2023: Tinubu Remains The Most Viable Option 

I have watched with keen interest the unfolding political scenarios in our dear country as the whistle on electioneering campaign is about to be blown. I have also watched how various and capable Nigerians have lined up to indicate their interest to contest for the highest office in the land. 

I am therefore convinced, more than ever before, that our National Leader in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the man to beat as the fight for the replacement of our President, Muhammadu Buhari, intensifies. He is the best man for the job at this critical juncture of our history.  

Hence, this is no time to sit on the fence; this is no time to prevaricate and this is no time to be just an observer or onlooker; this is indeed, the time to stand up and be counted on the side of merit, experience, requisite wherewithal and commitment to higher goals and vision. 

I was a lawmaker in this Lagos State of Excellence for eight years and have had the opportunity to have a ring side seat about how the state is governed. And to also know that the successes that have been variously attributed to the various governors that have ruled this state since 1999 had the inputs of Asiwaju. He has been the engine room behind the curtain that ensures that the state remains on track and that the collective interests of the masses remain sacrosanct and cardinal principle of governance. 

I decided to make my voice heard now because I have had the privilege to know Asiwaju at close range, both as a political leader and great thinker; and a very meticulous and organized leader who does not take decisions without looking at the pros and cons. Even before I became a student of Lagos State University (LASU), I had always admired him as a distinguished senator with his political sagacity and unusual capacity to predict the political direction of both the state and the nation. 

It was therefore not a surprise to me when I became an active player in the politics of the state to witness first hand his dexterity, sense of purpose and commitment to ideals and ideas of a better society. For him, people’s welfare and interests should take precedence, other interests might follow. That, to me, has been largely responsible for the development and growth the state has recorded in the last two decades.  And the more reason why the shelter he spreads to cover his followers never folds up. 

We easily forgot that when he became governor in 1999, he appointed the best eleven to push his various agenda and developmental programmes. It was within this period that he established the various efficacious institutions in the area of waste management, revenue collection; traffic management, transportation, road construction, rehabilitation, women and youth empowerment, computerization of the Civil Service, land and Housing, among others. These are indelible initiatives that put the state on a sound footing to be able to face the challenges of a city-state like Lagos.  

When he left office he continued to play an active and leading role in making sure that the democratic train does not derail. And when other former governors were angling to retire to the Senate, he refused to follow the trend. He, infact, gave his Senate ticket to Senator Ganiyu Solomon to represent Lagos west after deciding not to contest. That altruistic decision raised the political profile of Asiwaju and catapulted him to the enviable position of a power broker and a man who is ready for the big stage. 

Since then, he has been on the rise to the extent of being described by observers as the main issue in Nigeria’s politics. It was therefore predictable that he would play a major role in 2015 if the opposition hoped to dislodge the then ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), from power and prevent them from fulfilling Vincent Ogbulafor’s prediction of ruling for 60 years.
 
Coming together with other political parties and groups, Asiwaju assembled a team that was just unbeatable; a coalition whose core objectives were to wrestle power from a party that has become rudderless and arrogant with power. He galvanized the opposition by mustering human and material resources, effectively using the media, to convince Nigerians that the time had come to take a look at a robust alternative to the ruling party. 

The result of his efforts and that of others was the Buhari presidency. So, it will not be out of place for Asiwaju to take a cursory look at the future of the country and map out the contributions he thinks he can make to make it a better one for us and our children. With more than four decades of public service, he absolutely has what it takes to lead Nigeria to the next level. 

The country at this time needs a steady hand who has seen it all; a man who has the reach and contacts, both home and abroad; a man who is not a neophyte and will not learn on the job; someone who knows the right button to press to get the job done; and someone who is both pragmatic and visionary. That man in my view is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu!

Tinubu is bringing to the table enough experience in politics, economics, human capacity development, the right temperament and persuasive powers. And I have no doubt in my mind that he will make a great president if given the opportunity to fly the flag of our great party and extension, occupy Aso rock.

Consequently, we have a choice to make as a party and a nation. A choice between a man who has consistently shown that he’s a fearless democrat; a man who will stop at nothing in making sure that the right thing is done for the betterment of the people; and a man who has tremendous capacity to manage people and their interests.
The APC has a duty to ensure a level playing field for all the candidates to stand a chance in the general elections. With that, I have little doubt that our own Asiwaju will get the ticket and subsequently win the presidential election. 
 
Olulade, was a two-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly and currently a House of Reps aspirant from Epe, Lagos State