ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU

No doubt, Tinubu has the name recognition and the follower-ship to get things done when any push gets to shove.

One of the founders of the APC, and a force behind the ousting of a sitting president in 2015, and the installation of Buhari, Tinubu has practically seen all the colours and intrigues of political maneuvers. Many has however, dismissed him as being capable of producing political proteges, and no entrepreneurial mentee.

He served as governor of Lagos State after the return of civil rule in 1999 following the death of General Sani Abacha in 1998. He ruled Lagos for two terms of eight years, establishing political and infrastructural landmarks that have stood the test of time. In fact, Lagos, as a state, is striving and functioning with the blue print he supposedly created.

Prior to becoming the Governor of Lagos in 1999, Tinubu, had a short spell in the National Assembly as Senator representing Lagos West before the Abacha junta took over the reins of power in November, 1993. He subsequently went into exile from where he joined in the fight for the restoration of the June 12, 1993 mandate of Chief Moshood Abiola.

But, like he is touted fit and qualified, the same way he has backlogs that will definitely drag him back, and may eventually cost him the opportunity and the presidency.

Tinubu is presently not in the good books of the ruling class, a source, who wished anonymity told The Boss, especially the North, and that explains why he is periodically sidelined, and reabsorbed when alarm is raised.

The source maintained that Tinubu’s role during the Ambode saga may work against him. His highhandedness in the matter annoyed not a few political heavyweights, who were said to have pleaded with him to forgive Ambode and hand him a second term. The stakeholders felt let down, said the source, and may not listen to him if he now seeks their assistance.

It was allegedly reported that even President Buhari interacted with Tinubu on the matter, but he went ahead to coordinate the process that saw Ambode out, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu in.

Tinubu’s other albatross is the allegation of corruption and the fact that he has his unseen hands in every pie in Lagos. Though nothing has been linked to him, the former Executive at Mobil Unlimited, who earlier had stints with Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, Haskins, GTE Services Corporation among others, has not been able to shake off that tainted perception.

A respondent noted: “How would you categorise the bullion vans that were offloading money in his compound during the 2019 election, that is sheer impunity”

The respondent maintained that the allegation of corruption on Tinubu, though not proved, will make so many to be wary of him as the race for 2023 hots up, adding that even those who are his protege may shelter themselves from him. He stressed that the corruption issue is one area the media team of Tinubu has been careless about, noting that they have done absolutely nothing to change the narrative.

Recall that a serving minister the in 2021 revealed that Buhari was not keen in having Tinubu as his successor. This is even as Tinubu has continued to seek the blessings of Buhari and others, the latest, General Ibrahim Babangida, to actualise his ambition.

“The president is not interested in Tinubu’s candidature because he is not convinced that Asiwaju is the right person to succeed him,” the minister was quoted as saying.

The Jagaban’s actions in recent times has actually riled many, making people think he or his supporters are showing signs of desperation. They have literally quoted many off context as supporting Tinubu’s. The first of such errors was against the President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina and co-aspirant, Dele Momodu.

PROF YEMI OSINBAJO

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the current Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wears the toga of a perfect, cerebral gentleman. Osinbajo the highest-ranking Yoruba office holder in the country today should be the easiest choice for Buhari if everything was equal. But everyone knows that in politics, things are usually not as they seem, especially as Buhari has refused to name a faourite.

The Amiable VP, respected and learned, is no push over in any ramification. He has proved his mettle in the few areas he been allowed to perform, and knows his onions.

Many believe that the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos has the capacity and ability to unite the nation, especially at this time that the drums of succession and banditry has filled the air.

What gives Osinbajo an edge is the fact that he has acted in the position of president and passed with flying colours.

When his principal, President Buhari was away for about 150 days on medical vacation, Osinbajo showed his stuff. He was firm and fair and took decisions that won him accolades even among his most vociferous critics. The positive impact his decisions had on the economy is a trump card he could use when the chips are down.

Osinbajo is not a hardcore politician, and many Nigerians believe that the country does not need another career politician at this time, but a tested technocrat, who has academic prowess and mental depth. Osinbajo is certainly the man.

Another plus for the number two man is the fact that having spent six years, and soon will be spending eight years, in the corridors of power, Osinbajo is now an insider, who knows the working of the presidency and can correct the wrongs of the present administration as well as conduct a veritable surgical operation on all malfunctioning areas.

Recall That in 2020, a group under the aegis of Friends of Prof gave out N1 million each to twenty businesses as  Initiative for Small Businesses, to celebrate the 63rd birthday of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Observers say that the effort is only geared towards creating relevance for the Vice President as 2023 approaches.

On the downside, the VP is seen as lacking political capital even in his native Ogun State. Many also believe he may not have the muscle to take serious decisions and stand up to the Northern cabal.

They allege that his golden silence regarding the poor performance of the Buhari administration has shown that he may not be able to be his own man.

SAM OHUABUNWA

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa is the Convener of the New Nigeria Group (NNG), who has also declared his interest to rule Nigeria, and has taken his quest to contest the presidency in 2023 a notch higher following his recent interaction with chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State.

Ohuabunwa at the party’s Secretariat in Umuahia, and conscious that charity begins at home, has held talks with members of the State Working Committee and the State Executive Committee, in a deft move described as ‘political alignment’.

He has shared with his home chapter, his vision to transform Nigeria to a first world country, and his aspiration to contest the presidency during the 2023 general elections.

Insiders described Ohuabunwa’s message as well received by the party stalwart, who encouraged him, while also extolling his personal qualities as a ‘sellable candidate.’

The party’s top wigs, it was also learned, confirmed that Ohuabunwa is the first aspirant to notify the party of his ambition to contest.

On that basis, the party leaders had resolved to give him – President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and former Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) – the support he deserves.

Among the many dreams he has for Nigeria is the procurement of a cure for Nigeria’s despondency by implementing the policies articulated through the NNG.

Ohuabunwa is reputed to have amassed an unprecedented experience with NNG, and followership cutting across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), so much that he is being courted across political divide.

On a regular basis, he gets invited from different parts of the country to share his vision for Nigeria amid large audience.

At every turn, his message resonates hope among the citizens from all walks of life, hence he is continually being encouraged to vie for the highest office. He is howeer, a new comer, whose political influence and structure is nothing to write home about

 

This former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is without question an administrator par excellence, whose footprints in the sands of time, have elevated to the height of the most preferred in our today’s society. He is one of the reputable exports from the southeast, a position that may work against him as the 2023 presidential race gains momentum, in addition to not belonging to any of the two major political parties.

Born in Lagos on May 7, 1963 to a diplomat father by virtue of his profession, Isaac Moghalu, and a school teacher mother, Vidah Moghalu, the Kingsley spent his early childhood in Switzerland and Washington DC, where his father was posted.

Kingsley received his secondary school education at Eziama High School, Aba, Government College Umuahia, and Federal Government College Enugu. He later attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and earned a Law degree in 1986, and the Barrister at Law from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

A man with a great quest for learning, Kingsley obtained a Master of Arts degree in 1992, at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA where he was the Joan Gillespie Fellow and a research assistant in the International Political Economy programme. He later obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science at the University of London. As Professor of International Business and Public Policy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy he has taught, trained and inspired graduate students from more than 40 countries in North America, Europe, Africa.

Kingsley also earned the International Certificate in Risk Management from the Institute of Risk Management in London, and received advanced executive education in Macroeconomics and Financial Sector Management, Corporate Governance, and Global Strategic Leadership at the International Monetary Fund Institute, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a niche higher than a bookworm, a classical egghead.

He joined the United Nations in 1992. His first recorded assignment was in Cambodia as a UN human rights and elections officer with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia.

Having distinguished himself in the field, he was a year later, appointed the political affairs officer in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the UN Headquarters in New York. He is for all intent and purpose, a well travelled professional, and by all means an international man.

A global leader who has made contributions to the stability, progress and wealth of nations, societies and individuals across such domains as academia, economic policy, banking and finance, entrepreneurship, law, and diplomacy, he served in the former Yugoslavia as Political Advisor to the special representative of the UN Secretary-General in Croatia between 1996 and 1997. He was assigned as legal adviser to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (UNICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania, in 1997 and later promoted to the role of the international tribunal’s spokesman.

As special counsel and spokesman, he was responsible for policy development, strategic planning and external relations. The UNICTR delivered the first-ever judgement by an international court on genocide.

In 2002, the finance expert was appointed to the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, as head of global partnerships and resource mobilization at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), a public-private international development finance organization and social investment fund with $20 billion in assets and investments in 140 developing and middle-income countries. He was a member of the Global Fund’s senior management group that set corporate strategy, a member of the risk management committee, and was promoted to the rank of director in 2006.

In 2006, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Moghalu as a member of the UN General Assembly-mandated Redesign Panel on the United Nations Internal Justice System. Working at the UN Headquarters in New York for six months in the first half of 2006, the Redesign Panel reviewed and made recommendations on how to improve the system of administration of justice at the United Nations.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva, Switzerland appointed Kingsley him, in 2017, as a member of its high level Independent Expert Group on Financing for Development. The Expert Group reviewed and made recommendations on how to better achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and effective domestic resource mobilization for development in developing countries.

YAHAYA BELLO

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State

Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has already declared his presidential ambition and he stands as one of the youngest office holder to take a shot at occupying the Aso Villa.

Born on June 18, 1975 in Okene, Kogi State, as the youngest of six children, Bello attended Local Government Education Authority (Nigeria) (LGEA) Primary School, Agassa in Okene LGA where he was the headboy in his final year. He later attended high school at Agassa Community Secondary School, Anyava, Agassa-Okene and obtained his Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE) and Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) certificates from Government Secondary School, Suleja-Niger State in 1994. Bello studied at Kaduna State Polytechnic Zaria in 1995 and obtained an accounting degree from Ahmadu Bello University ABU Zaria in 1999. Yahaya Bello further enrolled for a Masters program in Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria where he obtained Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in 2002. Bello became a chartered fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria in 2004.

Governor Bello, who is a lover of sport and fitness, especially boxing, will be the toast of the youths if they mean business to wrestle power from the elderly.

However, the governor, who came to power courtesy of the death of Abubakar Audu, after winning the election, is not well reputed on the international scene. In 2020, he was among politicians placed on visa ban by the United States Department of State for undermining democracy in Nigeria.

He came head to head against a government agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, refusing the NCDC access to his state, saying he does not believe in the existence of the disease., and that it was ‘an artificial creation’. He has maintained that claim till date.

“Whether medical experts and scientists, believe it or not, COVID-19 is out to shorten the lifestyle of the people, it is a disease propagated by force for Nigerians to accept,” he was quoted as saying.

KHADIJAH OKUNNU-LAMIDI

Okunnu-Lamidi is the daughter of former Federal Commissioner of Works and Housing, Lateef Femi Okunnu (SAN), and so far the only female aspirant to have declared her interest to vie for the presidency of Nigeria.

The founder and chief executive officer of Slice Media Solutions disclosed that she is motivated to vie for the presidency because of her desire to restore hope and make Nigeria work for all Nigerians.

Also a media expert, Okunnu-Lamidi, is a believer in the youths, noting that youths under the age of 30, who represent about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population, have borne the most impact of bad governance, adding that the youths account for 13.9 million of the unemployment figures which stood at 21.7 million in the second quarter of 2020.

During her official declaration, Okunnu-Lamidi declared as follows as reasons for daring to thread of the Office of the President of Nigeria in 2023.

“Nigerians of our generation believe in the promise of an equitable and just political union which consolidates the diverse strengths of our people and which harnesses the vast untapped resources of our great nation for the common good. Nigerians of our gender believe that we are heirs to the same promise and that our contribution to the character, stability, peace and progress of Nigeria deserves recognition and reward.

‘‘The challenge of the presidency is to make Nigeria work for all of its diverse peoples. It is the most powerful office in the land, but it is a place of service, responsibility and duty and not a place of arrogance or show. Nigeria is not working for you,” she said.

While pointing out the worrisome unemployment indices in Nigeria at high population growth rate, deficient school curricula and poor teacher orientation, and lack of focus on manufacturing as a result of overdependence on the oil sector, as well as flawed and inconsistent government policies on youth unemployment, the presidential aspirant reiterated that there was hope for the country, especially with the emergence of a competent president in 2023.

Therefore, ‘‘it is not a proud boast to say that a candidate has been steeped in the bloody, incompetent and corrupt experience which has brought our country to where it is today. My generation is part of our country’s history but we are not the ones who wrote it in the blood of our youths and women and children. These are among the real issues of 2023 and it is these issues that will define the fate of Nigeria,’’ she stated.

The big question then is, who will the cap fit? Who will get his party’s nod? Who will Nigerians queue behind?

Time will tell.