In his book titled "Beating all odds: diaries and essays on how Bola Tinubu became president," Sam Omatseye, the Chairman of the editorial board of The Nation Newspapers, reveals the intricate dynamics surrounding Bola Tinubu's presidential aspirations, shedding light on the opposition he faced from former President Muhammadu Buhari and his inner circle.
Omatseye characterizes the influential figures around Buhari as "vampires and peacocks" and discloses that there was a concerted effort against Tinubu's presidential ambitions. He points out that certain stakeholders, driven by fear, actively plotted to hinder his emergence as president.
Detailing the opposition Tinubu faced, Omatseye writes, “I knew the president – Muhammadu Buhari – did not want him. The peacocks and vampires around him did not want him. Some stakeholders in the country did not only resent him, they were afraid of him. The plot thickened quickly.
“Conspiracies festered in sewers and in the open. And it began with the party’s top brass. In cahoots with the presidential cabal, they edged out Adams Oshiomhole’s executive as the first major step to immobilise Tinubu’s ambition.
“They also broached a consensus candidate. Law crippled them as they fell foul of defining the phrase they coined, and they could not even manage the idea of open and closed primaries. At every turn, they stumbled into crosswinds. Their own weapon turned their own folly.
Omatseye continues, “Tinubu was never fazed about the task ahead. He peered a rose-scented garden when others saw for him a forest of a thousand demons.
“In 2021 December, he said he was preparing a speech towards the end of January, 2022, to announce his intention to run. He would wait for the yuletide and new year euphoria to ebb out before throwing himself in the ring.”
