It
is an open secret that the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has his eyes on the Presidency for 2015.
It is also not a secret that he is not in good terms with President
Goodluck Jonathan, who seemingly is interested in re-election in 2015.
But the question is: Is Tambuwal managing his seeming presidential
ambition well with his position as the number four man in the nation?
At the Vanguard Man of the Year Award
held in Lagos on April 6, 2013, a former head of military junta, Gen.
Ibrahim Babangida, gave him the endorsement. Babangida had said of him:
“When leaders like Tambuwal deliver on their electoral promise, we
advise them to try something higher. For Tambuwal, your guess is as good
as mine.”
Tambuwal was elected the Speaker of the
7th House of Representatives on June 6, 2011 against the wish of his
party, the Peoples Democratic Party, that the position should be zoned
to the South-West in the spirit of national balancing.
But with the
South-West dominated by the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, which
did not want a top-ranking PDP person emerging from the geopolitical
zone, the ACN threw its weight behind Tambuwal, in association with the
opposition parties, the Congress for Progressive Change and the All
Nigeria People’s Party, as well as some PDP members, thereby making
Tambuwal win.
It was viewed by many as the triumph of the people’s will over the PDP’s wish.
In recent times, there have been rumours
that Tambuwal has his eyes on the Presidency come 2015, and that even
the opposition coalition-in-the-making, the All Progressives Congress,
is rumoured to have him as a possible presidential candidate. Given that
Tambuwal started his political career in the ANPP, then defected to the
Democratic People’s Party before defecting to the PDP, it will not be
surprising if he defects to the APC as its presidential candidate for
the 2015 election. But as is usual with Nigerian politicians, he has not
confirmed the rumour. He is watching to see the way the cat will jump.
If by 2014 the coast gets clearer, he may sing the usual refrain: “My
people have asked me to run for president.” As a legislator, he has the
advantage of not resigning to contest another office. So, if the
presidential ambition does not materialise, he can still re-contest as a
legislator.
Recently, he has not only flirted with
the opposition ACN and CPC, he has also shown by his actions that he is
not in good terms with the President. On June 3, 2013, when Osun State, a
state controlled by an ACN governor, launched the Opon Imo
tablets, Tambuwal was present, and praised Governor Rauf Aregbesola for
his performance in office. He was criticised by some members of his
party for praising a governor of an opposing party.
But Tambuwal rightly
responded that he is the Speaker of the nation, and not that of the
PDP. Also it is bad manners to condemn your host: It is better you
reject his invitation than accept his invitation, eat his food and enjoy
his hospitality, only to ridicule his performance. When the President,
Senate President, Speaker, minister or governor is the guest of a state
governor, he does not say that his host governor is a failure.
On June 22, 2013, Tambuwal was in Ekiti State, another ACN state, to take the title of the Bobagunwa of Ilawe.
However, on October I, 2012, Tambuwal
was absent at the Independence Day celebration in Abuja. His spokesman
said it was caused by a flight problem. At the Democracy Day celebration
on May 29, 2013, he was once more absent. His spokesman, Mr. Imam Imam,
explained his absence thus: “The Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, has chosen to
relate with people from his constituencies and launched some projects
executed by his state government, Sokoto State.”
On June 26, 2013, Tambuwal was again
absent from the presidential dinner, which was attended by Jonathan and
two African presidents, Mrs. Joyce Banda of Malawi and Mrs. Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia. No reason was given for that absence.
With such actions, Tambuwal is worming
his way into the hearts of the opposition and anti-Jonathan people. For
those who see anyone against the President as a hero, Tambuwal is a man
with a mind of his own, a man who does not lick the boots of another
man, not even those of the President.
But, Tambuwal seems to be confusing his
office with his person. He wears three caps: First as Aminu Tambuwal, an
individual; second as a legislator representing Kabbe/Tambuwal Federal
Constituency in Sokoto State; and third as Speaker of the House of
Representatives, the Number Four position in the land. This position as
the Speaker and the Number Four in Nigeria supersedes all other caps he
wears. Any action he takes will not be seen as the action of an
individual or a legislator, but that of the Number Four man of Nigeria.
That is why he must be careful with what he says or does.
Being absent from a national event like
the Independence Day or Democracy Day celebration was not good thinking.
Being absent at the presidential dinner that had three presidents in
attendance was not strategic too.
Tambuwal was not invited as Aminu
Tambuwal: he was invited as the Speaker, the Number Four man in Nigeria.
There are 365 days in the year, any of which he can choose to visit his
constituency, not on the Democracy Day, a day set aside as a national
holiday. It does not matter whether some disagree with the choice of the
day. The fact is that it is the Democracy Day of Nigeria, until and
unless changed.
That is the day for him to interface
with the people, whose Speaker he is. It is not the day to be parochial,
attending to his constituency.
It is to be noted that he flew from
Abuja to Sokoto, not on his personal money or constituency’s money, but
on the money of Nigeria. The aides he took to Sokoto were not provided
by him or his constituency, but by the nation. The security that he took
to Sokoto was not provided by his constituency but the nation.
There is no law that says that the
Speaker must be in a chummy relationship with the President. There is no
law that says the Speaker should not disagree with the President or
even hate him, if he so chooses. But attending the Democracy Day event
or the Independence Day celebration is not an endorsement of the
President or a show of love for him. Being at such an event is just in
line with his office as the Speaker. He would not be honouring the
President: he would be honouring the people whose Speaker he is.
The Speakership is an office, not a
person. Even when a legislator from an opposing party to the President
occupies it, he should be able to differentiate between himself as the
Speaker of the federation as well as himself as a person from an
opposing party to the President.
In the same vein, Tambuwal should be
able to differentiate between the office of the President and the
personality of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. When he, as the Speaker, attends
the event hosted by the President, he is not honouring Jonathan: he is
honouring the office of the President as well as the office of the
Speaker.
When national or state events arise, he should attend as a
national officer; and when it is time to disagree with the President on
issues of policies or governance, he should do so. National offices
should not be personalised. The office of the Speaker is not the same as
the office of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, which
usually leads the people in protest against policies of the Federal
Government.
While he may get popular with those who
are anti-Jonathan, his attitude will readily repulse those who are
pro-Jonathan. That is not a wonderful strategy. A politician with his
eyes on the Presidency does not unnecessarily create enemies for himself
on minor issues where he can strike a balance and get a wider fan base.
Sources: Punch
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