Dissecting Ikimi Bikini Problem and his Hatred for Tinubu

By Edmund Otudeko
 
Anyone attempting to write Tom surname on a smartphone or tablet will

find that the in-built auto-correct feature will attempt to write the

surname as Bikini-that flimsy, not-meant-for-high-occasion clothing

wornn by fun seekers on beaches.
 
While this gives good cause to LaughOutLoud, it isnt really Tom fault

but it is very telling in an ironic way. Tom has come to symbolize that

typical not-to-be-taken-serious Nigerian politician whose value at any

gathering is, at best, comic, and at worst, disruptive. This is why, when

Tom recently felt compelled to write an article justifying why he decided

to renounce his membership of the only credible opposition party in

Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC), many people were amused.

This is because he didnt have to offer any justification. No one was

expecting any justification from him. After all, what is it to Nigerians

that this Tom was decampingonce againas usual andas expected?

 
After reflecting on Tom flip flopping on the political stage over the

years, his ignominious role in the dark days of Nigeria political history

and his childish rant in the letter announcing his departure from the APC,

one could not but understand how, in the minds of discerning citizens and

keen political watchers, the reputation of Tom as one not to be entrusted

with the important and consequential was fully earned.

 
Given his antecedents as the sell out Chairman of the National

Republican Convention, Tom is rightly regarded in political circles as the fun seeking

beach goer in a bikini. While I wont advise any one to conjure up the

picture of Tom in a bikini in one mind, the metaphor explains why Tom

will never be trusted with any office of consequence. No one invites the

bikini wearer to the high table.
 
Tom continues to complain to any one who would listen that he was barred by

certain forces from emerging as the National Chairman of the All

Progressives Congress. The truth is that Tom keeps missing the point and

breaking one of the fundamental rules of life inscribed in the Temple of

Apollo in Delphi: Man, know thyself. Tom should look in the mirror and

limit his ambitions and his opinion of himself. Tom was not barred by

certain forces. Tom was barred by the will of the members of the

party.
And the members were right. No Nigerian would have taken the party

seriously with Tom as its Chairman.
 
Only very exceptional men can manage the inherent weakness of man in

failing to know himself. Tom does not appear to be one of such exceptional

men. Tom needs to begin to see himself as he is seen and as he is:

 
Tom cannot, even under the most twisted definition of the term, be

counted as a true Nigerian Progressive. He is one of those of whom Rear

Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu spoke of in the Punch Newspapers of June 12, 2013:

œMany who connived with the clique in those debasing and disenfranchising

years are today even masquerading as champions of democracy Such

people
include those who now today sit atop parties Boards of Trustees

Some
reign at the pinnacle of the legislative arm of government in Abuja. There

are numerous others in the arms of government and even among the

progressives, who ought really to search their conscience, if the survival,

well-being and progress of Nigeria is truly in their agenda.

 
Tom cannot live down his role in the scuttling of the aspirations of

Nigerians in 1993. For, if one is revolted by the duplicitous politicians

who, while heading political parties connived with the military to annul

and waste the democratic gains of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections,

one of one prime objects of anger should be Tom.
 
If one is convinced-as are all independent observers and students of

history-that most of our nation woes are the result of years of military

misadventure in governance aided by self-serving and sycophantic civilian

politicians, Tom should deservedly be one punching bag.

 
Tom is one of the Nigerians who have helped the PDP design, oil and

perfect its anti-democratic electoral fraud machine. One needs look no

further than to Chief Tom Ikimi, the owner of the
Obasan-joooh.Obasan-jooh voice that, in 2003, manufactured the

contraption that foisted even more years of PDP misrule on Nigeria. (In

furtherance of that electoral fraud machine, the PDP stole the recent

election in Ekiti and, even before formally declaring for the PDP, Tom is

already helping that party spread the official lie by blaming APC loss in

that state on the perception of APC leaders by the people of Ekiti.)

 
Tom is one of the lead facilitators of that dark episode in

Nigeria
history when, 19 years ago, the respected playwright and activist, Mr. Ken

Saro Wiwa and others were gruesomely murdered by the ruthless regime of

General Sani Abacha which Tom enthusiastically, obediently and dutifully

served as an adviser and foreign minister and who proudly and

unapologetically defended gruesome murders and miscarriage of justice

before the whole world.
 
Tom is undoubtedly that imposing man who possesses fairly impressive

oratory prowess. But it is largely for amusement as of those fun seekers

in bikinis. However, people who know what is at stake should not be amused

by it. We must begin to reject the culture and leaders that promote the

use of empty words and phrases to disguise the issues or to disguise their

own lack of understanding of the issues and lack of good will and

intentions.
 
Tom, in his defection rant, claimed to have played a prominent role in the

founding of the Action Congress of Nigeria and the All Progressives

Congress and felt that entitled him to the Chairmanship of the APC. In

light of the above, he should know that if he had been promoted in his

bikini to such a high office in the APC, which is Nigeria surest

bet out
of the doldrums, all progressives would have been part of those George

Santayana referred to as œThose who do not remember history and are,

ipso
facto, œcondemned to repeat its mistakes. If the military and the PDP

would gladly treat Chief Tom Ikimi as a leader, the APC rightly cured

itself of such malady. The APC must not been seen as suffering from

collective amnesia.
 
The only problem with Tom rant and diatribe is his attempt to cast

aspersions on otherwise principled politicians dedicated to the struggle to

liberate Nigeria from the shackles of corrupt and inept leadership foisted

on the nation by Tom natural family, the Peoples Democratic Party

(œPDP). In the same old, intellectually lazy fashion we have become

accustomed to from PDP sympathizers and enemies of progressive politics,

Tim joined the ranks of desperate detractors of the Asiwaju of Lagos, Bola

Ahmed Tinubu, in attempting to cast aspersions on his person and integrity.

 
It is a historical fact that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the

visionary behind, and one of the principal architects involved in, the

formation of the All Progressives Congress. It was the Asiwaju personal

leadership that led the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria to

unanimously support the vision to cast lot with the APC and it was his (and

few others) tireless and selfless investment of time and resources that

built the APC into the formidable alternative party that it now is.

 
Long before the formation of the APC, the Asiwaju has since cemented his

reputation as the leader of a new brand of politics and activism in

Nigeria. The politics that vigorously promote the welfare of the

electorate and activism that courageously and doggedly pursues the

enthronement of the rule of law and the pursuit of business as unusual for

the sake of the greater good.
 
In his first Inaugural Address as the Governor of Lagos State, he famously

said, œAs flag-bearers, we are not unmindful of the heavy burden and

responsibility that we carry. We are not unmindful of the huge expectations

of our people, young and old, man and woman, able and disabled. Nor are we

unmindful of the misery and poverty that the generality of our people have

had to endure almost forty years after Independence. Our goal, as the

Prophet of old commands, is to lighten the burden of our people,

alleviating poverty by providing jobs for our youths, houses, secure homes,

water, good roads and creating efficient mass transportation system,

industrial development and providing life more abundant for our people.

 
And long before his election into executive office, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed

Tinubu played key roles in Nigerian politics. He was elected to the Senate

from Lagos West constituency with the highest votes in the country in the

short-lived Third Republic. In the Senate he was the Chairman of the

Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Currency and Appropriations. In that

capacity, he initiated a far-reaching probe of the finances of the National

Assembly that set him at loggerheads with the legislative bureaucracy and

the military regime at the helm of affairs at the time.

 
Asiwaju was also at the forefront of Chief MKO Abiola campaign for

presidency in 1993. When the June 12, 1993 election, described as the

freest and fairest in the country history was annulled, he emerged as one

of the fiercest opponents of the annulment. As the arrowhead of the

struggle to actualize Abiola mandate, the military junta reached out to

him severally to jump ship and come over to their side. He was offered

juicy appointments and contracts to no avail. He refused to betray his

principled commitment to the sanctity of a free and fair election.

Exasperated by Tinubu intransigence, the military viciously went after

him. He was detained. His house was fire-bombed. He eventually had to flee

the country for his dear life. His wife, now Senator Oluremi Tinubu and her

children had to be smuggled out into exile. Tinubu, while in exile remained

steadfast in his commitment to the pro-democracy struggle, making great

personal and financial
sacrifices towards this effort. A pseudo democrat would rather enjoy the

transient benefits of economic and political power rather than risk his

life fighting for truth and justice but not Tinubu who remained steadfast.

 
It is in the light of the Asiwaju indisputable record of service and

sterling leadership that the attempts by some elements in and outside the

APC to reduce the Asiwaju influence in the party raise red flags for many

Nigerians who have anchored their hope of Nigerian redemption on the APC.

 
Do people like Tom think that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu claim to

leadership is simply that he was once elected to the Senate of the Federal

Republic or that he performed as one of the most conscientious Governors of

Lagos State in recent years? No! It is because of his profile in courage!

It is because of his sacrifice for the greater good in good times and bad

times. Who was the rallying point and strategic voice for all the

opposition figures in the dark days following the annulment of the June 12,

1993 Presidential elections? Who was in the forefront of the global

assault on the regime of General Sani Abacha? Who was the governor that

redefined governance after years of mismanagement by the military? Who was

the governor with the courage and vision to fight all the way to the

Supreme Court to establish the fiscal rights of States in the Federation?

Who is the politician with acumen and endurance to organize the political

opposition that our
democracy surely needs to survive? It is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 
Thus, to reduce the influence of such a leader or to discount the value of

his guidance is the recipe for doom. The people perish when they lack

vision, so the holy writ says. In the same way, the APC will lose its way

if it forsakes the counsel, leadership and vision of its founders and, in

particular, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Asiwaju has always sided with

the aspirations of the people of Nigeria and his vision is, first, of

leadership that is not about the spoils of office or ethnic loyalties but

about ideas. The prime idea being that democratic governance must be

transparently fair and must deliver tangible benefits to the people.

 
Also, the Asiwaju vision is of the promotion of leaders whose democratic

credentials are unimpeachable, he himself having sacrificed greatly both

during the struggle for the enthronement of democracy and now during this

struggle for the enthronement of good governance. In the dark days of the

June 12 struggle, was it not the Asiwaju who sacrificed greatly to mobilise

and support the forces of democratic governance? Was it not the Asiwaju

who successfully led the defence of the Constitution and the rights of

states against an imperial presidency? Was he not the one who led

democratic forces to ward off an onslaught of the might of the humongous

and corruptly oiled political machinery of the PDP in the desperate effort

to capture the states of the South West? Was it not during his

leadership that the winning electoral strategies that restored

progressivism to most parts of the South West were successfully formulated

and implemented?
 
Furthermore, the Asiwaju vision for the APC is of the elevation to

leadership of persons who are not men of mere words but men who have toiled

in office for the sake of the people and who have performed so

exceptionally well that they can raise their heads up high and walk

confidently among the people of this country. The Asiwaju himself was a

popular Governor of the cosmopolitan state of Lagos for 8 years. It was the

Asiwaju administration in Lagos that in 2001 became, perhaps, the first

state administration to record 90% budget performance. In fact, for his

excellent performance as the Executive Governor of Lagos State of Nigeria

(1999  2007), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu received several awards. These

include Best Governor in Nigeria for Y2000 by the Nigerian-Belgian Chamber

of Commerce; Y2002 Best Practices Prize in Improving the Living

Environment, awarded by the Federal Ministry of Works and the UN Habitat

Group; and the Y2000 Best
Computerized Government in Nigeria Award by the Computer Association of

Nigeria.
 
In the Asiwaju vision, the APC should be a party of resolute leaders who

are in the forefront of the fight for justice, for good governance, for the

integrity of the ballot box, for real development and for change in a

corrupt and dysfunctional polity. It should be a party of leaders who are

echoing the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln who himself paid the supreme

sacrifice in his leadership of his people by dedicating themselves to the

unfinished work which heroes in the past have thus far so nobly advanced.

The APC of the Asiwaju vision should be a party of leaders dedicated to

the great task remaining before us: that this nation, under God, shall have

a new birth of freedom”and that the government of the people, by the

people, for the people, shall not perish.
 
The APC will also do well to take advantage of the Asiwaju wide, varied

and rich experience of Nigeria. He has been priviledged to know Nigeria

well from the perspective of an ordinary citizen living in a country

struggling with developmental issues and every day infrastructural

problems; from the perspective of a Nigerian living in the diaspora; from

the perspective of a citizen making his first foray into the murky waters

of politics; from the perspective of an activist-politician co-leading the

often very dangerous struggle against military dictatorship; from the

perspective of a public servant twice elected to serve as the governor of

the largest, richest and most cosmopolitan state in Nigeria; and from the

perspective of a political leader now seeking to put democracy on firmer

footing by organizing a viable, coherent, and alternative political

leadership for Nigeria
 
For the umpteenth time, people like Tom must surely be reminded that it is

intellectually lazy to capitalize on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

relationship with the Managing Director of Oando Plc to create ridiculous

conspiracy theories. Surely, the deal between Oando Plc and Conoco

Phillips is one scrutinized by regulators in Nigeria, the United States and

South Africa. To suggest that it was a front for some shady deal is lazy

and also mischievous, uninformed and rash.
 
Tom referred to the number of defectors from the APC to justify his own

defection. But he should be reminded that the struggle of the opposition

is not one that can be endured by all. It is a natural phenomenon for the

chaff to be separated from the grain. The wheel of the formidable machine

of progressivism will continue to roll undeterred. When the battle is

finally ended and the roll is called, we know those whose names will be

missing.
Even the most ardent sympathizer and fan of the PDP or President Goodluck

Jonathan now agrees that Nigeria is in desperate need of a breath of fresh

air, longing for an influx of air that is not stale or smelly, a portion of

air that is not “contaminated” with unpleasant people or situations and

demanding a new, fresh, and imaginative approach to the Nigerian Project.

Gladly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has, thanks to the vision of

courage of selfless and indefatigable progressives, offered long-suffering

Nigerians an alternative to the clueless and debilitating failed leadership

offered the nation by the PDP over the last 15 years.

And as the year of battle draws close, there may be more defections but

there also will be more people enlisting for the struggle. But even as the

APC is seeking the help of all and sundry to defeat the cancerous monster

that is the PDP, only men of sterling characters and reputation may apply.

Beach goers and large men in Bikinis may keep amusing themselves.

Edmund Otudeko is a political analyst and an APC chieftain

 
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