By Ajibade Abdullah Adewale
Amidst the gathering political storm towards the 2023 general elections, a presidential aspirant whose name I shall not reveal for fear of elimination has visited the president of this country to receive his blessing and sail ahead in his ambition.
An insider revealed to this reporter that the president assured the aspirant of his support, and also promised him the support of his cabinet members and the people of Daura.
“The people of Daura got me elected. Once you have their support, you have already won. So, with me behind you, you already have their support,” the president assured.
However, this presidential candidate seemed not to be comfortable, the insider said. The reason was that he couldn’t trust the assurance of the president.
To confirm this development, this reporter placed a call to Mr. President’s preferred aspirant. In the course of our discussion, he raised concerns that the president’s support won’t take him anywhere. Rather, what he needs is the support of the national leader of their party, since he facilitated the emergence of the incumbent president.
On hearing this, this reporter was stunned and pressed further.
Reporter: Have you forgotten that your national leader announced his ambition a few days ago?
Presidential Aspirant: Well, erm… the issue is that I will meet him to step down for me. He is a great mentor and I am sure it’s what he can do.
Reporter: While you visited the president undisclosed, your national leader’s visit is public. We saw the president laughing with him. What is your view of this?
Presidential Aspirant: You seem not to understand how politics works. You know, the president said in a recent interview with this popular television station that he would not declare his favourite candidate to avoid being eliminated.
As you could see, our national leader’s visit was made public, so he’s not the president’s favourite, unlike mine that’s not made public. Mr. Reporter, I am his candidate and I have received his blessing and been assured of his full support. Just that it will be hard without the support of our national leader.
Reporter: How do you plan to woo your National Leader?
Presidential Aspirant: Well, I will visit him along with the immediate former governor of Osun and, probably, the publisher of Ovation Magazine too.
Reporter: But things don’t seem smooth between your national leader and the former governor. Even, the publisher of Ovation has also declared to contest for the president of this country.
Presidential Aspirant: As regards the former Governor, he is only joking. Eventually, he will support my candidacy. And as for that Publisher of Ovation magazine, he only wants to spend the little he has unnecessarily. He will also end up supporting me as I am the president’s preferred.
Reporter: Away from that, what are your plans for the country?
Presidential Aspirant: Well, I will build on the incumbent president’s legacy. He has performed excellently. From a smooth economy to a stable power supply to a decrease in the unemployment rate. Our poverty level has drastically reduced. Also, military intervention will be limited henceforth. As you know, insecurity has become a thing of the past. Well, these are some of my plans that made the president show interest in me. However, he can’t drum his support for me now to avoid being eliminated
The Presidential Aspirant, after this interview, vowed to announce his ambition as soon as he has informed the president and the only thing left is to inform the Nigerian populace. “Don’t worry, consultation has started in that regard,” he said.
Important to add that the National Leader is healthier than the incumbent president and the fact that he has been nurturing this ambition for a while now has made him most-deserving of the presidency. Who says a healthy kingmaker can’t be king?
Ajibade Abdullah Adewale is a journalist, righting writer and part-time satirist. He is the current Chairman, Guild of Editors, Association of Campus Journalists, Obafemi Awolowo University. You can reach him via his mail — abdullahajibade@gmail.com and Twitter — @iampentalk
