In a few days, the Senate may finally take steps to validate the status of Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, as the Acting President of Nigeria. But even before that is done, many people are already falling heads over heels at the prospect of his temporary presidency. There is need for caution, however.

I urge all Nigerians to watch the Acting President with their two eyes widely opened, so that we do not fall trap to the wiles of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC. This is because in times past, populism has always been a ready tool in the hands of leaders with hidden agenda. Presently, the APC is busy garnering popular support for the Acting President, as if the fading party is presenting any credible alternative for the nation’s problems, beyond the deceptions of the past one half years.

This has been the trend, as was the case with Dr Goodluck Jonathan, for whom Nigerians waged a principled war of recognition, as Acting President and also voted for massively, as President, on account of his perceived humble background of “shoeless” President, but who eventually turned the wheel of progress of Nigeria backwards.

This was the same fashion of the perceived no nonsense Buhari, who had told Nigerians, on the day of his inauguration, that he would be a President of nobody but for everybody, only to end up in the cold hands of a wicked cabal, that has now imposed poverty and suffering, on our people, while they cruise around in comfort and opulence.

The recent visit of the Acting President, to the Niger-Delta, is all part of the populist agenda, as with his response to the mass protests of Nigerians (“We hear you loud and clear”) and now forwarding the name of Honourable Justice Onnoghen, to the Senate for confirmation, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria. Had Nigerians not taken courage to assert themselves on February 6, 2017, the Acting President was unable to match his words with action, by openly directing the police to respect the constitutional rights of our people.

The Acting President is only now attempting to buy the support of our people, whereas the obnoxious policies of the APC government are daily harassing the people to their untimely graves. Without addressing the fundamental issues plaguing our land, such as the Discos distributing darkness for money, the spiraling inflation, the collapse of the economy, the hypocrisy of the so-called anti-corruption war, the ethnic cleansing going on in some parts of the country, the multiple exchange rate regimes, and the palpable collapse of infrastructure all over the land, it is not yet Uhuru.

Let us there not be bamboozled with the recent utterances and actions of the Acting President, all of which are capable of sending us into some slumber, only to then wake up in another quagmire.

In particular, I urge all Nigerians, especially the elites and the people of the South, to subject the Acting President to a stricter rule of assessment, than that of Buhari, and to be sure that we are not now again up for another ride into empty promises without commensurate action.

So, let us beware of the isles of March, lest the very thick wool is soon pulled over our already darkened eyes, by the ruling cabal and its new jewel.

Nigerians should therefore intensify the ongoing protests against suffering and demand true accountability and good good governance, from the Acting President.

I pause for now.

•Ebun-olu Adegboruwa, eminent lawyer and activist, sent this piece yesterday from Lekki, Lagos.

Update news