Awolowo, Tinubu and Yoruba leadership By Bayo Olupohunda

Who is the authentic leader of the Yoruba? Who among the present crop of politicians in the South-West geopolitical zone qualifies to be called a leader in the mould of Obafemi Awolowo, the revered leader who made the region a development model in the First Republic? Are the so-called “progressives” in the region true followers of his ideology or just pretenders who have benefitted from his name to gain following and political mileage?


Given his exploits at both regional and recently at national level, can the former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, fit in the shoes? The question of the quintessential leader like Awolowo is one debate that has raged for years since the passing on of a man described by the late Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as the “best president Nigeria never had”. The idea of “the leader’’ in a country where politics is dominated by ethnic loyalty and hero worshipping has defined Nigeria political following since independence.

Even in the Fourth Republic where political power at the centre can only be achieved by a political party with national spread, the ethnic groups have often looked up to that individual with enough political pedigree to champion their cause. In a federal structure that has concentrated political and economic powers at the centre, ethnicity and regional politics still dominate political discourse. It has also determined how government patronage is dispensed. More so, in the political dynamics at play in the country, the idea of the “leader” is an important index of political following. Over the years, power struggle among the ethnic groups has been characterised by who among the political elite is positioned to lead the ethnic groups or speak on their behalf. Just as these groups have championed their group interests in the larger Nigeria, also have individuals with political influence and pedigree emerged as leaders.

But many of these claims have also been controversial. Intra-ethnic power struggles among the political elite are common. For example, the controversy about the one politician who qualifies to lead the Yoruba has followed this divisive path. In the South-West where the succession question has continued to provoke rivalry, attempts by politicians to lay claim to the region’s leadership have been rebuffed by the old breed politicians – those who consider themselves to be the protégés of Awo. One name that has consistently come up for mention is that of Tinubu. Attempts by Tinubu’s followers to compare him to the late sage have been derided by these groups. Why many see him as a successor because of what they consider as his contributions to the politics of the South-West, the old guards see him as not qualified.

Last week, I chanced on this same debate by some Nigerians in Lagos. It was interesting. The protagonists had based their positions on Tinubu’s contributions to South-West politics. His recent foray into national politics through the spread of the APC is also said to stand him out. While I consider the debate irrelevant given that the strength of a regional leader may not guarantee political power at the centre, the debate seems not ready to go away anytime soon. The argument for Tinubu had centered on his doggedness in building the Action Congress of Nigeria into a formidable opposition party especially with the results of 2011 elections which saw the party defeating the Peoples Democratic Party, in the takeover of the South-West. It had been argued then that by rallying the region into the progressive fold, a feat that was only achieved in the First Republic when Awolowo was the Premier of the then Western Region, Tinubu had become the Awolowo of our time. Since the death of Awolowo’s protégés such as Adekunle Ajasin, Bola Ige and Abraham Adesanya, the question of who could step in his shoes has divided the region. However, none of the leaders that have laid claim to being the successor of the late sage has lived up to his achievements and larger-than-life image. Not until a decade ago when Tinubu emerged from the ruins of military rule has the debate assumed contentious heights.

However, Tinubu seems to have his future role cut out for him. In 2003, he had survived the PDP blitz when the party took over the South-West in a landslide election that will go down as the worst in history. How he survived the federal machine unleashed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo is still being discussed. As of the time when the region leaders fell to the maneuvering of PDP, Tinubu ensured that his party retained Lagos in the massive rigging of 2003 elections.

Prior to independence, Awolowo was persuaded by prominent members of the Action Group to lead the party as the Leader of the Opposition. Excluded from national government, the position of Awolowo and his party became increasingly precarious. In spite of the travails of the time, he remained in the opposition, sticking to the progressive philosophy of his party.

Is there any similarity between him and Tinubu in his doggedness to remain in the opposition despite the Federal Government breathing down his neck since 2003? There seems to be a sense of déjà vu that the events which shaped the politics of the South-West from 1959 to 1963 have played out in the last 12 years.

Perhaps, the role the former Lagos State governor played as the face of opposition since 2003 and 2011 election has increasingly brought him in close comparison to the late leader. But it is too early to compare him as the successor. In a region where the “egbon” (elder) syndrome determines leadership and privileges, he continues to be opposed by the elders of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, who believe he does not possess what it takes to succeed Awolowo.

Similarly, an issue has been made about his overbearing attitude. But some have said that in the tough political terrain, those traits come in handy. Awolowo was also famed to have used these methods to keep errant members of the old Action Group in check. Can Tinubu then be said to be the number one leader of the South-West with a strong national presence? Is he the new Awolowo? This surely is debatable.

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