POLITICAL LESSON 1- YORUBA PEOPLE

I hope the other regions of Nigeria are beginning to learn some lessons about Yoruba.
Do not be excited when you ride on the support of the Yoruba people to office, especially Presidency.

They are fiercely loyal to causes they believe in, but they will demand accountability and quick result. They can get very impatient with mediocrity and can bring down what they built for one year in one minute if they perceived injustice.
They didn't support Obasanjo in his first term as President. But when they saw how hard he was working to bring Nigeria back from the severe damages done to it by Abacha, they rallied round him especially in the face of deliberate political persecution of him from other sections of the country.
Well, until he betrayed them, went on a useless mission of pursuing personal vendetta against those he perceived as enemies of his third term agenda. They turned against him again, he did not recover. Being the longest ruler of Nigeria didn't matter, he lost his ward and his daughter didn't make it back to Senate. Even though he may have suceeded in installing Governors in other parts of Nigeria, not in Yorubaland.

When they perceived injustice against Jonathan by the ailing Yar'Adua cabal, they went to work. The likes of Wole Soyinka at age 77 then marched on Abuja, the likes of Femi Falana came out with the fiercest legal treatises and legal criticisms, the social media was bustling with foot soldiers of the struggle. The cabal lost.

The North was uncompromisingly against Jonathan Presidency in 2011, the East wanted him. Yoruba people broke the tie. They wanted to know if Jonathan is not a Nigerian and why he can't retain Presidency. Obasanjo carried Jonathan on his wings, used all his influence in the North and international scene, Yoruba people needed no convincing, not even Tinubu could have stopped them, they voted Jonathan massively.
Then, Jonathan became clueless and lost direction, his government was hijacked. They oppressed Yoruba people including Obasanjo that made him, endlessly.
Yoruba called in their favor, they demanded accountability. Since they still had the winning joker in 2015, they used it differently and Jonathan is history.

Yoruba people led by Asiwaju Tinubu brushed up Buhari who had ran for three consecutive times and lost.
They got experts and Yoruba usually boisterous and social media savvy population to endlessly launder his image. The erstwhile former dictator and chronically pro-Fulani suddenly became Saint Buhari.
People like me were skeptical of the arrangement knowing Buhari's antecedents very well, knowing Yoruba people very well. I knew the romance won't last. I knew we will soon be replaced by Igbo who will be willing to play the ball. I warned and spoke to our elders who cared to listen about the danger of voting Buhari without obtaining serious commitment and hard bargain for our demands for making the country move forward before the election. I told them if possible, they should get it on video. I knew this day would come. Some saw some sense in it, many dismissed it.

I rooted for Atiku even though many of us didn't like him. I did because he Atiku understands the mentality of Yoruba people perfectly having grown up as Ibadan boy and married Yoruba as his first wife. It is not an easy thing as a Fulani man in 1971! He is a good manager of people and businesses, ALL his businesses are thriving, there is something about that I believe is good for Nigeria. Very few people listened.

Well he we are with Buhari, the country is chronically sick. (will be writing about my experience on the recent visit)
Buhari has expectedly sidelined the Yoruba forces that made him, of course he needed the formula that got him there in the first place to succeed in navigating the office. But a river that forgets its source will soon dry up.

As usual, Yoruba people have started demanding accountability and returns on their investment, Tinubu is angry, Obasanjo has started writing letters and giving speeches. Ok now!

I believe in between Tinubu taking care of local politics and Obasanjo playing on the international stage, Buhari has a very little time to act fast.

Do not be too happy with Yoruba people support if you cannot preform, it doesn't matter to them if you are siblings.

But to the Yoruba people, you should start thinking deep, scratch beyond the surface, look deeply at candidates beyond unfounded sentiments and personal prejudices.

Stop supporting losers!

~Ayo Turton