Going by the current shenanigans around the corridors of Nigerian politics, it is obvious that some unseen hands are shaking the nation’s political jar. The black ants and the fire ants are at war.
The jostling for power over who takes the No 1 seat in Aso Rock Villa after the crisis-ridden tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari is at a frenetic pace. Suddenly, members of the same party are accusing one another. Nasir el-Rufai, a stalwart of All Progressive Congress (APC) and Governor of Kaduna State has accused some elements in President Buhari’s APC-controlled government of working against the elections of the presidential glag bearer of Party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Elsewhere, there is a loud murmur that the Fulani in APC have perfected a plan to team up with Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, a Fulani contesting under the umbrella of tge rival People’s Democratic Party (PDP). So, the talk on the streets of Nigeria, where rherebis no queue for fuel or new Naira Notes, is that the Fulani want to perpetuate themselves in power. It is more interesting that this narratives is gaining currency even among non-Fulani northerners. So what does the Fulani hegemonic want in Nigeria?
Its difficult to predict what the Fulani wants but it’s certain they want to retain power at ALL COST directly or through PROXY. I think they may prefer Atiku Abubakar, that is the Fulani that currently dominates Aso Rock. But there is a section of Fulani that think such a move will burn their hands.
The two are the same, bit strategy of retaining power and the route to take differs. Some want Atiku while some want Tinubu as a better plot of concession in order to come back to power at least after his tenue.
We need to critically examine the emerging scenario using hard facts driven by multifaceted intelligence gathering mechanism. We must also understand the power play between Kanuri and the Fulani and how it may affect Nigeria and Yoruba Nation
I think Tinubu deliberately picked Kanuri against the wish of a strong section of the Fulani North. He is conscious of history. The North is and had never been one.
There is the old rivalry between Fulani and Kanuri, each scrambling for the control of Nigeria from the era of the bitter wars between Eĺ Kanemi and Uthman Dan Fodio empires. Today, Boko Haram Sura (Central Working Committee) are mainly Kanuri, while the armed herdsmen are essentially Fulani.
The upsurge of Boko Haram actually prompted the armed Fulani terrorists to prevent Boko Haram from complete take over of the Jihad. It is believed that the Kanuri are more open minded and can keep to their words far more than a ruthless and vengeance full Fulani.
This may have explained the Obafemi Awolowo networking with the Bornu Youth Movement, which he supported and the alliance of Unity Party of Nigeria with Abdulrrahman Shugaba that the National Party of Nigeria wanted to deport.
This also may have explained Moshood Abiola’s picking Babagana Kingibe, a Kanuri and Tinubu picking Kashim Shettima, a Kanuri, although Kingibe betrayed Abiola, in difference to the pressure by Sani Abacha, also a Kanuri who grew up in Kano. It is believed that if Kingibe were to be Fulani, the betrayal would have been more vicious.
A Fulani VP is expected to want to quickly eliminate his principal, vicious, cunny, crafty and dangerous as Olusegun Obasanjo attested to in his relationship with Atiku for their troubled eight years.
Since Buhari came to power, Kanuri and Fulani have battled, albeit silently, to outdo each other in the scramble for Nigeria. That is evident in the power struggle in Aso Rock. It came more into sharper focus during Buhari’s reign because Buhari’s father being Fulani and his mother being Kanuri from Yobe State and his attempt to balance the antagonistic forces in the context of power and politics in Nigeria.
The Kanuri dominate Borno and Yobe States. Buhari tries to accommodate the two interests but not without difficulties.
The National Security Adviser, Babagana Mungono is Kanuri while Babagana Kingibe, a Kanuri and Mamman Daura, a Fulani are the two unofficial rival power brokers in Aso Rock.
However, in my own judgment, both Kanuri and Fulani in the context of Yoruba strategic interests are the same in form and in content. One has iron hand, the other has iron hand in silk clothing. Such is the relevance of the information on the table of my group’s Intelligence Desk
Were we not worried that Owo was bombed a day before the APC primary? While Tinubu, Kayode Fayemi and Rotimi Akeredolu were in Owo on condolences, Buhari group announced Ahmad Lawan as the presidential candidate. The three had to scamper back to Abuja. In the midsts of the APC primary, they called an emergence security submit to stop the primary, but some opposed it and Tinubu emerged. The people who conducted the primary do not want Tinubu. I believe they are still working to stop him. We should expect more violence ahead of the election either to justify postponement or to scuttle the election.
In all, Yoruba should strengthen its intelligence gathering prowess, there lay our future Knowledge of the enemy and its antics is far more crucial than any other thing. If they are planning a coup, we should know. If they are planning to scuttle the election, we should know.
Our responses must be guided by deep knowledge needed for us to define our tactics and strategies in the imminent and inevitable bitter struggle that must come on the road to Yoruba sovereignty.
