask: Is there one trait more than any other that determines a winner in political contest, the ability to ignore one’s handicap and suffer immense torture? And why do we have sniveling hypocrites as handlers of presidential candidates who would prefer to define truth downwards than speak the truth? Whether they admit it or not, it has been a rough campaign season for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Some of the most damaging stories of this man have resulted from his own actions. Truth be told, Tinubu has become the Frankenstein’s monster of his own making, a burden not only to himself, but to his own party and handlers. The fact remains that Tinubu as far as this electioneering campaign is concerned, has been gaffe-plagued, and sometimes downright a put-off and unwatchable. His recent outing in Minna, Niger state as part of his presidential campaign rally was a shadow too slick and sickening. It was a damper on his overreaching life ambition to become Nigeria’s next president.
Watching him on live television in Minna last week, was perhaps the most horrifying and embarrassing spectacle I have seen of a presidential candidate in years. I was moved to near tears as he was spirited away by party chieftains, perhaps to save him from himself. The faces of those present, including his running mate, Sen. Kassim Shettima, the national chairman of the party, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, and that of Abdullahi Ganduje, Governor of Kano state, looked like the future has died. In less than ten minutes, it was all over. What exactly went wrong with Tinubu in Minna as he floundered in his speech once again? Perhaps time will tell. But the worst of what we heard came from Tinubu’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Bayo Onanuga. In a statement he issued few hours after the event, he claimed that Tinubu was “overwhelmed by the massive crowd at the rally and had to be rushed off for other engagements”. Nothing that Mr. Onanuga said, we were told, was anywhere close to the truth of what transpired at that the Minna Trade Fair Complex, venue of the campaign rally. Many have argued that Onanuga’s explanation was a fig leaf to cover the trouble with Tinubu. The embarrassement in Minna was one too many that stand-up comedians are making memes of Tinubu’s goofs. Questions have been asked: Are these gaffes and damaging pattern of behaviour the result of allergies and exhaustion or something we don’t know? Is Tinubu, a man who has done “wonderful things” in Lagos suffering from Agoraphobia, a type of anxiety disorder in which one is afraid of crowd that may cause him to panic and feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed? Those familiar with this disorder say the anxiety is triggered by fear, and the person suddenly feels unsafe in any public place, especially where crowds gather. But to be fair, it will be unkind to associate this with Tinubu, considering the years he has been in politics and campaigns. A huge crowd at campaign rally ought to be like an oxygen of excitement. Politicians look forward to having massive crowd at campaign rallii. It’s like the momentum that keeps any politician going.
In fact, massive crowd at rallies enables a politician to dispel people’s fears and validate their enduring optimism. According to Elias Canetti, a German-language writer, a huge crowd at political rally is like a tonic that liberates a politician and creates a democratic transformation. I had thought that with their years of experience in the media, Messrs Onanuga and Dele Alake would have done better than they are doing currently in handling Tinubu’s public image. Maybe, part of their brief includes to define the truth downwards, and fudge facts, almost always. It could well be their Alternative reality of seeing and narrating events differently. Sadly, in the end, it amounts to all Change vs More of the same. I agree that Tinubu’s public image could be a daunting for his media staff, but then, shouldn’t the interest of the country and health of the presidential candidate supersede everything else? In my view, Tinubu needs all the help he can get. Above all things, life is far more Important than politics. As a matter of fact, there will always be life after politics. In other words, you have to be alive first to see another election. All of this is the reason why the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Uche Ojinmah recently called for psychiatric evaluation of all governorship and presidential candidates vying for elective offices next year. For him, medical tests will provide a comprehensive view of the state of the body system of those aspiring to hold political offices. He listed such tests to include chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound scan, liver function tests, Blood pressure and blood glucose as well as urinalysis and kidney function. Similarly, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, had few months ago suggested that political parties should include drug integrity tests as part of the screening process for candidates seeking elective positions. I think our leadership recruitment process requires that those seeking to lead should, among other things, be of sound mind.
The enormous responsibilities placed on the shoulders of a President are so huge that the occupant of the office should be in excellent health. His health status should not be a matter of conjectures. This is an advice that has served some democracies well. But in Nigeria, we have failed to heed this timely warning. Let’s take two cases. Until he died in office on May 5, 2010, President Umaru Yar’Adua was hampered by chronic illness that was later diagnosed as pericarditis(a serious skin infection)that he never disclosed. His handlers said his health status was his private affair. No doubt, Yar’Adua was a decent man, but it goes beyond being a moral, decent man to function effectively in the presidency. The office is a duty to work extremely hard, not a prize to be won.
Unfortunately, that is how some of our politicians see the office. It’s not unkind to say that many of the people around Tinubu are using his influence to feather their own nests. The rigours in the presidency may be beyond his capacity to cope. As it became clear later, Yar’adua’s ill- health impeded his effectiveness. He couldn’t seize the opportunity that time and circumstance afforded him with grace to shape his presidency and give Nigeria a new direction and a sense of purpose. Where Nigeria is today, not measuring up on the leadership scale is partly the outcome of that error of not disclosing the exact health status of Yar’adua before he became president. President Muhammadu Buhari followed the same sad trajectory of non-disclosure of his medical history. History could be repeating itself if we refuse to learn from history. It’s unfortunate that everything about Tinubu’s health is opaque and top secret. Some say that’s why he has refused to participate in any debate or Town Hall meetings other than ones arranged for him, and exclusively for APC members. It’s all part of a clever spin to deceive Nigerians.
It’s not a good campaign strategy. Nobody knows how to spin a story better than Tinubu’s handlers. Any sign of illness or frailty should be subjected to intense public scrutiny. The U.S. has a checkered history with truth and disclosure when it comes to infirmity and maladies of those seeking public offices.
It will help assuage any concerns voters might have that could impede the ability of a candidate to fulfill his ability and responsibilities as President. It has been a nightmare for many Nigerians, including APC chieftains each time Tinubu appears at a campaign rally. I feel for him. I feel for my country. And I ask: Are we jinxed in getting it right at the leadership scale? Ability to govern effectively, and not delegate when the President is very much around, is infuses democracy and citizens’ participation. We have to be extremely careful who we elect as next President.
