Tinubu: One Gaffe Too Many

There is no denying the fact that since the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) blew the whistle on September 28, 2022, for electioneering to officially commence in earnest ahead of the 2023 presidential election scheduled to be conducted on February 25, 2023, that the presidential aspirants that would participate in the electoral exercise have in their respective campaigns so far organized in different parts of the country made gaffes in what they said and did. Whether such gaffes were advertently made, as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo in his defense of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Balabloo-blu-bulava” want Tinubu’s critics to believe that the misspeak was a sense of humor, the fact remains that such campaign technique is a self-marketing effort.

It would be recalled that Tinubu, the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently in Owerri, the Imo State capital, at a meeting with private sector stakeholders, uttered some words that unarguably sounded gibberish as he tried to justify his shunning of town hall and debates organized by media organizations during his remarks.

He said, “A town hall, different from “balabloo-blu-bulava”, to the consternation of his listeners. It was not clear if APC presidential candidate was struggling to pronounce “hullabaloo”, but the apparent gaffe elicited much criticism among Nigerians, with many pointing it out as further evidence that Mr. Tinubu may not be able to cope with the pressures that are inherent in the presidential position he is aspiring to occupy come 2023; if he wins.

Prior to the foregoing graphically illustrated gaffe, it is expedient to recall that Tinubu literarily added new words to Nigeria’s political lexicon as he in a meeting with delegates to the presidential primaries of the APC in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, ahead of the primaries at the Eagle Square in Abuja said it was his turn (Emi lokan) to be the president of Nigeria, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari fell (O lule) thrice in his bid for the presidency before he (Tinubu) backed him to emerge winner.

He even said in the case of the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, he would not have been elected but for his backing, even as he haughtily called him “Eleyi”.

Be that as it may, it is very obvious that the slip-ups have not in a small way been contributing to the negative and stereotypical perceptions he has been receiving from his critics and traducers, particularly the Netizens.

It is not a misnomer to say that Negative press resulting from blunders made by “Jagaban”, as his supporters fondly call him is no doubt unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history.

Without resorting to mischief in this context, it is expedient to recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a banter jokingly said whether good or bad, the new vocabularies introduced by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2023 elections, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have come to stay.

Obasanjo threw the banter a day after he hosted the former Lagos State Governor in his Abeokuta, Ogun State home. That is after Tinubu, in the company of former Governors Olusegun Osoba and Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State; former Interim National Chairman of the APC and former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola.

Speaking at the inauguration of a 300-man Planning Committee on the installation of the new Olowu of Owu, Oba Saka Matemilola, Obasanjo said Tinubu has added to the Yoruba dictionary.

Without any iota of exaggeration, these blunders are being committed with reckless abandon from one campaign venue to another so much that his campaign managers seem to be overwhelmed with the tasks of explaining them away, even as voters are at a loss to decipher their meanings. Be that as it may, his supporters and admirers that believe in his capacity to lead Nigeria have resorted to be undermining and dismissing the flaw as inconsequential, saying that it does not matter. But as unanimously being said by not a few Nigerians, it matters a lot as they reasoned that peradventure he becomes Nigeria’s president in 2023 that he would by virtue of the presidential position be attending meetings convened by the United Nations, African Union, and ECOWAS and worse still as such meetings are usually held outside the country. Not only that, by virtue of being Nigeria’s number one citizen at the time, he would be expected to be hosting not a few diplomatic visitors and international visitors, so he needs to communicate clearly for people to understand. As a professionally put it, “No president raps or speaks like a DJ when receiving international visitors at that height of leadership position.”

As if Nigerians have not heard enough gaffes from “Jagaban, it is noteworthy to recall that while at a rally in Abakaliki, where he addressed his supporters on the failure of past PDP governments to provide electricity to the nation, he said: ‘’They promised you so much…they spent so much…but they failed to realize that high tension wires are superhighways, and they could not even make a down payment on the roasted corn of electricity’’. If I am permitted to ask at this juncture, “What concerns electricity with roasted corn at the meeting?” Expectedly, since he made the gaffe, which is one too many, the social media has been abuzz with all sorts of comments, but unfortunately, his somewhat attack-dogs have been silent, short of what to say anymore.

Without over-flogging this issue, it is germane to say that good communication is a core leadership function and a key characteristic of a good leader. In fact, effective communication and effective leadership are closely intertwined. There is no denying the fact that any Nigerian that aspires to become Nigeria’s number one citizen must be a skilled communicator as he is expected to be gracing events in countless events in Nigeria and other parts of the world from time to time by virtue of his leadership position. So, there is no basis for anyone to be partisan or sentimental about this requirement.

Given the foregoing, it is expedient to say that the president Nigeria needs, come 2023, must be able to think with clarity, express ideas, and share information with a multitude of audiences. He must also handle the rapid flow of information from government officials reporting to him, and who hold sway across the three arms of government that across the executive, legislature, and Judiciary as well as investors in private sectors of the economy and other stakeholders and influencers.