Muiz Banire, the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressive Congress, APC, and three-time commissioner in Lagos has been demystified, his status rubbished and his position undermined. Muiz, the pride of Lagos youths and the darling of the ruling class, including Governor Fashola has been paled into nothingness. Dr Muiz attained fame and fortune by constantly banking on his instincts, unfortunately, his instincts has failed him by allowing him go to the Bourdillon, Ikoyi home of the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu where he was met with appalling humiliation.
Dr Banire thought he still had unrestricted access to the Bourdillon and was confident he would be welcomed with respect. To his bewilderment, he was told off at the gate and denied access on the prompting of Asiwaju. As Muiz Banire stood and stared in shock and embarrassment, he began to desperately wish the earth will consume him as many gawked at him.
His denial into the Bourdillon comes as a humiliation to Banire who was one of the protégées of Asiwaju and was appointed Commissioner of Environment in 1999 when Asiwaju was governor. While some onlookers tried not to laugh at the disgraced Banire, those who were privy to his fall discussed his fall from prominence in hushed tones.
As the National Legal Adviser of the APC, Banire has bitten the hands that fed him and that is where his problems begin from. Last year, during the run up to the Lagos primaries, in an interview, Banire accused the leadership of the party in the state of imposition. “There is a tendency of imposition on the people. And a lot of people are out to resist it. And party members too appear to be on the same plane with those that are leading the struggle against the imposition of candidates. So I believe that it does not signal anything that is good for all of us. A party leader in APC once said that this imposition method is working since the candidates are delivering, so there is no need changing a winning formula, Baniree said.
On the contrary, he said further, "If it has worked, the first question one (would) want to ask such a person, particularly if you are referring to Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu), his own emergence was not as a result of hand picking in 1998, go and ask him. We had direct primaries all over Lagos. And BRF (Babatunde Fashola) will tell you that he is not a product of single-handed imposition, and you can confirm from him. I’m quoting him now...But let us assume that to be the truth of the matter, it is no more fashionable now, even if he (TTinubu had been doing it before. Secondly, this is a new party, and you recall our slogan is ‘change’, that we are trying to do away with all those untoward things like lack of internal democracy. So I believe that it must not even be allowed to happen now, even if it had been happening in the past."
Apparently Asiwaju did not miss Banire’s barb and has held on to it for a while. While Asiwaju preferred to remain silent, columnist in The Nation newspaper fired back at Banire, describing him as a hypocrite who lacks the moral suasion to champion the fight against imposition while also reminding him of how he was elevated by Asiwaju from a struggling lawyer to his present status.
No comments:
Post a Comment