Flawed election. Counterfeit president. A benefit of doubt? Yes, Nigeria call, obey! Suddenly Akpabio. A black-market legislature. Asari-Dukobo, too?
So, what could be next?
Of course, already well-known is that Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains the shadiest politician ever to seek the Nigerian presidency. It is also well-known that this apparent lack of moral compass, together with an invalid health status, played a huge role on why a vast majority of the electorate who voted in the country’s controversial presidential election of 2023 roundly rejected him. Yet, the nation’s ageless corrupt oligarchy selected and swore in Tinubu as president.
Now in power, and widely viewed as a counterfeit president, there was a broad appeal for a benefit of the doubt. In short, many had hoped that Tinubu could begin to launder his image by surrounding himself with people of impeachable character. But even his ardent supporters are finding out the hard way: No amount of stately salad can cleanse the filthy yellow teeth of a primitive pariah.
The objective fact is that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is irredeemable. He is merely making good on his promise to sustain the agenda of his predecessor, General Muhammadu Buhari, whose tenure was a fortified safe haven for corrupt politicians.
Enter a black-market legislature. The most frightening yet is that the former Lagos Governor has succeeded by imposing on the country a head of the Legislature whose entire politics also attracts immorality as honey attracts bees.
In other words, like the Executive arm of the Tinubu’s regime, the Legislature (the nation’s highest law-making body) is also headed by a man who is notoriously dishonourable.
This individual is Godswill Akpabio. As governor of the oil-rich Akwa Ibom State, he allegedly stole N108.1 billion of the state’s funds. But the moral turpitude extended beyond his state. The senate probed his activities as a minister in the Niger Delta Affairs ministry and found that he diverted N19.25 billion to his personal accounts. The report also asserted that the same man awarded contracts to the tune of N81.5 billion to his family members and cronies without due process.
It is clear Mr. Akpabio is no novice in the art. He masterfully thwarted the different efforts to nail him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). As late as March this year 2023, the EFCC under Abdulrasheed Bawa appeared determined to finally book Akpabio. But he dodged again, this time claiming he was abroad to treat a life-threatening case of cardiac arrhythmia together with acute pneumonia. Sad!
Expect Akpabio to go scot-free. Not only was Bawa suspended and arrested, but Tinubu has also gone to foist the former Akwa-Ibom governor as senate president.
But Akpabio’s corrupt baggage is nothing compared to his activities as the Minority Leader in the Senate between 2015 to 2018.
The mortal sin is that the former Akwa Ibom governor betrayed Nigeria by abandoning the opposition and defecting to the ruling All-Progressives Congress (APC) once he sensed that the party had become a shield for immoral behaviors. This political treachery by the leader of the opposition was consequential. The result was a weakened opposition and consequently a rubberstamp legislature that aided Buhari to record the worst regime in the Nigerian history.
Despite such dubious background, Mr. Tinubu still chose Akpabio as the leader of the nation’s lawmaking body. Ironically, this is the same Tinubu, who as the APC National Leader, spearheaded the various attempts to remove Bukola Saraki as Senate president in 2015. He stated then, and rightly so, that “We cannot overlook corrupt persons.” But that was then, clearly then.
Today, Mr. Tinubu has made immorality a badge of honor. Every high-profile appointment endorsed thus far by the president is tainted by stark stench of shadiness. Think of his Vice-President, Kashim Shettima; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; George Akume, the Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria; and Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Who is next? Femi Fani-Kayode, Abdullahi Ganduje, Chimaroke Nnamani, Nyesom Wike? How about Oyenusi, Anini, Evans…? Why not?
Clearly, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in a shameless pursuit to make the Guinness World Records by creating the most immoral regime in history. But the nonsense must stop. This man must stop shaming Nigeria. This country is a bastion of qualified manpower. Instead of recycling shady politicians, Tinubu should tap from millions of untainted talents within the ruling party or outside of it.
SKC Ogbonnia, A Former APC Presidential Aspirant, writes from Abuja, Nigeria.