When Kashim Shettima – the APC vice presidential candidate alluded to the fact that he would handle security and Bola Ahmed Tinubu would handle the economy during the 62nd Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference, I remembered an ad of Buhari and Osinbajo about 8 years ago worded along similar rhetoric. And I had a semi-dejavu feeling as if history is about to repeat itself. But why does history repeat itself? Before Bola Tinubu and Nasir El Rufai started singing songs of praise of Buhari during the electioneering campaign of the 2015 Presidential election, they had already in the past spoken of the gross incompetence, nepotism, and religious bigotry of Buhari. But to the gullibility of many Nigerians, they did a volte-face with their understanding of our religious and ethnic leanings. Today, the same card is being played and many are still gullible. This gullibility is self-inflicted and can be seen among the educated and uneducated.

There are 2 evils that are undoing Nigeria at every turn. Presently, they are corruption and insecurity. Insecurity in the case of Nigeria is a child of corruption. If corruption can be eliminated or extinguished to the barest minimum because corruption exists in every nation, there is nothing we cannot achieve as a nation. This includes becoming a first-world nation within the space of 25 years. The exploits of our youths from Burna Boy to Tobi Amusan are a testimony to what we can do even in the face of the worst leadership in the history of Nigeria. With this in mind, many Nigerians are still canvassing and campaigning for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In other nations, with the failure of the candidate and party of Tinubu, he would not even have a chance in the next election. But the Agbero-inspired march by MC Oluomo and Tinubu’s daughter’s market women rally, shows that we cannot write of the man whose source of wealth cannot be accounted for.

So, as we get closer to election day daily, you will continue to see individuals who profess to want a new Nigeria yet will campaign for a Muslim-Mulsim ticket starring the man who many consider as an aider and abetter of Boko Haram in Borno – the state of origin of Boko Haram. And the lead character Tinubu, cannot fight corruption because though he has never been convicted of corruption, Nigerians know better. Before the 2015 elections, many said Buhari can never emerge as a winner because the corrupt Nigerians who are part of the kingmaking gang would not allow him. Yet, Buhari was eventually declared the winner. Buhari stood a better chance of fighting corruption then, but he was compromised because of his incompetence, flawed values and those who brought him to power. We should not allow history to repeat itself with Tinubu because Tinubu cannot and will not fight corruption – the biggest reason for our retrogression.

Ata Ukuta – Editor, Towncryyers