Two Yoruba proverbs are of intrinsic value to making choices and appreciating what we have. One is “Obinrin ti ko ba dan ile oko meji wo ko ni mo eyi to san ju” {until a woman tries two husbands she won’t know which one is better}. Two; B’omode o ba gbe omi wo ko gbe epo wo ko ni mo eyi to loorin ju” {until a child lifts both water and red oil he won’t know which is heavier.} Needless to say, Yorùbá proverbs are wise-sayings passed through generations to teach historical lessons, highlight good morals, and instil social values and justice among others.
With those above and others like them, Yoruba are simply pointing the wisdom in restraint as guardrails against impetuosity while foraging for the supposed hidden “treasure” in exchange for our considered “junk”.
The psychology of decision-making states that “effective decision-making often involves striking a balance between rational analysis and emotional consideration. While logic helps evaluate options objectively, emotions provide valuable insights into our desires and preferences. Integrating both can lead to more satisfying and well-rounded choices”.
Since about 78 million Americans decided to return Donnie Trump to the White House and effectively to the leadership of more than half of the world, not a few have branded the Trump voter an idiot, who lacks the capacity to reason the arguably most popular name in the world, off his radar. Even when he lost his first re-election attempt four year ago, over 75 million Americans still deemed him worthy of the office, only that over 80 million thought Joe better. In this historic cycle for Trump and Republicans completing a trifecta of the White House, Congress and Senate, the sabre-rattling entertainer-politician goes eternally into the collector’s book as the second man ever in the United States to win a non-consecutive re-election.
Weeks back, Ghana, Nigeria’s neighbour and soccer arch-rival decided to emulate US, sending John Dramani Mahama back to the Jubilee House {as Ghana’s presidential mansion is known} from where he was tossed, eight years ago. He will be taking the office he supposedly lost to incompetence and rampart corruption again on January 7, 2025. 13 days after, his counterpart in the US, will take the White House again, the same place he was ignominiously booted four year ago, to worldwide opprobrium. If you doubt the validity of Daniel 4:17 that God rules in the affairs of men, think the duo. Instructively, both Trump and Mahama defeated incumbent vice presidents of their nations. Maybe sitting vice presidents aren’t always the right match for former presidents seeking a comeback.
Mahama, infact, is the one to share the apa maku {the irrepressible one} moniker with the Nigerian Tribune, considering that apart from losing his 2016 re-election, he was flattened again in 2020, but he would not relent. Maybe there is a message therein for former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s perennial presidential candidate. Maybe it will be his day in the sun someday, and the Aso Rock prophesy of Otunba Oyewole Fasawe’s mum, would come to pass for him.
Before Trump and Mahama’s stunning comeback, there was and still the “miracle of Rio”, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who like Trump in America, is the main issue in the politics of Brazil, the struggling South American country {though their 1 Real is equivalent of Nigeria’s N255.18k}.
Despite his limited education, Lula as popularly known was the 35th and now 39th President of Brazil, winning both consecutive and non-consecutive re-elections.
He first tried to be president in 1989, he lost. Twice again, 1994 and 1998, he lost. But it was his emilokan {turn} in 2002, then winning a consecutive re-election in 2006, before relinquishing the office to his former Chief of Staff, Dilma Rousseff in 2010. Seven years later, the popular ex-president was on his way to jail for money laundering and corruption, spending a total of 580 days in prison. He began seeking his path to the presidency again but denied participation in 2018.
Like Trump when out of office, the lawfare against him continued in 2019 in obvious attempt to derail his return. Just like Trump again, Brazil’s Supreme Court had to step in, in 2021, to quash all the indictments against him, clearing his path legally to seek the presidency again. In 2022, he took the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro down and became the oldest Brazilian president at 77 when sworn in on January 1, 2023.
He is sharing that record with Trump, who at 78, is the oldest elected America’s president. This is for those saying incumbent Bola Tinubu would be too old in 2027. He would still be the second oldest at 75, if he wins re-election in 2027 coming behind his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari who was 77 when re-elected in 2019 but that would be nothing compared to Atiku, who would be going into the global history book should he run and win the presidency in 2027. He would be 81.
Yoruba will say the death that is killing one’s agemate is sending a signal. Even France, as multi-cultural as dynamic it claims to be, is looking backward to Marion Anne Perrine “Marine” Le Pen, her ideology and perceived extreme nationalism it once rejected. Her National Rally party badly trounced President Emmanuel Macron and his Renaissance party in both European and parliamentary elections. But for the gang-up with other smaller parties by Macron’s ruling party, Len Pen’s protege, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella would have been Prime Minister. Even at that, Macron has evidently lost control of the parliament. His handpicked PM Michel Barnier was just spewed out of office and he could do no Jack, as they say, about it. 2027 is all looking a Len Pen presidency.
In countries with fairly election integrity, voters’ choices could be shocking to say the least. A big brother kept lamenting a multiple felon returning to the White House and to substantial say in global affairs, despite his nationalism notion. To him, America has simply gone mad, adding to the fact that Trump is the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years, with George W, Bush having that honour last over Democratic John Kerry in 2004.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume triggered 2027 debate last week when he declared Tinubu’s re-election a fait accompli. He possibly got the responses he was expecting across political spectrum but certainly not from the people, who are expected to be the determining factor. He was likely reacting to the Kano group flooding the state with the campaign posters of former President Goodluck Jonathan, urging him to join the 2027 fray. Whatever is going to happen to Nigeria in 2027 as far as political and national leadership is concerned, may be surprising but maybe not really new under the sun as historical outcomes are sprouting around the world. Even the man considered to be the world most powerful was frightened off a ticket he legitimately won in contested primaries, only for the same ticket to be given to his vice president, at a coronation convention. Strange things, strange times, but nothing the world hasn’t seen. Biden said God would have to come down to make him relinquish the Democratic ticket. Maybe God actually did, because in no time, nearly all his friends and backers, became enemies and hobbled him out.
If the North is spearheading Jonathan’s return in 2027, it wont be because he would serve a term and hand over, because the incumbent too, has just one more constitutional term in 2027 and no political stratagem would make him hand over to another Southerner. The much he could leverage supporting North in 2031 is putting a Southerner of his choice {many are suspecting Wike} as the running mate to the Northerner candidate, with the hope of the Southerner having a shot at the presidency in 2039.
So if the North is declaring Asiwaju shege ahead of 2027 as being rumoured, it would be because the political establishment over there has soured on him. Again, this wont be unprecedented. The strong Latino community that soured on Trump in 2020, powered him back to power in 2024.
North didn’t only sour on Jonathan, it stewed and barbecued him. If the same voting bloc is now allegedly saying ‘Jonathan, lock us in for 2027’, the rumoured brewing bromance, will fit perfectly into Solomon’s message in Ecclesiastes 3:9 “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done and there is no new thing under the sun”.
