By Tonboyefa Ayawari
Success in any political venture is full of sacrifices and it comes at a great cost, considering the magnitude of work required especially for states that have been unfortunate with visionary leadership.
Eight years is barely time enough for any true visionary leader to repair and then lay the right foundation for sustainable development in a state.
As daunting as this may be, it is in no way comparable to the burden of succession which every visionary leader bears from the day of inauguration through the period of governance.
Since 2015 after APC took over, Nigeria has witnessed just a handful of successful governorship transitions but no other state in opposition with an off-season electoral calendar has recorded a successful transition save Bayelsa State in the 2019 Governorship election that produced Governor Diri.
The former governor of Bayelsa State literally came against the entire federation when he contended with and overcame both the internal opposing political forces whose preference was someone else and not Diri and externally against the strong interest, desire and intent by the APC to capture the heart of the Ijaw nation which would have easily initiated a wave across the NigerDelta at the time.
Unfortunately, Diri like many other recipients of this feat may not fully comprehend the risk and travail of identifying, raising, preparing, protecting and successfully installing a successor while in opposition.
Taking the just concluded Edo governorship election as a case study and being aware that the fight to reclaim lost mandate is ongoing, the expectation is that the prosperity government ceases to remain in denial of the fact that whatever it is today is the sweat, blood, tears, pain, travail, sacrifice, effort and resources of his predecessor, His Excellency, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson and those he lead. God is undoubtedly the giver of all good gifts however, the role Dickson and those that stood behind him played can never be ignored.
Diri is fortunate to have a benefactor that is evidently not overbearing like the one from a neighboring state and therefore reprovable and iniquitous to assume and posit for a non-existent successor/predecessor feud.
The wisdom expected at this time would be that Diri works even closer with his predecessor because having successfully installed him twice, it is obvious that being in opposition with Dickson is akin to driving against traffic on the wrong lane of a political highway.
Diri must resist the temptation to clandestinely float a parallel political structure as this is a recipe for failure. For as much as Godfatherism is frowned at, it is detrimental to bite the finger that fed you. It takes a winning team to win and therefore an effort in futility to undermine the experience and capability of the team that produced you as they did not only make you win but ensured that your opponent lost.
Diri must recognize that legacies borne out of needless rivalry and competition are short lived. Therefore he must continue to focus on building on his predecessor’s legacies. Continuity is the key word and not competition.
Finally, Diri must recognize that political leadership is about lifting people today regardless of the fact that they may later stab you at the back. Lifting people is a leadership duty. However, Diri must endeavor not to be the backstabber of those who sacrificed to lift him.