It would appear that some of our presidential aspirants have not paid attention to how Tinubu conducted himself before the Nigerian presidential elections.
It would be the height of dishonesty on my part to create the impression that all the other 9 aspirants have been engaging in what we describe as ‘pissing in’, a crusade that is geared towards crucifying the Akufo-Addo administration over its achievements in the past six and a half years.
Only two or three aspirants have been ruthlessly engaging in such unsavoury commentaries all in their attempts to win the hearts and minds of the delegates.
Some have thrown Akufo-Addo and Bawumia under the bus. They are rubbishing the monumental achievements of this administration using the depreciation of the local currency against the US Dollar.
One would expect that these people seeking to lead the party would pay attention to the catastrophic consequences of COVID-19 and the war between Russia and Ukraine. They have deliberately ignored these two major events and are creating the impression that all has been rosy but the managers of the economy did a poor job at keeping the economy running.
Let us take a trip back to events preceding the elections in Nigeria. Tinubu was never happy with how things were being done by the Buhari administration, but he never uttered a word.
He was not the favorite of the administration in their party’s internal elections but he hardly spoke about or against it. He remained focused on the election and won in their primaries.
Tinubu did not use the hardships in the country as a campaign tool against Buhari. He knew that though there were negatives, he chose to dwell on the positives of the government and rode on same to become President.
In our NPP, some hold the view that by running down Akufo-Addo and Bawumia, the same would be an open sesame for their much-cherished victory in the primaries.
Some go about campaigning as though they’d never use the achievements of this administration to campaign in the unlikely event that the delegates see them fit to lead the party.
If they believe they do not need the achievements of this administration for their campaign purposes in case they win the primaries, then they might as well not contest the primaries but leave and be independent candidates to contest the 2024 elections.
Whoever emerges victorious in the primaries will campaign using the achievements of President Akufo-Addo. It is more than problematic that some of these aspirants are running down these same achievements.
To some people, as far as this election is concerned, it is either their way or the highway. They must win at all cost but if they don’t win, the party must be in flames.
The delegates know best. They will vote for someone with the pedigree to steer the affairs of the party as its presidential candidate. They will vote for the one who is a personification of peace and unity. They will vote for someone who has the competence to lead the party and become President. They see all these attributes in Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
P.K. Sarpong, Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place.