Presidency: A serious business

WEDNESDAY COLUMN BY USSIJU MEDANER  

info@medaner.com, justme4justice@yahoo.com

Becoming a President whether in Nigeria or any other nation of the world is a serious business meant for serious and prepared people; requiring huge investments in capital and mental propensities as much as emotional bravery of sublime levels. Capacity to make strong effective projections consecutively and still remain on track of sensible decisions is a currency at the wherewithal of all serious minded contestants for the exalted position. Never a game of chance and not a game of chance now. 

Presidential attempt is an exclusively large capital investment globally. The requirement to spend to gain and expand support base, though subjected to public accountability, is a serious component of the game; election campaign spending does not necessarily translate to impressing others or buying votes until there is a direct attempt to exchange cash for votes on Election Day. In developed democracies such as America, Britain and similar nations, the available capital outlay at the disposal of the candidate is a serious consideration for the campaign reach of the candidate and most times the chances of the candidate.

It is high time we stopped castigating huge campaign spending by candidates and rather see candidates who have the money and being clever by half not to spend the money as unserious elements who are either unsure of their capacity to win election or misers who would translate the same to governance, peradventure they win election. The pattern of election spending in the American election; the outside, financial outpours for candidates from big tech contributors and financials, for instance, the massive spending on outreaches and commercials, canvassers sponsoring and a lot of them is the way election spending goes.

This week, I am dwelling on the overcrowded reactions to the APC presidential candidate’s refusal to participate in the wave of media town hall meetings and debates organised by the ARISE Television, Thisday, Channels Tv etc. The Asiwaju Tinubu refusals: is it an act of disdain for the electorate or a cleverly thoughtful refusal to be part of irrelevances? Presidential debate is a very necessary act that supplies the electorate with the final decision making element as regards the capacity of candidates and as well as their plans for governance. It is always a much awaited exercise by the electorate.  It is a serious event for all parties involved; the general public, the interviewers and the candidates themselves. It is one event that a candidate spends time resources, working with their handlers to organise their thoughts and responses to issues as per the candidate’s convictions and vision. On the part of the people, it is a date we look up to with grand intensity and readiness to sieve the unserious candidates out of rethe ckoning. It is not what we have seen in the last weeks playing out at ARISE TV and Thisday/Channels TV, not a caricature of action to play political games and score cheap points over opposing parties.

For such a serious assignment, the interviewers are expected to be as neutral and unbiased as possible. A presidential debate is never an opportunity for a journalist to score popularity points at the expense of a targeted candidate. The job is to ask relevant questions and allow the citizens to have the opportunity to listen. That is exactly what we have forever witnessed at all the USA Presidential debates; that is what we saw last week at CHATHAM House and that is what has been missing at all the ARISE TV organised debates.

The anchor of the ARISE debates has proved to be more favourably disposed to certain candidates and could not hide his bias for his support and leanings even as he carried out his purported journalistic assignments. It is wrong for INEC to speak favourably of a particular contesting candidate because others will see it as a sign of preparedness to swing the process for the candidate. We all frown at the Justice of the Supreme Court who openly supported a candidate two weeks ago because, like INEC, his institution is a party to the contest. Yet, Rufai of ARISE has continued to boldly attack and diminish the APC candidate at all opportunities, following him to openly criticise every of his actions and statements and more or less declaring support for another candidate; and yet, he wants Tinubu to sit on his ‘hot seat.’ Would it be to answer questions or to be insulted and humiliated?

Yes, Tinubu has consistently refused to honour invitations to all the ARISE TV town hall meetings and debates till now. Critics have subsequently been having field days suggesting reasons he did not and would not still attend the debates; some said he lacked the capacity to sustain a debate session, some claimed he is sick and weak and a debate would likely expose that. But this is the same man who has not rested in the last weeks, a man who has been on his feet across states, regions and continents selling his candidacy with remarkable intelligent submissions. 

Tinubu has not attended and would not attend because the organisers of the debates do not have the interest of Nigeria as the basis for organising the debates, but rather part of a grand campaign for some particular party and candidate; an attempt to rubbish other candidates, regardless of their performances. Organisers of a credible presidential crusade must first of all show credible evidence of neutrality and readiness to treat all participating candidates equally, giving each and every one of them the benefit of doubt to explain themselves. 

Rufai Oseni is not our everyday debate anchor; the man, to be clear, is a representative of PDP, an unapologetic one all out to set up every opposition to his party for disgrace using his platform. That is apparently his ‘job,’ his part of the business. His disdain for Tinubu is so obvious that his only response to the powerful performance at the Chatham house was still a letdown of the man. Everyone knows Tinubu for his capacity to get work done by delegated proxy. Most of his grand performances are direct examples of this exemplary tactic; and one that everyone including his detractors envy. Yet, the sworn critics and PDP mole in ARISE attire would only look for the errors that do not exist, and took it so personally to reflect the extent of their hatred for the man. And you want him to present himself as a living sacrifice on a prepared altar? The PDP planned ARISE debates is an unserious business, meant only for unserious presidential candidates, to celebrate and enjoy their reunion. Serious candidates are busy on the field displaying their tactics for the real voters to see. 

The Rufai revelation is the complete mirror image of what the opposition has become in Nigeria and the disservice they are doing to this country. We all imagine how nothing good is happening in a country that witnesses unprecedented development on a regular basis. The opening of the second Niger bridge, for instance, was to the ARISEs of this world a little feat that is not worthy of recognition or discussion. They were silent altogether about it; they would not want Nigeria to stay on it, yet, they have not rested digging out the next topic of what is wrong and what is not working in the country. 

Rufai said the APC candidate display at the Chatham House brought him shame; expressing emotions that are calculated to ridicule the object of his attack as part of his service to his party and paymasters. Where goes the ethos of open and unbiased journalism? Where is the integrity and reputation of the profession? Thrown to the bin; Rufai does not care about protocol, he does not care about integrity or reputation of the brand he represents; all that matters to him is effective usage of the ARISE platform to sell his candidate and pull down every other.

In his fixation on pulling down APC and everyone connected with it, he loses out on sanity and becomes a dark entity on the lookout for what is not working in the midst of myriads of what is working. In an interview with Will Steven days ago, he was presented with a reflection of who he has become; a man that sees negatives in all things. In the words of the diplomat, “Look, it is always very convenient for you to constantly focus on negatives. But overall, every sensible investor wants to invest in Nigeria. A lot of positive things are happening…”

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a ready and prepared candidate; not just for the rigours of campaign, but for governance. The exclusive journey around the country, the electrifying and new system at Chatham House, the very simplified and delivered BBC interview responses are the indices of the stuff the APC candidate is made up of.

There would be time for real debate; a time when Nigerians would enjoy literally pitting the candidates together on a single stage and given the opportunity to answer relevant questions. And when that time comes, the APC candidate would show up to once again, tell Nigerians what he has in stock for them.

GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!