By John Mayaki

Everyone with access to the internet and other forms of visual media has seen the images. They have also volunteered their opinions on them, informed or not. The wide adoption of the internet and its attendant pressure to rack up ‘engagements’ and ‘views’ have compelled ‘news reporters’ (a title many now lay claim to because they have an audience and can string sentences together) to frame events in ways that draw the most frenzied reactions from others.

You are encouraged – baited even – to offer your own ‘two cents’ or pass judgments on people and situations you have faint knowledge of. It will therefore not come as a surprise if you too have left a comment on any of the platforms that reported the event and splashed the images with ‘interesting’ captions.

For the uninitiated who feel lost and are wondering what the event and images are; I refer to the meeting between Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Governor Bola Tinubu. The duo was photographed days ago in a warm embrace as the Vice President paid a visit to Asiwaju Tinubu, fresh from his London trip where he had undergone a knee surgery.

This otherwise run-of-the-mill event, in which a former Governor turned national leader of the APC received the presence and well wishes of his former Attorney General turned Vice President, gained heightened significance and became perhaps the most consequential political event of the week (some would say month) as we gradually countdown to the much talked about 2023 General elections.

It contrasted the irresponsible and baseless reporting of a face-off involving the two, stories planted in the press by those driven to hysteria by their own insecurities. Although politicians are known to be experts at concealing their true emotions, this meeting, in which the country’s second most powerful individual personally delivered his good wishes to a purported adversary, was completely avoidable and would not have happened if indeed the Vice President harbored ill-will. What does he stand to profit beyond silly accusations of a ‘surrender’ from a supposed fight he remains unaware of?

A clash of the kind they have portrayed and caused the press to circulate, requires two conscious and fully aware parties. The meeting is proof that the Vice President has no such intentions. He is at peace – with himself and others. What has become clear is that the Vice President is convinced that aspiration to leadership should not drive a wedge between allies, particularly if the alliance is built on mutual respect and the firm understanding that loyalty does not – and should not – equate subservience.

Asiwaju Tinubu is yet to announce his interest in the Presidency but should he do so, it ought not to hurt his relationship with the Vice President. And vice versa. Any candidate sure of himself and his achievements should not require others to pave the way and surrender; instead, a case should be made to the party and Nigerians who are the ultimate deciders.

Recent history has reinforced the fact that no successful campaign is built primarily on the ‘de-marketing’ of others. For the voting electorate, a resort to such crude tactics is an admittance of weakness; a thinly-veiled confession of poor credentials. Strong candidates present their achievements and lay out their vision. They welcome opposition as true democrats, and rely on the superiority of their argument and gravitas to clinch victory.

Perhaps this is a lesson the overzealous foot soldiers and self-declared allies need to learn. It may provoke a reflection on the true cause of their insecurities and convince them to focus on building a sturdy ship instead of blackmailing perceived opponents into pulling out of the contest. It is a strategy doomed to fail.

Whether or not they will learn this lesson is anyone’s guess. But time will soon reveal the obvious truth that: Prof. Osinbajo is not the enemy, neither is he in a face-off. A man can be guilty of many things, but not for excelling at his job and being widely admired as a result.