The crux, as it were, was that, in Abuja, a tetrapod was built. It was built in Tinubu’s name, and, arguably, for his sake. Whatever has inspired the huddle, or the circumstances under which it was done, presents less consequence than the fact that the roundtable in fact happened. And when all is said and done, the faultless fact remains that the tetrapod, for good reasons, happened around Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The ministers: Ayo Olawande, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and Taiwo Oyedele were not helpless. Ahead of the tetrapod, they could have imagined or considered plotting a tripod instead, on their own terms and for a different impression, but even that could prove costlier when weighed against its associated risks. Such a proposal, for weird reasons, could either be slithery, slimy, or altogether uphill given the fact that the trio seek nearly a similar political future.

Each man, under the tick cloud, must understandably deploy his device to become recyclable or to, in the least, remain relevant in the post-election harvests. To this extent, each minister dreams differently and bears a peculiar burden. But even so, the season compels each man to defer to the president’s ambition, irrespective; since to a larger extent, all ambitions are subject to the president’s win, after all; as only this gives fillip to subordinate ambitions.

This is how Governor Aiyedatiwa’s maturity, shrewdness and courage-coated humility were smartly deployed to mobilise critical stakeholders, including the ministers, and to bring all hands on deck for the overriding interest of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reelection. The Governor’s gestures must therefore be encouraged as it helps to deflate veiled pressures from -needless- intra-party strife, while also healing the real and imagined gaps of doubts within the fold.

Let it be stressed however that the season’s trials vary with each of the four. Governor Aiyedatiwa, for one, is not standing the same trial as the president’s ministers who must banner electoral scores to make themselves returnable as cabinet members; yet the Governor is positionally required to coordinate sundry strategic efforts in the ultimate interest of the president’s second coming. Even where Aiyedatiwa’s probable re-election must be part of the cards, the timing makes allowance for interludes unlike the ministers whose fates are tied directly to the outcome of the January election.

By midwifing the foursome encounter, Governor Aiyedatiwa did what any intentional leader must do in a time like this. The governor’s patience, indulgence and equanimity are not, for smart actors, dismissable traits. The ministers, on the other hand, gave ego away for a moment to make way for their principal who must return to renew their jobs. On the whole, each man sacrificed something so that Tinubu’s ambition could be enhanced; and this, irrespective, makes the job easier for all.

It could have been imaginably reckless to polarise the party along ulterior lines in the manner the political cloud had threatened. It would have wasted earnest efforts, make vain of individual energy and deplete corporate strength if the wounds were left to fetter, but the Governor’s decision to bend over backwards saved the day. Against all odds, the consequential four-man team met and figured out just how to mobilise overwhelming support for President Tinubu so that he gets the biggest share of Ondo’s votes.

The tetrapod may not have been exciting for those who profit unscrupulously from widening the gulfs; but just as the Governor and ministers buried egos to improve the prospects of the president’s return to power for another term, folks who fetch pecuniary advantage from fueling discord within the party should endeavor to moderate devious appetite in the immediate, and in the best interests.

It is true that Ondo holds special and even higher stakes in the battle for Tinubu’s mandate renewal. President Tinubu has given Ondo State so much, and the state should, in return, reciprocate the president’s gestures by making certain that he gets overwhelming yes. This is what Governor Aiyedatiwa has since realised, ahead of now, which informed his earliest adoption of Tinubu as Ondo’s choice. The same commitment inspired Aiyedatiwa’s making of the tetrapod and his steady deployment of men and resources, so that securing a minimum of a million votes for Tinubu in Ondo comes more conveniently within the party’s reach.

Dr. Akinbami is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ondo State on Public Communication.