A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Ogun State, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has urged President Bola Tinubu to desist from antagonising All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders from the North, who helped him emerge victorious in the 2023 elections.
Showunmi linked the current political travails of former Governors of Kaduna and Kogi States, Nasir El-Rufai and Yahaya Bello, respectively, to President Tinubu.
He added that Tinubu’s poor treatment of el-Rufai and Bello would break a long-term understanding between Yorubas and the North, who supported him especially against their brothers, Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso, in the 2023 presidential election.
The PDP chieftain further warned that the continued attack against the APC leaders could affect Tinubu’s 2027 ambition.
Showunmi said, “Upon reflection on the trajectory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his journey to the presidency, I find my mind wondering if my Yoruba Uncle is still the same person that I have always known and admired.
“You might need to think through this to understand me. The Yorubas already carry misconceptions about betrayal, that we don’t keep our end of the bargain. That we use and dump people. That we are cunning around the power play.
“Except Olusegun Obasanjo who as both in and outside power as military and civilian head of state kept his side of the agreement with his partners who got him into power.”
Showunmi, who lamented that the president’s action reflects an unmindfulness of the consequences, said, “Nasir El-Rufai, say what you will about him, he supported Asiwaju fully during the primaries and the general elections. Pray how has he been treated? Same El-Rufai now has a security report that humiliated him during a Senate clearance made up of a majority of Tinubu men! What would the world call that but betrayal?
“Now Yahaya Adoza Bello who practically fought like a madman to give Asiwaju good numbers in Kogi not to talk of how he funded and ran the youth campaign with vigour and energy to the extent that I was so jealous compared to the disorganized charade of my PDP.
“Same Yahaya Bello who superintend over the membership registration of APC that to date I cannot but remember comparing the bliss and pageantry to the joke that my PDP ran under the Edo emperor.
“Pray is that the same GYB that is embarrassed to the level we are all witnessing? If this is not a betrayal, I would like someone to tell me what can be a betrayal more than this.”
The PDP chieftain said everyone who worked hard with Tinubu to emerge president was being minimised by those around the president who are using the state agencies.
He further threw some posers at the president, saying: “Do you plan to contest a second term or do you think your work will be done in one term of just four years? Shall tomorrow not come? Where are the men of yesterday?
“Akanni omo olodo ide, you know that on a deep level of nation-building, I won’t allow partisan politics to prevent me from saying it as I see it.
You may need to understand that power must be shared and that the world over, people must feel protected by an arrangement they help bring about.”
He noted that the president has allowed “PDP people to stroll about” while the ones who worked to give him power are “running helter-skelter.”
He continued, “The Yorubas have a saying that “Oni kan ko ni fe ko baje” the owner of a thing will not want it to get destroyed.
“I see some very good ideas you wish to implement, I get the mess you are trying to clean and you know in your heart of hearts that I Segun Showunmi with me, Nigeria comes first.
“I will nevertheless refuse to point out what will have grave consequences for our shared Yoruba race.
“The issues from the Awolowo era have not been resolved with other tribes, especially the Igbos who to date see Yorubas in a bad light but for the efforts of men like Obasanjo, Pa Adebanjo and to a lesser extent myself who have demanded that fair is fair.
“Will you now break a long-term understanding between Yorubas and the north because you are now acting like you won’t respect people who supported you to the max, especially against their bothers Atiku and Kwankwaso.”
Stressing that Tinubu cannot be allowed to be misled, Showunmi said, “I trust him to fix this mess. I can’t have you make out future, my future hard because some of us will ask people to trust us with power. Won’t they be afraid?”