By Michael Abimboye
In the unfolding drama of Nigeria’s democracy, there are few players as consistently underestimated yet profoundly consequential as Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and immediate past governor of Sokoto State. His recent political trajectory, marked by turbulence, resilience, and a remarkable gift for coalition-building, has placed him yet again at the heart of the nation’s power play.
It began with what many considered a deliberate attempt to ruffle his feathers: his questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In Nigeria’s political landscape, such brushes with the anti-graft agency are often weaponised to unsettle actors perceived as inconvenient.
Tambuwal is cool as a cucumber and true to his temperament, refusing to be rattled. Instead of shrinking, he re-emerged into the national space with a calculated poise, reinforcing the perception of a man who never panics under fire.
Dismissing EFCC’s allegation, Tambuwal said it would mean “our government was withdrawing N2 billion every month. Where are the resources, how much was the allocation coming to Sokoto, and how much were we paying salaries, pensions and gratuities? Up till the time I left office, we weren’t owing any civil servant any salary, and we were paying pensions as and when due.”
Then came his Channels Television interview, which turned out to be less a media appearance and more a strategic manifesto. With calm articulation, Tambuwal projected himself as not just a survivor, but a central pillar in the opposition’s reorganisation. He neither raised his voice nor chased headlines, but the substance of his words resonated: here was a man quietly reasserting relevance in a political climate dominated by noise.
When asked if it is Northern elites that are coming together to send President Tinubu out of office, he calmly said, “It is a national consensus because Peter Obi is not from Northern Nigeria. Is Rauf Aregbesola not from Osun State? Are they not part of the coalition? It is true that some Nigerians are not happy with this government, because I’m not speaking for Northern Nigeria. I’m not involved in coming together of the North to say that Tinubu must go, I am involved in a national coalition that there should be a change of guard in Aso Rock through a constitutional democratic process on May 29, 2027.”
If the EFCC episode showed his resilience, and the television interview his composure, then Atiku Abubakar’s recent visit to his residence underscored his indispensability. The optics were unmissable. Atiku, Nigeria’s perennial opposition figure and a man with vast networks of his own, paid homage to Tambuwal, not the other way around. It was a symbolic gesture that revealed the gravitational pull Tambuwal now commands within the opposition camp.
Perhaps this most defining move yet is the smooth handling of the fragile coalition that has recently shifted allegiance into the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Where others grandstand and fracture alliances with ego, Tambuwal has operated with the quiet hands of a chess grandmaster, stitching together interests with patience and understated diplomacy. It is not the noisy politician who wins in coalition politics, but the one who listens, concedes where necessary, and carries everyone along. Tambuwal has shown himself to be precisely that.
In a country where politics is too often reduced to theatrics, Tambuwal’s method stands out. He is not flamboyant, nor given to reckless soundbites, not a man who seeks the limelight for its own sake. Yet, behind the curtain, he is pulling strings, setting the tempo, and shaping outcomes that could redefine Nigeria’s opposition ahead of 2027.
The lesson is clear for all and sundry to decipher; do not mistake calmness for weakness. AWT’s brand of politics is the bandwidth of quiet strength, one that survives storms, outlasts distractions, and builds bridges while others burn them. As the opposition seeks a path back to national reckoning, Tambuwal has once again positioned himself as both anchor and compass.
In Nigerian politics, there are winners of the day, and there are winners of the game. Tambuwal, increasingly, looks like the latter in the scheme-of-affairs.
Michael Abimboye is a Journalist and Communications Specialist based in Lagos, Nigeria.