Bola Tinubu, the incoming president of Nigeria, has largely operated from behind the scenes during his political career. He is considered a “godfather” who supports political candidates via his extensive network of patrons. With Tinubu’s assistance, former president Muhammadu Buhari was successful in obtaining two terms in office, in 2015 and 2019. And Tinubu has chosen each succeeding victor to lead the greatest city in Africa since he stepped down as governor of Lagos in 2007.
His power will now be put to the test as Tinubu works to address Nigeria’s challenges and surpass Buhari’s poor track record.
Bola Tinubu: Early life
Tinubu was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1952, to a Muslim family of the Yoruba ethnic group, which makes up the majority in southwest Nigeria, according to a biography on his campaign website.
He immigrated to the United States in the 1970s and supported his academic pursuits by working as a night guard, dishwasher, and taxi driver. His 1979 business administration degree from Chicago State University was earned, as per a Reuters report.
When he returned to Nigeria in the 1980s after working for US consulting firms, he took a job as an auditor with the local Mobil oil company.
What is Nigeria going through?
Nigeria’s economy is barely keeping up with population growth amid surging inflation and crippling cash shortages as a result of a botched launch of new banknotes, and armed groups have made large portions of the nation ungovernable.
As Tinubu ran for president under Buhari, many of these issues grew worse. While he helped shape the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, when asked at a weekend press briefing why people should elect him, he distanced himself from it.
“I am not the party,” he said. “My track record should speak for me. Look at Lagos: Before I came, we had dead bodies on the road, a chaotic traffic system, and robbery daytime, and nighttime.”
“Come on: clap for me,” he added in an appearance typical of the hubris that often marks leaders of Africa’s top oil producer and most populous country, as reported by Reuters.
What do Tinubu’s supporters view him as?
Supporters of Tinubu view him as a capable technocrat who has a history of being a successful administrator.
He co-founded and provided funding for the Alliance for Democracy, which later changed its name to the Action Congress of Nigeria, and then assisted in the formation of the APC. His supporters described him as a shrewd political strategist.
He played a key role in uniting APC divisions, enabling Buhari to win in 2015 and overthrow the opposition People’s Democratic Party after 16 years in office (PDP).
Tinubu’s political clout was largely responsible for Buhari’s election, the first triumph for the opposition in the nation, and his reelection in 2019.
Opponents claim he rewards loyalists with lucrative contracts and high-paying jobs and has in the past used so-called “area boys,” who formally run Lagos’ streets and frequently show up at his rallies, to threaten opponents if he doesn’t get his way.
The 70-year-old tends to disregard such accusations rather than respond to them. In spite of persistent attempts to respond, Tinubu’s campaign spokesperson remained silent.
Corruption charges
Concerns have been raised about Tinubu’s financial transactions while in office.
He is regarded as one of Nigeria’s wealthiest politicians, and when he left government, he was charged with money laundering, corruption, and running more than a dozen overseas bank accounts. He says he did nothing illegal and was never prosecuted, as reported by Aljazeera.
He was described as “wobbly, wonky, and narcotic-devastated” by PDP opponents on the campaign trail in reference to his health issues and a 1993 US court document that detailed a “drug-related confiscation of property” from his US bank account.
He has stakes in a variety of businesses, including media, aviation, tax consulting, hotels, and real estate holdings, although it is unknown where his fortune comes from.
A critic called him “a greedy politician” who had devoured significant sources of income in Lagos.
A tight race in Nigeria
For the first time since Nigeria’s military coup ended in 1999, the election was tight when Obi, 61, attracted younger voters with his message of change.
In Lagos, Tinubu’s traditional stronghold and the state with the most registered voters, he achieved a significant win, as reported by AFP.
The 76-year-old businessman and former vice president Abubakar failed in his sixth bid for the presidency.
The vote on Saturday was largely calm but was marred by protracted wait times at some polling places and some thugs’ intimidation.
Concerns of vote tampering increased when technical difficulties prevented the results from being uploaded to INEC’s main website.
“The election is irretrievably compromised,” Labour Party chairman Julius Abure told AFP on Tuesday. “We demand that this sham of an election should be immediately cancelled,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
