We Cannot Have Different Strokes For Different Folks!!! (Bola Tinubu & Peter Obi)
While we are on the Professor Charles Soludo versus Peter Obi exchange surrounding whether or not Peter Obi left some debt in office as Governor of Anambra State after his tenure in March 2014, contrary to Obi's claims; Nigerians, regardless of tribe or religion, should be calling on President Bola Tinubu to also effect the release of his contentious criminal records in the United States of America.
By Blessyn Okpowo
While we are on the Professor Charles Soludo versus Peter Obi exchange surrounding whether or not Peter Obi left some debt in office as Governor of Anambra State after his tenure in March 2014, contrary to Obi's claims;
Nigerians, regardless of tribe or religion, should be calling on President Bola Tinubu to also effect the release of his contentious criminal records in the United States of America.
President Bola Tinubu should be under pressure at this moment to publish the financials of Lagos State at the time he left office as Governor of Lagos State in 2007.
It is a good coincidence that both men are former two term Governors.
The comparison and basis of judgment for Nigerians should therefore be pretty straightforward.
The bar should not be deliberately and carelessly reduced to the bearest minimum for one candidate while it is raised to the heavens for the other candidate.
Peter Obi has thrown yet another challenge. He has openly granted permission to every institution he claims to have attended on record to release his academic records to whoever demands for them, anywhere in the world.
How is it that Nigerians are not demanding that President Bola Tinubu does the same thing?
Few days ago, the Nigerian social media space was ablaze with the cost of a hang bag carried by Peter Obi's wife in a rare video she was seen with Peter Obi.
Peter Obi's wife, Mrs. Margaret Obi has been a verifiable wealthy businesswoman in her own right even before Peter Obi became Governor of Anambra State in 2006.
Mrs. Margaret Obi never occupied the unconstitutional office of the First Lady of Anambra State while Peter Obi was Governor. She kept her distance while carrying on with her private enterprise.
But, there is Senator Remi Tinubu, President Bola Tinubu's wife. She occupied the amorphous office of the First Lady of Lagos State during her husband's tenure as Governor.
She has been in and out of public power. In fact, absolute Nigerian power now sleeps with her on the same bed.
Senator Remi Tinubu donates hundreds of buses worth billions of Naira to APC women leaders and APC youth leaders across the country.
Senator Remi Tinubu publicly donates billions in her personal capacity and under the auspices of her foundation.
As President, her husband, Bola Tinubu purchased SUVs worth billions of Naira for the unconstitutional office of the First Lady of Nigeria which she now occupies.
Yet, Nigerians are not asking any questions at Senator Remi Tinubu's direction? She has rather made herself an unsolicited Adviser to Nigerians.
She once advised Nigerians to start growing gardens at the back of their houses to feed.
The other time she advised Nigerian women to start frying akara and making kuli-kuli for survival.
At another time she offered a misplaced advise to the likes of Burna Boy, Davido and Wiz Kid to use their private funds to donate to poor Nigerians instead of buying expensive vehicles.
The same Senator Remi Tinubu whose husband, President Bola Tinubu bought SUVs for with state funds as President.
The same woman whose husband's priority was to acquire a customized Presidential jet and a yatch once he became President.
Also, recall that in the U.S civil forfeiture case involving Bola Tinubu in the early 90s, Tinubu contested the forfeiture by making an argument that the monies traced to his bank accounts by the U.S authorities from investigations on a drug trafficking ring belonged to his wife, Senator Remi Tinubu and himself, Bola Tinubu.
The U.S Court found no matching evidence of any enterprise owned by the couple to justify the amount of money found in Bola Tinubu's accounts.
In January 1992, the U.S Judge made a forfeiture order against Bola Tinubu. A total sum of $1.4 million belonging to Bola Tinubu was found distributed across multiple commercial bank accounts such as First Heritage Bank and Citibank.
Upon reaching some fom of settlement with the U.S authorities, the Judge made a civil forfeiture order against Bola Tinubu to the tune of $460,000 out of the $1.4 million.
All these are on public record in Certified True Copies of court documents.
Though Nigerians often whisper about Bola Tinubu's concealed past in the U.S, why have Nigerians never thought of demanding answers from Senator Remi Tinubu as well?
In a normal society, considering Bola Tinubu's claim on oath that his wife, Senator Remi Tinubu co-owned part of the monies forefeited in the U.S in an investigation involving drug dealing;
Why have Nigerians never thought of demanding clarifications and explanation from Senator Remi Tinubu moreso considering her husband does not bother speaking to Nigerians directly on any issue including heinous allegations flying around against him which have remained unresolved and unanswered till date?
Also, for now, albeit deliberately, Nigerians keep ignoring to make a reasonable comparison between Seyi Tinubu, President Bola Tinubu's son and Peter Obi's son, Oseloka Obi on which of them controls and displays inexplicable wealth, state resources and power. The question is why?
Again, remember the initial questions:
1. Why is the bar always far lower on one side?
2. Why is the bar pushed to the highest level on the other side?
Yet, Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi are running for the same office. One seeks to remain as the Nigerian President; The other seeks to become Nigerian President.
One is already the Nigerian President. The other says he wants to be Nigerian President to do things differently.
The next questions should be:
1. Are Nigerians satisfied with how things are being done at the level of the Presidency?
2. Do Nigerians truly want things done differently at the level of the Presidency?
3. Who is the bar being lowered for?
4. Who is the bar being heightened for?
5. Why the deliberate lowering and heightening of the bars of expectation and judgment when it concerns both men?
6. Considering the respective antecedents of President Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi, in and out of power, who has done things differently?
7. Who amongst both men should reasonable, sane and unchained Nigerians prefer, that is excluding tribal, religious, party and monetary considerations?
The answers to the questions above ought to be easy, clear cut and straightforward for every true Nigerian.
But hey, again, this is Nigeria! Inyefai Wobo
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