By Chido Nwakanma
Are the many blunders of APC vice-presidential candidate Kashim Ibrahim Shettima errors, or do they speak to a dangerous mindset to which all Nigerians should pay attention now? Is Alhaji Shettima cleverly setting a plan in the dissimulation model and secretly enjoying the buzz and distraction they create in the media? What is the strategic intent when an otherwise brilliant man commits elementary errors?
The office of vice president is critical in the 2023
Nigerian general elections. The vice president is a heartbeat away from the
president’s seat. It is even more so for Nigeria, with two geriatrics among the
candidates seeking to be president.
Kassim Shettima, former governor and senator, seeks to be vice-president on the ticket of the APC. His candidacy has been contentious as it introduced the divisive Muslim-Muslim ticket into our political lexicon. Significantly, gaffes and foot-in-the-mouth have hallmarked Shettima.
In the most recent, Senator Kassim Shettima averred that
Nigeria needs a leader with the attributes of late former Head of State General
Sani Abacha. He said, “We need a leader with a dose of ruthlessness and
taciturnity of General Sani Abacha.” Shettima spoke before the elite of the
South-West gathered at the Yoruba Tennis Club.
In avowing his love and admiration of the late dictator,
Shettima softened the blow regarding other leaders. He stated, “We need a
leader with the patience and sense of responsibility and commitment, and
somebody who understands the national psyche and mood of the nation of an
Abdulsalami Abubakar, and in applicable circumstances, we need a leader with a
dose of ruthlessness and taciturnity of General Sani Abacha” He added, “Nice
men do not make leaders. We need a leader with intellectual acumen, with a
passion for catapulting this nation to a higher pedestal. We need a leader who
is not bound by regional or religious sentiment.”
Ruthlessness and taciturnity as admirable attributes? The
Oxford Dictionaries define ruthlessness as “the quality of lacking pity or
compassion for others”. In turn, the Cambridge Dictionary says ruthless is “not
thinking or worrying about any pain caused to others; cruel: ruthless ambition;
a ruthless dictator”.
It jars the senses that in the 23rd year of the Nigerian
practice of democracy in the Fourth Republic, a person who could be president
boldly affirms that he wants to be a ruthless dictator like the late unlamented
former dictator who stole so much from the treasury while pretending otherwise.
How can a would-be leader be proud in 2022 to associate with the negatives that
describe Sani Abacha? Does such a leader not live in an alternate universe
different from the reality of Nigerians?
It sounds sinister and ruthless, indeed. Shettima is giving
the middle finger to the sensibilities of Nigerians. He does not bother, he
affirms.
We remember that earlier, Shettima had positioned himself as
the commander in chief and head of security should his team win the presidency.
He relegated his principal to economic management. His presentation subverted
the roles prescribed in the 1999 Nigerian constitution. Shettima does not care!
Nigerians remember the drama around dressing etiquette
involving Shettima, the former corporate executive and executive banker. The
fashion police caught Shettima dressed inappropriately at a formal function of
the Nigerian Bar Association. The faux pas earned him loud condemnations from
citizens, young and old. It became worse when he put a bare-faced lie as a spin
on the event. Shettima claimed he ignored the dressing code deliberately to
stun his enemies. It was a lame and shameless line. How do you claim you
tarnished your reputation merely to shame your critics? What manner of
reasoning is that?
Shettima’s latest caper deserves more than a passing
interest. Apart from extolling the negative “ruthlessness”, Shettima says,
“nice men do not make good leaders”. This concept is straight from the Taliban
playbook. Senator Shettima is indirectly telling us that the duo of
Tinubu-Shettima will not be nice men as they seek to be “good leaders”.
Contrary to his claim, Dr Jennifer Varney of Southern New Hampshire University
affirms, “Good leaders possess self-awareness, garner credibility, focus on
relationship-building, have a bias for action, exhibit humility, empower
others, stay authentic, present themselves as constant and consistent, become
role models and are fully present”.
Management literature does not recommend “ruthlessness” as a
positive attribute for leaders anywhere. The texts rather speak of
“decisiveness”. While one is positive, the other is wholly negative. Is that
what Shettima wanted to convey? Would we have to continually second-guess
Shettima until the elections or listen to his after-the-fact explanations and
rationalisations?
We all remember the many fables about candidate Buhari
before the election. One of the claims was that he detested the grandeur of
office and all the pomp. Most of that changed soon after he became president
and head of state a second time. Buhari is the leader who got the military band
to serenade him with bagpipes and all the paraphernalia suitable for emirs on
arrival or departure at the airport!
Nigerians should pay attention to the vice-presidential
candidates and put them on a scale. It is a critical duty. For my money,
Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa stands out of the pack.
Okowa has been a diligent representation of a
second-in-command. He does not seek to share the limelight with his principal
and, significantly, projects the core of the party’s messaging along the lines
of unity, compassion, and ethical rebirth of a traumatised nation.
Compared to Shettima, also, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed stands
tall. He has comported himself well, observed the protocols of his position as
running mate, and sold the team with emphasis on the principal.
However, the top four should debate. The vice presidential
debate is now as critical as the presidential given the setting.
*Chidorum Nwakanma, a communication expert wrote in from
Abuja.
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