#2015InReview: Meet 5 Politicians Who Determined Nigeria’s Destiny

The year 2015 was a landmark year for Nigeria’s politics. It was the first time in Nigeria’s history that an incumbent president lost an election. It has never happened before and pundits still believe that it might never happen in the nearest future.

Many thought that this particular year would lead to doom for the country due to the fact that there might be unrest as a result of the aftermath of the elections.

Before the election proper, some Nigerians had to travel out of the country to avoid being caught in the cross-fire that was predicted by prophets of doom.

However, things went well even in the least expected way as politicians from both divide congratulated themselves and the country wore a smiling look once again.

For these to have happened, there were certain politicians that shaped the course of the country in the year. Naij.com brings to you five politicians that influence 2015.

1.  Goodluck Jonathan

Former president Goodluck Jonathan

Many Nigerians will be grateful to the immediate past president Goodluck Jonathan for the role he played in calming nerves during an extremely heated point in our political history. If not for him, Nigeria would be in turmoil now and the Syrian experience might have repeated itself.

In the buildup to the 2015 presidential election, Jonathan set the right tune that ensured that the peace the country was witnessing was not jeopardized.

At the onset of his presidency in January 12, Jonathan said: “Any ambition I have at any times is not worth the blood of Nigerians.’ That was the turning point for Nigeria politics. Unlike in the past where leaders were quoted to have said that ‘election is a do or die affair.”

As the then incumbent president, he was constantly under pressure to alter or postpone the election, sack the then INEC boss, Professor Attahiru Jega, etc. He maintained his stance till the final end when he called President Muhammadu Buhari to congratulate him on his victory.

Jonathan was physically present at the swearing-in of the new president thus teaching other governors that absconded from their responsibility of handling over to their predecessors from opposition party, of politics without bitterness.

This singular act endeared him to the heart of Nigerians and many more generation will read and come to appreciate his effort for Nigeria’s unity.

READ ALSO: #2015InReview: Top 10 Most Memorable Political Events

2.  Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Former Lagos state governor and national leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is one politician that you should ignore at your own peril.

He is a master strategist and knows the ABC of Nigeria’s politics.

He is one of the politicians that have influenced the political landscape of Nigeria in 2015. He was the only governor in southwest under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) that kept his position in the wind of change that flew in the zone in 2003 as the mighty fell like wrongly packed cards.

He knows what he wants and how to get it. Before 2014-2015 nobody knew that the Peoples Democratic Party could lose at the centre.

Together with other progressives, Tinubu engineered the defeat. The politician who is fondly called jagaban by close-cult of followers, political friends and even foes, collapsed his interest to form the All Progressives Congress that is now the ruling party in Nigeria.

The APC was formed in February 6, 2013 after a merger of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) and a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The party was doomed to fail from the very beginning but for tenacity of its founding fathers among who is Tinubu, who led the party safely to cross its ‘red sea’ to emerge victorious.

Tinubu played an influential role in the change mantra using all available resource to make this come true. He is admired by close associates and feared by foes for his staying power. He is one politician that sticks to his gun; he has been in opposition in the last 16-years unlike many others that had crossed carpeted when the going become tough.

Jagaban’s influence in the politics of Nigeria and the run up to the 2015 general elections cannot be wished away.

He ‘planted’ the right people with the right requisite political experience to sheer the ship of state and played pivotal role to the emergence  of President Buhari from the primary election level of the APC to the eventual winning of the poll. Little wonder Buhari calls him ‘my friend’.

3.  Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo

Hate him or like him, he is one of the kings of Nigeria’s politics and very adept politician. Obasanjo could easily earn the nickname ‘maradona of Nigeria politics’ because he is that result getter.

Former president Obasanjo has remained the highly sought after political ‘godfather’ since he left power in 2007. Obasanjo’s Ota Farm Home become a political mecca of some sort. During the run-up to the 2015 general elections, many politicians thronged to the home of Obasanjo for consultations. In the heat of the electioneering, the former president tore his membership card of the Peoples Democratic Party thus paving way to be more accessible to other political parties especially the now ruling APC.

OBJ as he is fondly called by friends, associates and even foes has made himself  an ‘irresistible bride’ to politicians. He subtly campaigned for President Muhammadu Buhari and the governor of his state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Beyond the elections in 2015, the ex-president of Nigeria was instrumental to the emergence of some ministers. It is believed in some quarters that he played a leading role in the emergence of the minister of finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun among many others.

Remember the famous letter he sent to Jonathan at the peak of electioneering period? That was the melting point in the influence exerted by Obasanjo. As if that was not enough, he came out with his ‘controversial’ book, My Watch, which serves as an expose on topical issues confronting the nation. The influence of Obasanjo in the 2015 politics has been well felt and even his political opponent would not want to wish it away.

READ ALSO: #2015InReview: 10 Notable Quotes From Politicians

4. Rotimi Amaechi

Rotimi Amaechi

Former governor of Rivers state and now minister of transport, Rotimi Amaechi is one man with a thick skin. The man that is dubbed ‘lion’ loves to fight and has never ran away from battlefield in his political career.

During his screening as ministerial nominee, Amaechi told the 8th Senate ‘I was born to test my right.’ Amaechi fought hard for the emergence of President Buhari and for the first defeat of PDP at the centre.

He did all this even at the risk of his life and he gave all he could to make it possible. He is one of the politicians that influenced the political landscape of the country at a time where opposition politics was not popular in south- south part of the country.

He was the director general of the Buhari-Osinbajo Campaign Organisation. Prior to the primary election, many people have tipped him for the position of vice president because of the role he played.

He fought his kinsman  – Jonathan , to a standstill. The use of security operatives to tame him to slow down  did not deter him at all.

The minister of transport can be safely said to be one of the heroes of the emergence of opposition party at the centre, something that many people thought it might take another 16-year to unseat the PDP.

5. Rochas Okorocha

Governor Rochas Okorocha

Governor Rochas Okorocha can be described as a man that saw tomorrow.  Okorocha  geo-political zone, the southeast is not known to be in opposition. The governor took the Imo state chapter of All Progressives Grand Alliance to the merge with defunct CAN,CPC and ANPP to form APC. He even went ahead to contest the presidential primaries with Buhari but lost.

He has been the leader of the APC in the southeast and very close ally of the president.

He contested and won as a governor,  the governorship election on the platform of the APC thus becoming the first and only governor of the APC in the whole of southeast .

Okorocha played prominent role for the emergence of the APC. He gave his all to the party at a time many of his countrymen thought that APC was a waste of time.

The governor’s  influence has grown in leaps and bounds since his party won at the centre in the southeast making the highly sought after politician in the zone who could push for the interest of the Ndigbo at the centre.

The post #2015InReview: Meet 5 Politicians Who Determined Nigeria’s Destiny appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM.