MANY Nigerians are gradually showing concern on how former governor of Lagos State and a “national leader” of the ruling APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will survive the ongoing battle in his party.
This sentiment is coming from the backdrop of the crisis rocking the APC-controlled National Assembly over the emergence of Dr. Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which contradicted their party’s preference.
The public perception of the crisis is that some cabals in the party, particularly the Northerners, in collaboration with some haters of Tinubu from the South, orchestrated the crisis to reduce the influence that the former governor wielded.
The public perception has continue to grow strong despite the media denial and political maneuverings and explanations by the APC that the matter has nothing to do with any individual or that is was targeted at Tinubu.
However, Tinubu’s silence since the crisis began was interpreted to mean a lot and his absence from the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meetings held in Abuja last week, did not help matters either as the public continue to hold that some cabal “wanted Tinubu out at all cost” To worsen the situation, one of the die-hard supporters of Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye’s allegation that Tinubu is plotting to have him removed from the Senate for supporting the Senate president further strengthen the public negative perception about the matter.
Curiously there has been no roar from the den of the Lion of Bourdillon to confirm, deny or correct some of these public perceptions. Optimists are however of the opinion that the colour of the much-expected cabinet of the Buhari administration is the only way to confirm whether the Lion has been denied of his share which his supporters argue should commensurate with the size of his contributions to the hunt that produced the kill. Time will tell.
