Always as friends, By Abdulaziz Abdulaziz

At the palace of the Shehu of Borno on Saturday, the governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum made a brief but profound statement. He introduced the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the revered monarch. Tinubu, Zulum said, has been there for Borno and its people in the most difficult time of its 1,200-year history. When many people gave up the city of Maiduguri as the theater where the Boko Haram insurgents left, Asiwaju Tinubu was there. Not once.

In the words of Governor Zulum: “During our difficult times, he has always been with us. He has visited us between seven and eight times in the past eleven years. No one else has done this for us.”

The testimony by Governor Zulum only gives an idea of ​​the enduring relationship Asiwaju Tinubu has built with northern Nigeria and its people over the years. E not today, to use Nigerian street lingo. The relationship has become an organic one built on the pillars of friendship, empathy and togetherness without the quid pro quo politics of you-rub-my-back-I-rub-yours. Therefore, it is surprising that he is widely accepted by people on the other side of the Niger. This is seen from the wild reception of the campaign train which was received in the northern key country; from Kaduna, the headquarters of the dormant region, to Kano, the commercial nerve center and to the capital of the Fulani (Sokoto) and Kanuri (Borno) traditional systems.

Reacting to a photo of many mammoths from one of the outings, a twitterati exclaimed: “Northerners don’t put this Tinubu thing to the head”. Yes, in a country where our politcs often expose our schisms that can be surprising. But this is the North’s way of acknowledging the merits and, secondly, of honoring true friendship and companionship over the years.

It is for this reason that despite the weightlifting efforts of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the strategy to whip up ethnic and regional sentiments, the majority of people have refused to buy into the selfish gimmick. The question on many lips is: What has the candidate done for the people of the North to ensure a harvest at the polls? They are wiser to identify with someone who is always there for them than someone who claims to be their own.

The story of Asiwaju Tinubu along with the North is long. I will try a quick recast. Tinubu’s consequential political journey started from the North. At the start of the tumultuous Third Republic transition, Tinubu pitched his tent with the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. He chose to work with Yar’Adua even though his own brother, Lateef Jakande was on the ballot. When Late Chief MKO Abiola emerged as the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Tinubu played an important role in tipping up Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as Abiola’s running mate.

In more recent times Tinubu has lit a candle on both sides to support the ambition of Northerners in four consecutive presidential elections: Atiku in 2007, Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019. This is in addition to dozens of others he supported for various positions without conditions out of true altruism. It is fateful and funny that Atiku and his campaign chairman, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, are the beneficiaries of Tinubu’s political greatness, the latter because he became the speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011.

Beyond the political shores, Tinubu has always been identified with the predicaments faced by the North. They also pay more than lip service. In fact he acts more than he talks or appears. As a permanent resident of Nigeria, he is closer to what is happening across the country and always lends a hand of fellowship or gives a metaphorical big shoulder to bear the burden. He has gone to places from Zamfara to Birnin Gwari to console victims of bandits and give them hope and help. No one else, no one shouting ‘I am yours’ has come to these places for any purpose other than a public meeting.

In the week leading up to the election day, and in the opposition’s desperation to paint Tinubu with tar brush, they produced a lot of lies. For the person who turned the tide of OPC violence and Integration of the Hausa community in Lagos, the accused is the exact opposite. For those who went to the Arewa House in Kaduna in mid-October and spoke to the admiration and praise of the northern elders-some of them foot soldiers Atiku himself-a hireling came last in the race to say he has no plans for the North. His lies have been debunked again and again. Northerners who live in Lagos have come out to talk about how Tinubu and his policies gave him a place and opportunity to excel. Katsina people are now commissioners in Lagos state-a tradition started by Tinubu-many others have been elected to different leadership positions. Millions of children of northern extraction have benefited from Tinubu’s non-discriminatory policy of free education. Many have excelled in various fields.

At first they went about with the sarcasm that Tinubu was sick. He shamed the naysayers through an effortless but grueling campaign. All the lies have crumbled like a pack of cards and now it’s time for Nigerians to vote for a candidate they can trust and one with original ideas and a track record to take water from a dry well.

The vibe out there is positive. Asiwaju sippoand teeming Voters are upbeat to send him come Saturday. They have abandoned the stories of the ethnic people and have chosen the path of honor and justice that demands that good be returned with good.

As the colonial officer, Sir Brian Sharwood Smith wrote about the relationship between the British and the northern Nigerian colonies, Tinubu may have come from Lagos and did not speak Hausa or Fulfulde but he proved to be a friend of the north. A reliable person who is a northerner is ready to reciprocate his friendship and love.

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz is the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Asiwaju Tinubu.