While reading the book, Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of
Watergate by Bob Woodward, something fascinated me. Richard Nixon, former American President and
the man at the centre of the Watergate scandal was on the cusp of political
extinction as he faced the most disastrous period of his career.
 |
| *Ambode |
The options for him were limited: One of it
was to resign or face a disgraceful impeachment and trial. Nixon had to decide not just on the resignation, but also how to navigate
his exit without going to jail. He would require state pardon from his likely
successor, Vice President Gerald Ford.
Nixon summoned his Chief of
Staff, Alexander Haig, his right-hand man and a retired Army General for a
brainstorm.
They decided Haig had to see the Vice
President, Gerald Ford and subtly negotiate Nixon’s post Presidency
pardon. Gerald Ford had very protective aides. One of
them was Robert Hartmann, detested and distrusted by Haig. Hartmann did all he could to talk Gerald Ford
into taking the hardline against Richard Nixon.
But while Gerard Ford did not commit to
agreements that could blight his Presidency from get go, he was resolute not to
throw his Predecessor, Richard Nixon under the Bus. As a matter of fact, at the risk of public outcry that questioned his
integrity, he processed and pardoned Nixon.
The preamble is a showcase of the rigour and
laborious process of government administration, crisis management and
forthrightness in the face of complex political machinations. It is often a
time for leaders to rise above themselves in clear and charitable demonstration
of nobility.
After Sunday’s ill-fated world press
conference called by the embattled Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, I
took time to study his resume. From Wharton to INSEAD to Harvard, Ambode
parades an intimidating track record of academic and administrative excellence.
Indeed, you have to give it to him, he paid
his dues.
If this resume is the only thing he reeled out
at that Press Conference, if he had mentioned all in his CV with emphatic grace
and candour, if he relegated to the background his ego, anger and a visibly
combative quest for vengeance, by day break and by now, Ambode would have
seized the momentum in public discourse.
This CV is what we would be talking about. But
in contrasting self immolation from the Gerald Ford model above, Ambode walked
into his own long dark night in a reckless, misguided vulnerability to adult
delinquency. Ambode’s penchant for compulsive and unforced errors did not start
today. I recall at the primaries that brought him to power at the Lagos
Airport Hotel years ago.
In front of other bewildered contestants,
Ambode made a remark curious to the standards of sensitivity and lacking in
capacity for gauge mechanism. He said “Anyway, we already know who would
win.”
Eyebrows were raised. That was tactless.
Ambode was made to apologize. After getting to power, no one can deny him of
having delivered a stellar performance. The face of Lagos
But again, I hasten to say, this is an added
“storey building” on Fashola’s well decked upstairs. Fashola it was, that
actually changed the face of Lagos
Characteristic of him, Ambode has been accused
of uprooting all of Fashola’s legacies.
Why? Fashola was known to have worked against
his emergence as governor in clear preference for Supo Shashore.
This he paid for dearly as he only escaped
being muddied up after series of smear attacks that seemed to emanate from his
successor.
There is something disreputable about being
deliberately slavish to an unbridled malicious craving for throwing others
under the Bus. It is this same compulsive demeanor that may propel you to attempt the suicide
of rubbishing the man who brought you to power and reckoning, Bola
Tinubu.
However, should you decide to burn that bridge
and be your own man which is bold, daring and frankly lies within your right
for self advancement, you must have “conquered” the mass populace through a
people-centred system of governance that would propel citizens to queue behind
you in one unequivocal voice on your raining day.
Fashola enjoyed this where Ambode seemed to be
struggle. You cannot destroy the party structure that
brought you to power and still not have the generality of the people behind
you. It is tantamount to stepping out to jog
bare-chested in snowy winter! Ambode did not think this through, he did not
choose this battle well.
Let’s now add this icing on the cake: Imagine
if at that Press Conference, Ambode had said the following…
“I welcome my co-contestant, Jide Sanwoolu to
the race. I admire him and respect him. His ambition is his right and well
safeguarded by our constitution.
More so, the more contestants we have, the
merrier and better it is for the robustness and deepening of our ever evolving
democratic culture.
As the holder and incumbent of the current
mandate and Chief Security Officer of this State, I assure you, Jide Sanwo-olu
of maximum security as you present yourself for this primary.
Finally, my good people of Lagos State
And part of the inherent virtue of service is
selflessness. Therefore, I am not desperate to be returned to power.
But nonetheless, I emphasize that you reflect
on my evidence-based giant milestones as you make a choice. Our bigger picture shall be the peace, progress and consolidation of the
strategic template that differentiates Lagos
If this was Ambode’s short speech, I can
visualize the applause and the turning around of the wheel of tremendous
goodwill to himself. What were his handlers thinking?!
What went wrong? How did he waste such
monumental opportunity that led to the anti-climaxing of himself and the
degrading of his brand personae?
Leadership requires the capacity for
conquering self in the face of physical, psychological and
emotional pressure.
It requires seizing every opportunity as
a platform to step out and make a statement with tempered, measured, soothing
and winning words.
Ambode’s resume is fantastic but it was torn
to shreds on that Sunday in a self-destruct moment of fury.
Many people boast of resumes, but not many
people can lead. If they lead, occasions that test them expose their underbelly
and they crash like a pack of cards.
This exposes their lack of inner strength and
how bereft they are to arrest and manage crisis.
This is the Achilles heel that seeks to
destroy a brilliant man by the books, but deficient in leadership.
Even if Ambode changes party, or secures a
compensatory federal appointment, the internet will never forget his folly,
erratic and sulky entitlement behavior and a juvenile drama that mirrored him
like a rain-beaten suspended school prefect.
Ambode’s public communications’ disaster is a
learning curve on the tragedy that befalls a lack of capacity for conquering
oneself.
*Fadeyi,
executive director, Foundation and the Convener, Corruption Not In My Country.
No comments:
Post a Comment