Bola Tinubu, the political “godfather” known for his acumen and strategic influence, has never hidden his ambition to become Nigeria’s president.
Last year, when he announced his plan to champion the All Progressives Congress APC party in this weekend’s elections, Tinubu said he would fulfill his “forever” goal.
“It’s my turn,” he later told supporters in Yoruba, teasing his APC rivals with words that have become campaign slogans.
Now the 70-year-old got to try mettle against the other two main rivals in the ballot to replace President Muhammadu Buhari, the man Tinubu brags that he helped put into power.
He will be up against opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer Atiku Abubakar and surprise third party candidate Peter Obi of the Labor Party.
Often referred to as “Jagaban,” a tribal chieftaincy title, Tinubu has over the years built his Lagos power base into a national network of contacts from Lagos market cooperatives and transport unions to political leaders.
He is seen as a shrewd and influential political strategist as well as a survivor.
He founded and funded the Alliance for Democracy (AD), which later became the Action Congress of Nigeria, and later helped found the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was seen as instrumental in helping APC factions come together to propel Buhari to victory in 2015, ending 16 years in power for rival PDP.
When the PDP chose its candidate for next year’s race, fellow political long stalwart Abubakar, Tinubu was quick to present himself as the person to take him on.
“I look forward to squaring up with him as a worthy opponent in the coming elections,” he said.
– Durability –
A Muslim born in Nigeria’s Yoruba-speaking southwest, Tinubu trained as an accountant in the United States and worked for several US companies, including as treasurer at the oil giant ExxonMobil.
He first became a political activist before becoming a senator and then governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
While an activist, he was exiled by military dictator Sani Abacha along with many others for campaigning for a return to democratic rule in 1999.
Buhari’s election, the first opposition victory in the country, and the 2019 re-election are partly due to Tinubu’s political influence.
As the national leader of the APC, Tinubu’s hand is visible in all party decisions and winning support is crucial to the candidate’s ambitions.
As a sign of his power, Tinubu remained the governor of Lagos state since 1999, held the position until 2007 and then had a hand in choosing his successor since he left office.
As a governor, his relationship with the federal government, then led by president Olusegun Obasanjo, when he often fell out with his own representatives.
But at the end of his two terms in Lagos, Tinubu chose one of his close aides, Babatunde Fashola, to take over.
Tinubu’s influence in the south-west has angered some candidates who missed out on top jobs and he has been criticized for his dictatorial and undemocratic style.
“Tinubu has an aggressive and very solid political machine,” said Dapo Thomas, a political science lecturer at the University of Lagos.
– Allegations of corruption –
If Tinubu’s political power is often controversial, so are his financial affairs, and questions about his health during the election campaign.
He is believed to be one of the richest politicians in Nigeria and after leaving office was accused and later acquitted of corruption, money laundering and operating over a dozen foreign bank accounts.
During the campaign, PDP critics labeled him “wobbly, wonky and drug-damaged”, a reference to health problems, and a US court filed in Chicago in 1993 for “seizure of drug-related property” from US bank accounts.
The actual source of his wealth is unknown but he has interests in several business ventures, from media and aviation, to tax consulting, hotels and real estate holdings.
One critic described him as a “greedy politician” who is destroying a major source of revenue in Lagos.
But Information Minister Lai Mohammed, who is Tinubu’s former chief of staff, insists that he is one of the shrewdest political operators.
“The capacity for work, tolerance, insight, courage and willingness to sacrifice oneself is unparalleled,” he said.
Tinubu’s health was a source of speculation in 2014 when he was pictured weak and weak while returning from an unspecified foreign trip but the APC denied he was ill.
Most recently, he spent several months in London receiving treatment that the office said was related to knee surgery. But as a sign of his influence, he was also visited by a train of political leaders, including Buhari himself.