Professor Eddie Oparaoji and Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu are two friends brought together by circumstance of the Annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections won by Chief MKO Abiola.
Chief Abiola’s central campaign message was “Farewell To Poverty”. He appointed Prof Oparaoji in 1994, who then was Chairman of a prodemocracy organization, Nigerian Democratic Awareness Committee (NDAC) that helped anchor National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in the United States, to head a Farewell To Poverty Taskforce, to develop the strategic plan to actualize his campaign theme.
At this point Senator Tinubu and Prof Oparaoji, were strong allies of Chief Abiola, and strong adherent of his center-left ideology. They shared a vision for a better, more just society. Both were driven by a commitment to serve the people, fight corruption, and promote progressive policies that uplifted the masses.
Since then an intriguing political journey of two once-idealistic associates, has diverged as Sen Tinubu transitioned into a conventional transactional corporatist politician with questionable credentials and policies deemed unfriendly to the people.
The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of their shared idealistic beginnings, charting the transformation of their relationship into one marked by political discord, public scrutiny, public outcry and eroding the goodwill he had amassed during his earlier years in politics
The tale of Prof Eddie Oparaoji and Sen Bola Tinubu serves as a cautionary narrative about the fragility of political ideals in the face of power and ambition.
It underscores the importance of staying true to one’s principles and the potential consequences of straying from the path of public service and good governance.
The political landscape is ever-evolving, and the journey of these two associates serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that can arise along the way. Today Senator Tinubu is now President Tinubu, who along the way shed his cloak of peoples advocate and no where to hide his pretensions of good governance
