By Shittu Ahmed Obasa
Whether or not we lie to ourselves for pecuniary reasons or political gains we will certainly not go to heaven with anything except our integrity and deeds for which we will account in the presence of our Creator after our transition from earthly life to the life beyond.
I am making this remark in the light of putrid politics that is playing around as the 2023 election approaches.
Fearing God is the wisest thing and fearing man because of his position or wealth are incomparable because no man can claim to be an immortal like God.
It is God who gives power to whom he wills and takes it back at His own time. In doing this, He inspires people to go the direction of his chosen one that will wield power.
Since Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made his scathing remarks in Abeokuta during his campaign tour a lot comments and misinterpretations have followed just as the President as Major- General Muhammadu Buhari made some remarks in Sokoto in 2002 about Sharia.
For reasons best known to those misinterpreting Tinubu now just as they did in the case of Buhari it is God that will judge everybody especially mischief makers who are not strange to Mr. President.
Tinubu spoke in Yoruba just as Buhari spoke in Hausa to the right audience and their statements were taken out of context to paint them black.
It is not strange to me that Tinubu could be villified now and to be punished even by the party of which he did so much to bring into existence just because some people are out to make some gains because it suits them.
It is my conviction that whatever happens to Tinubu for his utterances in Abeokuta he asked for it because he wants to achieve a lifetime ambition and such an ambition usually comes with a price.
However, conscience will sooner than later prick those who deliberately are making an issue of disrespecting the office of Mr. President due to the way and manner Tinubu spoke of his role in making Buhari realise his dream but only if those mischief makers have conscience at all.
Ya’u Darazo was my classmate in our Professional Diploma in Mass Comm course in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano between 1991 and 1992 and a core loyalist to Mr. President of many years’ standing.
He cannot fail to protect his principal’s interest when the occasion arises to do so for good reasons but he personally signed a statement putting in perspective what Tinubu said in Abeokuta even though he didn’t get the gist straight from the horse’s mouth.
Senator Kashim Shettima, a die-hard Buharist, spoke in defence of Tinubu on air that truth must be told with facts and figures about the
Tinubu’s role in APC and Buhari’s Presidency.
But it suits the Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to see things differently about those comments made by Tinubu in Abeokuta.
Friendship between politicians transcend political interests and this is my understanding of what is transpiring now as the APC’s Special Convention is less than 48 hours from now.
Between now and Monday it is possible that
Tinubu may be subjected to some punitive measures and probably expelled from the party or suspended or disqualified from participating in the Presidential primaries.
But the action that should follow the utterances of Tinubu must not be too punitive to make the governing party blame itself when the chips are down.
