Anybody who was surprised at the outcome of last Thursday’s Supreme Court judgement of the February 25 Presidential election that has now affirmed Bola Tinubu as President of Nigeria, must be living in another planet, definitely not in Nigeria. It’s all about the nature of power and the role the complexity of ambition can play in determining who governs Nigeria. Looking for substantial justice in a country where its judiciary has lost the confidence of the people, where the courts have become more mechanical than dynamic in their decisions, where greater public good plays less important role in our legal system, is a tall order. It’s near impossible in our present circumstances. And below you will find the reasons why.
More importantly, whatever happens to a country’s democracy is in line with the institutions in that country and those who run them. Check this out: goats don’t bark, do they? Dogs do. Put simply, no presidential election has been overturned or reversed in Nigeria. Therefore, historical moments don’t happen without legal precedence, and character qualification has never been a compelling issue in our courts saddled with adjudicating on presidential election matters. Indeed, what the Seven-panel of Justices that dismissed the appeal of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, did was to put a final seal on the charade that the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal did on September 6.
As a matter of fact, Justice John Inyang Okoro did prepare our minds three days earlier when the Supreme Court took briefs from the learned lawyers representing the parties in the suit. On Monday, October 23, Justice Inyang Okoro had told Atiku’s lead counsel Chris Uche(SAN) to proof alleged forgery against Tinubu, “beyond reasonable doubt”. His lead Judgement on Thursday speaks volumes about the inner workings of his mind. Nothing to hide. No surprises. The Supreme Court may have legitimised Tinubu’s presidency, but the moral burden will remain even beyond his presidency. In other words, Tinubu may have, in a manner of speaking, ‘won’ the legal ‘war’, but he has not won the battle of public opinion, no matter how hard his handlers try to make Nigerians believe.
We must commend Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, for their diligence and refusal to acquiesce to state capture. Kudos also must go to this young, excellent, indefatigable Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin who has helped in no small measure, to expose the underbelly of those who want to be leaders without having the moral high ground to be leaders. My first take in the Supreme Court judgement of last Thursday, is clear: It should be seen as a moment of history that should trouble our minds and hurts our hearts. Secondly, our presidency has been reduced to a prize to be won at all costs, not a duty to be done. Democracy is the first casualty in such a situation ennui. It is not unkind to say that last Thursday represents the day our democracy went into the Intensive Care Unit. It will take valiant effort to save it from a possible descent into anarchy. Tears streamed down my cheeks watching a video that has gone viral, in which a little girl was crying uncontrollably that her mates were taunting her that she “resembles” Tinubu. “I don’t resemble Tinubu, he is not from my village”, she wept. She was held back by her mother as she headed to the exit door. Truth be told, whether she likes it or not, Bola Tinubu has been affirmed as Nigeria’s President. Pastor Tunde Bakare, take note. Nonetheless, in the last five months of his presidency,
As one analyst said, Tinubu seems to have ‘captured’ Nigeria. But he has not ‘captured’ God. That should be the consolation of this weeping over the Supreme Court judgement. As erudite Justice Chukwudifu Oputa of the Supreme Court (in memoriam) once said, “we are final not because we are infallible, rather, we are infallible because we are final”. That is why the Judgment of last week will continue to elicit mixed reactions even though it would not be reversed. Tinubu’s most enduring legacy is already astonishingly clear. He has touched our lives in the most unimaginable, negative way than all his predecessors put together in the last 24 years. And in every sector of our economy, his legacy in just five months oozes pain and anguish. We will come back to this shortly.
As any reputable law scholar will tell you, the court has often proved to be where presidents leave their most lasting mark. That appears to be the case with this President. Like never before, the erosion of confidence in our judiciary is at all-time low. No wonder, the common taunt of the ruling party faithful to the rest of Nigerians, ‘if you don’t like the result, go to court’. It is a jab at the opposition that justice is remote for the aggrieved. It comes down to this: henceforth, nobody, no institutions, should be committed to take necessary steps towards a peaceful electoral process, or respect the outcome of the ballot. Don’t trust the pliable National Assembly to make any electoral reforms. It’s against every instinct in the conscience of the legislators. They are there, not for you, but for their own selfish interest.
It all boils down to this sorry conclusion: Going forward, our democracy is all about fulfilling all ‘righteousness’ by treating people to the ballot box on Election Day. Don’t bother about legitimacy of the process because our elections no longer offer valid choices. After all, didn’t Tinubu as presidential candidate tell his supporters that ‘power is not served a la carte, grab it, and run with”. This is a president who means what he says. He leads from the front, not from the rear. Isn’t that what we have seen with the All Progressives Congress in many parts of the country. The worst may still be ahead. The day of exaggerated expectations about what government can do or accomplish may have passed, and unfortunately so. It’s about the rich against the very rich, the National Assembly against Nigerians.
Turning to this administration itself, there is a clear absence of leadership and absence of a detailed grasp of what this country is and what it ought to be. And you ask, is Nigeria jinxed in the leadership recruitment process? That was the point former governor of Rivers state and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, made last Thursday at TheNiche Annual Lecture(one of the online media of repute) in Lagos. According to Amaechi, it’s troubling that Nigeria is still in search of national leaders and its democracy in need of serious rethinking in both scope and focus. That’s why the country continues to ‘stride and slip’. Truth is, many of our politicians want to be leaders, but few are leaders in the true sense, using great power for great purposes. If they said, Goodluck Jonathan was “clueless”, how will you describe Buhari and Tinubu? You answer.
For Tinubu, promises are not in short supply. But bonafide action is his Achilles heel. He fittingly epitomises the saying by historian Robert A. Caro that what “leaders do while they are trying to get power is not necessarily what they do after they have it”. Recall that on the campaign trail, October 22, 2022, Tinubu released an 80-page policy document that highlighted an 8-point agenda if elected President. Top of this priority were action plans on national security, vibrant economy that will strengthen national currency , agriculture, education, power, oil and gas, transportation. He also mentioned his objective to “foster a new society based on shared prosperity, tolerance, compassion, and the unwavering commitment to treating every citizen with equal respect and due regard , modernise and expand public infrastructure so that the economy can grow at an optimal rate”. Young people, he said, would have their potential harnessed, with a focus on digital economy, entertainment and culture, tourism, and other areas to “build Nigeria of tomorrow”.
Beyond that, he promised decent wages for workers, and a better life for all, a solemn pledge to create and invent more goods and services that Nigeria requires, a nation of creators, not just of consumers, but of producers, more export, less import, and robust assistance to farmers through enlightened policy that promotes productivity, just as he assured decent incomes, so that farmers can support their families and to feed the nation. In addition, Tinubu promised to revamp our health sector, train and give economic opportunities to the poorest and most vulnerable among us, and create sufficient, affordable electricity. Looking at this briefcase of promises, which one has he accomplished? In all, in five months, Tinubu has done nothing remarkable. Rather, he has done more terrible things than wonderful. And they all came out of the same place, Emilokan. Leadership lesson shows that without a vision beyond a leader’s own advancement, his family and cronies, a leader is paralysed once his political ambition to become president has been achieved. That is where Nigeria has found itself now. And that is very sad, indeed.