Interestingly, with the political chess game going on in the Red Chamber, and the number of the cardsharp players trying to outsmart one another in the attempt to corner juicy post, it's sure as shooting that the 9th Assembly is really taking a detour from the past inglorious path in which fortune smiled on some people with 'unmerited gifts".
As the new game beckons, some people tend to look different and choose to play ostrich, others who look differently than they do are calculating which side of the divides the pendulum will swing.
Those who are playing neutral, want to be on the side of the majority ultimately. It's dirt cheap!
The handwriting on the wall is intelligible and this time, the political pundits are not misreading it. From all indications, the Ninth Assembly will not be a soft touch to any political enfant terrible whose peremptory calculation is to install a "yes man" against the will of the majority. Senator Bukola Saraki , the ougoing SP was quoted to have cautioned the newly elected senators to remain firm and resolute not to buy a pig in a poke. He adjured them not to be palavered by any external influence into choosing leaders they will live to regret.
History, they say, hate a hyper power. It stands against logic as it is baffling that the present political system has created some rogue elephants who see the country as personal fiefdom that should be run according to their whims and dictate, and later on passed to their political lackeys, scions and minions. But, if the new senators and Reps stand tall in terms of principle and not flow with the inclement tide, the self opinionated category of party leaders who tend to take power as their natural monopoly will be sellshocked as they may end up in the current political power game as a biblical Hamman who is hanged on his own self constructed gallow. The signs are already omnious. Kid you not, they are a victim waiting to be had.
It's however amazing that all eyes seem to be swivelled more on who takes up the position of the Deputy Senate President in the Ninth Assembly. This-i-must-emphasise--is largely due to the palpable interest shown by some external forces outside the hallowed Chamber to influence the choice out of some filial attachment and other self seeking motives that runs analogous to the principles that undergird the assembly. Will the 9th assembly cringe to the goons? This is a million dollars poser that must not be answered in the affirmative, except, we all choose to wait helplessly and see our democracy throttled.
Without gainsaying, covetous position of the DSP is very important to the survival of the Senate and therefore needs to be occupied by a seasoned, cerebral and overtly restless member with special nous and a get up and go mentality that the job demands. Anybody with the interest of the country at heart, in this material time will not rally sentiments to prevail on good reasoning. He who knows the way, for the overall interest of the nation should be allowed to blaze the trail.
As things stand, names of two prominent senators from the South West axis keep flashing the minds of political pundits talking of their moves and swift calculations to clinch the DSP position, they are both eminently qualified and have some leverage above others to transform their dream into a reality. One is Senator Oluremi Tinubu, a senator representing Lagos Central and wife of the APC national leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu. The other, who is no less a man of granite and astute political strategist, is Senator Teslim Folarin (OFR), the Senate Majority Leader in the 6th Senate and former member of the ECOWAS parliament.
As Harold Lasswell rightly said "politics is about the influence and the influential". Who influences what in the composition of the principal officers in the Ninth Assembly has continued to fuel the suspicion of the people, particularly the citizens who are keenly interested in who takes the lead.
Senator Teslim Folarin is no doubt not a tyroo in the game. He blends and bends easily and seem to have a hatful of tacts to play the game. More importantly, he have friends and admirers both in the old and yet to be Assemble that cut across political party divides. He also has the stats of the national assembly on his Palm, knows his agenda and always take the right moves. In summary, he is an action taker and a superior figure to watch .
As the Senate Leader in the 6th Assembly, TKF was a stabilising factor. He deffly managed the PDP caucus, the then ruling party and also demonstrated his God given savvy in managing the floor of the Senate without much Ado. He moved several motions to the admiration of his constituents who daily fawn on him and recently return his good representation with another overwhelming votes in 2019 to continue his good work. Reward for hardwork, a sage says, is more work. It bears repeating that Senator Teslim Folarin is not a one-hit-wonder Senator. Feasible in the imprints he left in the Sixth Assembly are his hard nosed political strategies and tactical moves that saved the ship of the nation at that historic period from hurtling toward the rapids. An example may suffice here - the motion of the doctrine of necessity which paved way for the then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan to assume the full role of the president. The rest is history. TKF is simply irreplaceable.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu's I mentioned earlier, is also a force to reckon with in the National Assembly, with the tapestry of power on her side due to the influence and the position of her husband in the party at both local and national level. She is also an easy going person and she has also sponsored motions particularly those that are gender inclined. She is not a wooly-headed nor a passive senator. In her own right, she is an exemplar. She holds a BSC Degree in Education from the famous University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, and NCE in Botany and Zoology from Adeyemi College of Education.
Will her husband muzzle enough influence in her favour to step up the game and emerge as the next DSP?
The question on the lips of many people regarding how much influence Asiwaju can exact in changing the game to favour Senator Remi Tinubu is "how many ground will Asiwaju break to proof his political prowess?" Given that Asiwaju Tinubu was the only magic hand that picked the Vice president, also routing for his 'anointed" to emerge as speaker of the House of Representatives, knowing full well that both emerged from the same constituency 1 in Surulere, Lagos.
Asiwaju single handedly nominated Sanwoolu, the Lagos State Governor Elect and needs no consultation to choose the next Minister that will represent the State. With all these heft of political powers and influences, must DSP also come from his bedroom? People are asking at the same time waiting with bated breath for the answer.
Abundance as Wayne Dyer posits is "not something we acquire, it's something we tune into'. Recent sneaky moves of Asiwaju Tinubu to minify and swallow the Ninth Assembly, some analysts argue, can be likened to the role played by a character named Pakhom in "How much land does a man need" written by Leo Tolstoy.
A story that snugly illustrates the babrous insatiable human nature.
In the story, Pakhom is blessed with such humongous power to grab every land, having the power to devour everything within his reach, yet, instead of considering what he has and feel happy, still creating more needs to grab more land to gratify his greed.
One thing is however certain, if the Ninth Assembly applies the doctrine of Equality and Desert in choosing it's leadership according to individual's talents, capacity, experience and accomplishments, the post of the DSP should be given to Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin.
Any other opinion is begging the question.
Signed:
Isiaka Adeniyi
Coordinator
The Grassroot Frontiers
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