The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 elections, Bola Tinubu has rallied his political troops to use whatever means necessary to achieve their political ambition.
In a viral video of him addressing some persons believed to be party faithfuls, Tinubu charged top campaigners to stop at nothing and go for the jugular. “fight”, “grab” and “run [away] with” political power, Tinubu bellowed at the audience while speaking in London.
He has remained in the United Kingdom after attending a Chatham House engagement earlier in the week.
“Political power is not going to be served in a restaurant. They don’t serve it a la carte. At all cost, fight for it, grab it and run with it,” Mr Tinubu said.
Since his emergence as Lagos governor in 1999, Mr Tinubu has maintained a stranglehold on the politics of Nigeria’s commercial capital.
After he left office in 2007, Tinubu continues to use all sort of crude, devious, ruthless and diabolical means, which include sudden death of formidable opponents and use of violence to scuttle voting in opposition stronghold, in order to maintain his hegemony over the state.
While his supporters and admirers hailed tactics as a testament of his political sagacity opposition says the former governor methods have stifled democracy in the state and impeded its growth
The APC flag bearer is seen as the leading candidate for next year’s polls but he faces stiff competition from veteran contestant and former vice president Atiku Abubakar. Peter Obi, a former Anambra governor, is also showing promises of a strong showing in the election which some analysts say might be largely influenced by ethno-religious sentiments.