Ambode and Tinubu - The Noble and the Crook

The fundamental question raised in the feisty political muscle-flexing between the Governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, and the de facto political leader of Western Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, is where the allegiance of an elected office holder should reside. Here, we have a governor doing his job to the satisfaction of the electing public being blackmailed by a political powerbroker for refusing to prostrate to private pressure. The accusation against Ambode is that he is doing so well for the people to the dissatisfaction of his political party, but particularly, the political warlord, Tinubu, who has for two decades, been the sole dispenser of political and economic opportunities in Lagos and beyond.

It is incontrovertible to assert that there is no public office holder in Lagos State who does not owe his or her political fortune to Bola Tinubu. He is the Godfather, as in Mario Puzo's classic novel. He makes and unmakes, dignifies and disgraces, raises and lowers, upgrades and downgrades, anoints and condemns, gives and takes. Without his signature, political ambitions are stillborn.

Ambode is a product of this versatile pipeline laid by Tinubu. He was an unknown, who profited from the political schemes of Tinubu. My knowledge about how exactly Ambode became Tinubu's consigliere is limited, but he must have been a good soldier. Only a made man can become Tinubu's underboss. So, let no one weep for Ambode. He did not become a governor on his own merit. He was made a governor by political proclamation. The god of Lagos anointed him; what the god gives, the god takes back. He has become a cry baby by his own making, and he has only himself to blame. However, there is an opportunity for freedom through his travail.

Regardless of how he gained political power, Governor Ambode has served his people well. He may not have got to power in nobility but he has held himself well. He is transforming Lagos into a modern city and state. He's got administrative intelligence and vibe. The last time I was in Nigeria, I was bewildered by the free-flowing traffic from the Lagos-Ibadan toll gate, through Ojota and Maryland, to my destination. I saw new bus lanes, the disappearance of "Molues," the neat and tidy fleet of public transportation - changes that had seemed impossible. I heard that Ambode listens to advice, researches issues, and engineers solutions effectively. The driver of my rented car told me the story of how the Governor ended the reign of terror of the Vehicle Inspection Officers. I was glad to see real change.

These positive developmental changes may not be at any risk even if Ambode is not re-elected. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the latest front from Tinubu's political fiefdom, seems to be highly qualified. That's not the point. The danger is that Tinubu puts democracy at a grave risk. The process through which Sanwo-Olu is being given the ladder of power makes the people's own power inconsequential. Even Sanwo-Olu has to be careful. Tinubu takes power from the people and arrogates all power to himself. The power to choose, the power to elect and the power to decide. For far too long, Bola Tinubu has decided for the people, to his own selfish advantage. He has become so powerful that the whole of Lagos State - its economy, its office holders, its political life and health - is handcuffed by one one . He has filled political office with those whose allegiance is only to him. It does not matter if they do well in power, no man should wield power over society the way Tinubu has. The fate of millions cannot be in the hands of one man or a few; this is not a feudal society. His strength and weakness cannot continue to be a burden to the people. A single point of failure is not what Lagos needs. Not anymore! Tinubu poses a risk that the people must now fight.

There is time for everything in life. It is a very good opportunity for the good citizens of Lagos State to reject political slavery that they have submitted themselves to, but may not have fully comprehended. This is also the time for Governor Ambode to make himself a name as a man who truly believes in the process of democracy, rather than some narrow political gains from which he has benefited. The picture he is paiting in public in trying to please Bola Tinubu makes him a political nobody. He should get up on his kneels and fight. He can contest the election and lose, with his conscience fully intact and his stature without blemish. Or, he can succumb and bow as a weakling - as someone who lacks principle and conviction - and a baby governor. He can leave a legacy of strength and character, or that of a bootlicker. He should do the former; not the latter.

And to Tinubu, the Godfather eventually loses. Whether it’s the real Al Capone, or the fictional Don Corleone, there is always a disgraceful end. It's time to let the good people of Lagos go. Using political power corruptly to fill public offices with loyalists, in perpetuity, is not what NADECO told us they would do, when we all fought to win this democratic opportunity after years of military politics. We fought for a true democracy, where power would reside with the people.  Once the people no longer have the means to exercise power over their own destiny, as demonstrated by Tinubu's style of party politics, democracy loses its strength and drifts aimlessly on the open sea.

Ultimately, Ambode should let the people decide his fate and not cowardly succumb to the blackmail of a lone kingmaker. He should contest, with or without the All Progressives Congress. Lagosians must rescue themselves and rescue Ambode as well by rejecting anyone anointed by Tinubu, no matter how qualified that person is, on principle. One man should not decide the fate of millions of people. It is an insult to the good people of Lagos that Tinubu manipulates their political choice through a network of political operatives he has held in his pocket. He is no wiser or better than any other Lagosian. In fact, there is nothing on his Curriculum Vitae that proves him to be more than an average citizen. A crook cannot be given the accolade of a noble.

I have been reminded by friends that as it is in Lagos, so has it been in Osun State under the power of the same warlord. I am well aware of that. The battle in Osun is almost over; but it is just starting in Lagos. Let all Nigerians, in Lagos and beyond, rise in support of Governor Ambode. If they save him, they will be building a barricade against political corruption and illegitimate power grab by the likes of Tinubu, who takes from the despicable playbooks of Busari Adelakun and Lamidi Adedibu.