By Dr Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh
History rarely announces its turning points.They arrive quietly, cloaked in the mundane, disguised as routine decisions. Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency was never foretold in the stars of Nigeria’s political firmament. It was the improbable outcome of a thousand compromises, a thousand silences, and a thousand miscalculations mostly abetted by those who got power on a platter and were consumed by it. Yet, here he is, at the helm of a nation teetering between rebirth and ruin.
Tinubu’s rise was not destiny. It was disruption. A twist in the tale. A jarring turn in Nigeria’s story. An “unknown unknown,” as Donald Rumsfeld once described the kind of anomaly that reshapes the arc of history. And now, against all odds, he holds in his hands a rare and fleeting gift: the power to choose how history will remember him.
Will he be the man who broke the cycle? Or just another name in the long, weary list of leaders who mistook power for permanence?
Nigeria is tired. Tired of promises that curdle into betrayal. Tired of reforms that never reach the people. Tired of leaders who mistake governance for feast, and longevity for legacy, when it should be about service and sacrifice.
Yet Tinubu, precisely because of the improbability of his presidency, can offer Nigeria an unexpected gift. A chance to do what no one expects: to walk away in dignity. To say, “I came, I saw, I cleaned.” To be the president who chose country over ego. Who gave Nigeria her first truly credible electoral reform. Who refused to be swallowed by the machinery that made him. Who broke the spell of sit-tightism that has haunted African democracies for decades.
This is not a decision for his inner circle or cabal. It is not a decision for the loyalists who see power as inheritance and opportunity to stuff their pockets and stomachs. This is a decision for a man alone with his conscience. A man who knows that the applause of today can become the curses of tomorrow.
This was the opportunity that presented itself to President Buhari, but he failed to seize it. Today, he is remembered only as another failed past president. If Tinubu chooses the path of other African strongmen, to cling, scheme, suppress in order to force a second term, Nigeria may not survive him. The center is too fragile. The people too weary. The institutions too hollowed out. And the collapse, when, not if it comes, will not only be loud but irreversible.
But if he chooses the path of the statesman, he will become something rare in Nigerian history: a leader who left the stage before the curtain fell. A man who understood that sometimes, the most powerful act is to relinquish power.
Let him be the one who turned the tide. Let him be the one who proved that Nigeria is not doomed to repeat herself. Let him be the last of the old, and the first of the new.
Already, while many are scrambling for another term, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency, is reported to have announced he will not seek re-election in 2027. If true, it’s a quiet but profound gesture. A signal. A whisper of change. And Tinubu should listen. Because the people are watching. And they are ready.
As for those urging him on, let them look across the fence and see Nepal. Look at the unfolding situation in Cameroon, Tanzania. Reports say Kenyans are also warming up. The signal is clear: Africans are tired of failed leadership and her young people are rising with resolve.
2027 is not just an election year: It is either going to be a statesman’s exit or a nation’s fall. There are few choices for him in between. Already the polity is heating up and Nigerians increasingly appear to be seeking solutions beyond the ballot box.
