By Ena OFUGARA
When Oronto Douglas fell ill, it was clear Jonathan had lost the voice he could trust. Oronto was the strategist. He was the one who could listen to the people and return same to Jonathan. It is his office people like Reno worked from.
Oronto was to go on to join his ancestors, and many charlatans had inroads to Jonathan.
For Buhari, it was clear Abba Kyari was the thinker. An old strategist, Abba Kyari it was who knew Tinubu’s power was unassailable and so shook hands with the nPDP and ensured Tinubu did not have his way with the government as much as he would like, especially with a sickly, abaent, and UNAWARE president Buhari.
When Abba Kyari caught COVID19 and died, the rudderlessness of the Buhari administration became evident. Buhari did not know or is UNAWARE of the wheeling and dealing that is political power. And so, when Buhari asked that he be alllwed to pick his successor, and when he attempted to impose Lawan, he did not know the power play that Tinubu had been doing underground.
And so, when 14 Northern governors went to visit Buhari, it was to let him know respectfully “Baba, your time is past. You are a sitting duck president. Tinubu has had all the power for a while. We will stick to our arrangement to hand power to the West and to him”
Buhari, who has always had powerful people to lean on, be it Tunde Idiagbon, and then Abba Kyari, was totally blindsided. Like the “I am not AWARE” president he has always been, he was unaware how much had exchanged hands in promises and dealings. Abba Kyari could have caught on and acted years ago. Tinubu would have been distracted by EFCC prosecutions. Abba Kyari would have opened the vault and ensured he outbade Tinubu and his loyalist emerged. But Abba Kyari was no more
The loss of these two THINKERS cost both administrations the power to pick their successors.