A requiem for Peoples
Democratic Party: PDP will be buried in 2003
Max Gbanite
Thursday, August 1,
2002
GENESIS
OF PDP’s PROBLEMS
When
I joined the PDP as a card-carrying member from my local government in 1998, the
acronym ‘PDP’ stood for Peoples Democratic Party. By the time of my withdrawal
from the party in 2001, the party had reinvented its name to become
‘President’s Destruction Party’ or ‘Peoples Destruction Party,’ depending on
which side of the legislative arm you find yourself or on what influence the
Executive branch members have on their respective constituents.
In
both actual and transitional democracy, those elected to serve usually keep
faith and allegiance to their respective constituencies. In Nigeria the ideation
of working for the benefit of one’s constituency has been reduced to
‘Me-Myself-and-I’ representation. Those elected into office forgot the numerous
interests of the constituencies that sent them there and why they were sent
there in the first place.
PDP
as a party had the people’s mandate but, due to lack of performance on national,
state, and local government levels, the party has insulted not only the psyche
of Nigerian voters but also the international community that supported the
country’s journey to democracy. No wonder, we were told that the United States
President and the British Prime Minister did not meet with President Obasanjo on
his recent visits to both countries. Talk about repairing the damaged image of
the country, the United States travel advisory warning published by the State
Department has not improved a bit since General Abacha’s tenure.
I
recently read an article from ThisDay newspaper of June 4, 2003 on the Internet
titled, “Re-examine Yourselves, Obasanjo tells Nigerians.” This was
apparently extrapolated from a speech made during a seminar workshop on National
Ethics. This got my attention, not because the article has any new advisory
dimension; however, the messenger or in this case the adviser failed woefully to
reexamine the ways the party that made him the President conducted itself and
ran the affairs of the country. On the contrary, Chief Obasanjo boldly blamed
the citizens for the country’s woes. He averred that the people of Nigeria did
not do the right things and, yet, they expect others to do the right thing.
Bingo!
The
Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria (PDP) is the largest political party in
Africa. For not doing what is expected of the party through the overwhelming
mandate by Nigerian citizens, it has earned the wrath of God. The electorate
must punish them in 2003 by voting them out of office en masse, for creating a
political apoplexy or ataxia in our democracy.
Nigerian voters probably would need to drink acetylsalicylic acid to
recover from the recent statements credited to the current chairman of PDP,
Chief Audu Ogbeh and published in ‘Daily Trust,' on Tuesday, July 23, 2002.’ The
statements are indications of the path the party has taken towards since 1998.
It’s important to refresh readers’ memory, in case they missed the article.
The
Chairman smarting from a recent battle with the Senate President Anyim P. Anyim
over a 120-million naira corruptive saga, in a speech he made while inaugurating
the party’s Disciplinary Committee and Electoral Appeal Committee said: “The
biggest problem confronting the PDP from 1998 till now is that the party is yet
to become a political party. It is more of a rally and the biggest tragedy in
the PDP is gross indiscipline where individual members mistake democracy for
anarchy.” He must be speaking about the President and the PDP governors. The
Chairman went further by indicting the state executives of the party for
imposing unpopular candidates on the party, which, according to him “was the
reason for the crisis rocking the party as a result of its primaries.” He must
be afflicted by amnesia… for forgetting that President Obasanjo imposed him as
the chairman on the party, on the advisement of Chief Tony (Mr. Fix it) Anenih.
Chief
Ogbeh is indeed stating the fact based on what is obtained from the grassroots
today. He, however, forgot to state that the problem manifested itself when in
November 1999 party convention, Chief Obasanjo as President and Vice President
Abubakar Atiku were accused of manipulating the votes to outmaneuver Chief
Sunday Awoniyi, and ultimately denying him the right to be the consensus
Chairman of PDP. Hence, Chief Barnabas Gemade was imposed on the people. The
same fete was played out when President Obasanjo, under the advisement of Chief
Anenih decided to have Gemade removed and to impose the current Chairman Chief
Ogbeh. So Chief Ogbeh, please stop confusing Nigerians with your kind and
illusionist advice. You very well know that PDP intends to impose President
Obasanjo on the people at the party’s November convention, by 'divine' rigging of
course. My wish is that all those who feel disillusioned may find succor in
United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP) or any other party.
Whilst recovering from the mental anguish caused by reading the Nigerian
newspapers on the Internet, I was confronted by another article which forced
itself upon my person because of its alarming heading: "Obasanjo Worried over
Polls " (ThisDay, May 29, 2002). President Obasanjo’s words:
“What worries me as I speak to
you today, and as we approach the coming election, is the pervasive pessimism in
the land. There seems to be a general feeling that we, as a free people, are
incapable of conducting elections that can be judged by all to have been free,
fair, and successful.”
Very
well said, sir. We have witnessed how you conducted all the PDP primaries so far
with artificial transparency and your cleverly tenacious attempt to impose on
the unsuspecting populace what majority members of your party call ‘Electoral
Bill 2001-419’ and your veto of the Electoral Bill 2002 for allowing all the
elections to be held in one day. That is pure ‘ewedu’ politics, and it is
very slimy indeed.
President Obasanjo further stated: “It is a sad commentary of our conduct in
the past that Nigerians live more in fear of violence than excitement at the
opportunity to exercise a choice in who governs them. It is even sadder still
that many Nigerians are fast losing faith that future elections will allow them
to exercise genuine choices.” He said regretting that many people would take “to
the rule of paid voters or paid thugs as their only contributions to the
electoral process.” …. “No credible election can be conducted in an environment
where fear, intimidation and violence abound, and the people will not respect
any leadership which emerges from such elections.” Mr. President, kindly
advice PDP governors to stop killing innocent people and intimidating opposition
with armed thugs in their respective states.
The
President, as stated by the ThisDay article, expressed regrets that “those who
pervert the democratic order do not believe or pursue the virtues of leadership,
knowledge, intelligence or experience among those seeking public office, but
only those with huge war chest brimful of often ill-gotten money and with
private army of hoodlums to ensure their victory.” Otio, is this not what
the current leadership of PDP is doing?
President Obasanjo acknowledged the existence of gangsterism,
intimidation, and wanton killings over political differences or choice of
candidate by imposition within his party; yet, he allowed the situation to
continue over the years. This should disqualify him from seeking reelection to
the presidency of the country in 2003. His stepping down will be a show of
remorse and atonement for all the innocent victims of PDP cavernous and savage,
if not barbaric, killings. His critics say that he has definitely failed as a
leader. His actions no longer excite nor motivate Nigerians to be their best. He
might have been at one time a good military commander and or head of state, but,
under a civilian-democratic setting, he is equipped with bad advisers and
managers who are blessed with antiquated ideologies for the people of Nigeria.
A
thorough leader is seen to be capable of carrying along his people, motivating
them to be the best they can be under any circumstance. But President Obasanjo’s
PDP has truly succeeded in sowing terrible seeds of disunity amongst Nigerians
to a level higher than at any other period in the history of Nigeria, resulting
in over 10,000 deaths from communal clashes, rioting, and the bomb blast…. “Shut
Up, I don’t have to be here”…Oops, I almost forgot!
Read
what Ken Adelman wrote about leadership and managers: “A leader knows what’s
best to do; a manager knows merely how best to do it.” The late Malcolm S.
Forbes said: “A man who enjoys responsibility usually gets it. A man who merely
likes exercising authority usually loses it.” it appears the latter’s assessment
of leadership speaks volume of what will happen to the PDP leadership,
Obasanjo’s leadership, and most of PDP governors at the polls in 2003.
Without digressing, kindly permit me to abuse your mind temporarily by taking
you back to some of the wonderful things Chief Obasanjo said at the inception of
his Presidency, excerpted from the book “A New Dawn” (Selected Speeches by
Olusegun Obasanjo).
PRESIDENT OBASANJO AND
PDP’S PROMISE TO NIGERIANS
“I understand the clear
message of the Nigerian people. In giving me their mandate, they have asked me
to lead this country by example. They want me to lead them alright. They want me
to restore the dignity of our country. They want me to revitalize our political
institutions and reinvigorate the economy. They want me to alleviate their
poverty and to reduce corruption. They want me to ensure the security of their
lives and property. They want much more. I regard all these expectations as a
challenge that the people of
Nigeria have thrown at me
and those with whom I will work in the next four years. I accept and welcome
this challenge. I promise to devote myself entirely to the upliftment of our
people, not only satisfying their yearnings and aspirations, but also those of
all black people wherever they may be around the world.”
Immediately after the swearing in ceremony, President Obasanjo listed the
following as his and PDP’s priority issues that must be tackled with immediate
effect.
-
The
crisis in the oil-producing areas:
no improvements 3 years later and more people are still being killed over oil;
and, we already know what happened to resource control, to Odi people, and the
recent attempt by women of the oil producing area to go nude as protest to what
is happening to them.
-
Food
supply, food security and agriculture:
the ‘good news’ is that prices of staple foods such as garri, rice, beans,
cassava, palm oil, groundnut, and corn have gone up by 100 percent, and the
President even proposed importing Burkinabe beans from Burkina Faso. The
agricultural bank’s interest on loan to farmers is at 35 percent; so, which
farmer will take a loan on this type of high interest? The subsidies on
fertilizers have almost disappeared, and the deliveries of fertilizers are often
late into the farming season.
-
Law and
order with particular reference to armed robbery, and to cultism in our
educational institutions:
Well, Inspector General of Police Muslui Smith was replaced for incompetence
after 3 years, and replaced by IG Tafa Balogun, who has since initiated
operation ‘fire for fire. The irony is that armed robbers have superior weapons,
and they are better marksmen than the police. On cultism in the universities, we
have witnessed over 200 students killed in the universities nationwide, due to
cult and secret society activities, without any real action by government.
- Exploration and production of petroleum: Very lucrative area -- only the
President can issue any and all allocation rights to oil; his cronies have made
a wealthy mess of themselves.
- Education: UBE is still on track… barely, whilst the
universities are under-funded, and there are constant strikes by the Academic
Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU), forcing schools to close. Bravo, Mr.
President!
-
Macro-economic policies, particularly exchange rates management:
We see very ingenious moves; when PDP took over, they inherited an exchange rate
of 103 naira to 1 dollar –- Central Bank rate, and 115 naira to 1 dollar –-
street-corner rate. Today the rates have been raised to benefit Nigerians abroad
to a ‘civilized’ rate of 120 naira to 1 dollar and 137 naira to 1 dollar
respectively. This is very excellent macroeconomics; no wonder President Obasanjo called Professor Sam Aluko, an internationally renowned economist,
“senile,” for averring that Abacha had a much better fiscal program than
Obasanjo. Now, you may judge who is truly senile.
-
Supply
and distribution of petroleum products:
The nation is still
suffering from incessant fuel shortages, and prices have gone up considerably
since PDP took over government.
-
The debt
issue: The
legislators wanted the President to tell them how much the country owes. Three
years later, we still do not know what it owes, and how much has been paid back
to the international community.
-
Corruption, drugs, organized fraud called “419” activities, and crimes leading
to loss of lives, properties, and investments:
This is epitome of President Obasanjo, and PDP’s achievements. Justice Akanbi
was empowered with the anti-corruption bill to deal with those found to be
corrupt. But his court has become a goat’s court where nobody has been
arraigned. The President dismissed 10 of his ministers for incompetence and
alleged corruption since assuming office in 1999, yet none has been dragged to
the corruption court. The lower and upper legislative bodies have tales of
‘Ghana must go’ bags stuffed with money being shuffled through their doors by
the executive arm as inducements to destabilize them; yet, no casualties have
been recorded.
Many respected members of
PDP have confessed about the massive corruption within the party without any
action from the President. Very recently, Insider Weekly magazine of July 22,
2002 edition wrote: “A ministerial committee set up to probe allegations of
fraudulent financial dealings at the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA reveals a can
of worms, indicting President Olusegun Obasanjo’s close associates and also the
sacked management of the parastatals led by Bello Ibrahim Gwandu and its board,
led by Olabode George, the President’s political pointsman. Can the President
punish his own men?” Ten billion naira is alleged to be missing. Then talk about
“419”: the business is still thriving, drug dealers that went on vacation during
Gen. Musa Bamaiye’s era have since resumed duty, and the Bush administration is
understandably threatening action. The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in
collaboration with street hoodlum called “Area Boys” are still destroying
properties and investments all over the Southwest; investments of the Igbo and
the Hausa are trampled on, mostly in Lagos, and the government hears nothing,
sees nothing, says nothing, and does nothing.
-
Infrastructure, Water supply, Energy, Telecommunication, Ports, Airways,
National shipping, and Nigerian Airways, etc.:
The government has indeed
made monumental strides in the areas of telecommunications since the
introduction of GSM mobile system; however, it only works in selected areas. The
country missed an offer by Surrey University England to assist NITEL in
launching a telecommunications satellite into the orbit for only seven million
dollars. This fete would have improved the telecom industry and reduced the
rates being charged both domestically and internationally, but President
Obasanjo cancelled the deal when it was discovered that a high-ranking official
from Nigeria had added a zero to the seven; making it 70 million dollars. The
official is still said to be in government without any consequence.
Water is rapidly drying
from quickly dug boreholes that did not have Equifax studies done before
drilling started, so people are still in need of water. The energy sector has
enjoyed the greatest infusion of capital, yet the sector is still epileptic, and
has proven to be the most corrupt sector of government. As a matter of record,
most PDP legislators have become NEPA contractors, and they are seriously
competing with the real contractors who now purchase the contract invoices from
these legislators. Nigerian Railways Corporation has just re-signed an agreement
with China to help
modernize it; this deal was started under Abacha.
-
Resuscitation of the manufacturing industries:
Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) has since the inception of PDP
government accused them of creating an environment deemed unconducive to
manufacturing. The industries are failing for lack of energy. How can you
operate on bank loans with interest rates of about 4o percent? That’s a
remarkable achievement for President Obasanjo. As a matter of fact Nigeria’s use
of GSM phones has created over 5,000 jobs in both South Korea and China; does it
mean that Nigeria cannot assemble these cell phones in Nigeria?
The most widely used refrigerators and air-conditioners in Nigeria, called
WestPoint, are actually made in Brazil.
Does it mean Nigeria cannot assemble these electronics, thereby creating jobs
for the unemployed, and reducing the adoration for crime?
-
Job
creation and the creation of an environment conducive for investment:
Indeed more jobs were created after the dissolution of PTF, resulting in over
150,000 jobs lost! More jobs were created after the closure of Savannah Bank,
resulting in over 3,000 job loss! As a matter of fact, the administration is so
creative that
Nigeria’s unemployment rate has reached over 60 percent. Graduates who had their
diplomas eight years ago are still idling without any prospect of employment.
The only international investors that come are crooks who are there to assist
the legislators and high ranking officials move ill-gotten funds out of the
country. Their investments are simply their company’s letter headed papers.
Investor’s are truly afraid of the state of insecurity in the country. (The only
entity working is the National Directorate of Employment created by General Ibrahim B. Babangida.)
-
Poverty
Alleviation:
Over 50 billion naira has been invested in this program. The only person whose
poverty has been alleviated seems to be that of PDP elements that are storing
money for reelection. The poor masses, who are supposed to benefit, have
emaciated to the point that they are afraid of asking those charged with the
responsibility of implementing the various programs associated with the
alleviation, for fear of incurring their wrath.
-
ECOMOG:
The government will bury the over 800 soldiers killed in action with full
military honors, while ignoring the over 250,000 dead soldiers killed on both
sides during the Civil War to keep Nigeria one. Very smart indeed. The Nigerian
Police for the first time in our history went on strike, and even junior
military officers have threatened to do same if their entitlements are not met.
-
Health
Services: The
poor are subjected to sad situations in our hospitals, while the rich are
ferried out to Germany, Britain, and United States to receive adequate medical
attention, although NAFDAC agency is doing their best to stamp out adulterated
drugs illegally brought into the country by scrupulous Indian and some Igbo
merchants who are bent on making that money by all means.
-
Political
and Constitutional dialogue:
We have seen the beautiful and extra-cooperative friendship between the
executive arm, the lower arm, and the upper legislative arm. If all is well, as
the President had promised us, how come the budget of 2002 is yet to be released
8 months into the year? Something strange is going on, and the common man is
being made to carry the brunt. The President is emboldened to take his usual
global trips while ignoring the fact that pensioners and current government
employees in mostly PDP controlled states have not received their salaries for
four months and counting. May God in His might punish PDP for doing this to
innocent citizens of Nigeria,
whose only crime is giving their mandate to the party.
-
Women and
Youth empowerment:
This is another area where the government has made gigantic strides: The newly
empowered youths have become vigilante groups like Bakassi and Egbesu; some have
turned into armed robbers, unemployed Almajiri, armed political thugs, menace to
the society like OPC, drug dealers and sellers. For women empowerment, our
sisters have become what Americans call trick-chicks or commonly called
international prostitutes.
In
pursuit of these priorities as envisaged by President Obasanjo and PDP, one can
clearly understand why they need four more years to accomplish them. Had
President Obasanjo and PDP completed half of what they promised, we as Nigerians
would likely ask that they should be reelected in the interest of continuity and
peaceful transition. But they did not. Therefore, the truth of the matter is
that the time for accouchement by Nigerians has finally arrived. PDP must be
overthrown by a civilian-administered coup in 2003.
Civilian coup, if executed without violence, is much better than the ones
conducted by the military. At least the civilians know that their coups will
occur every four years, whereas that of the military is unpredictable; so the
military should only join the civilians in voting out the PDP government.
Nigerians will find succor in UNPP or any other party; any party will do better
than the present PDP perfidy. Already the party is disintegrating gradually. By
the time of general election, it will be evident that PDP has become a party
cursed by the Almighty God, for taking Nigerians for granted.
Just
recently Senator Rowland Owie, a former chief whip in PDP, left the party. When
asked why he decamped, he said: “I will be failing in my responsibility to our
people if I do not quit a party that has dehumanized our people. PDP has lost
focus; the Party leaders are now behaving as if they are meeting for the first
time in a market square or motor park. I do not want to be identified with such
a party, an assemblage of the UNGODLY. I am compelled to bid it goodbye. I am
going to a party that is determined to bring succor to our people, the ANPP.”
Good for him, although I wished he had joined UNPP. The Senator further
confessed that PDP as a party has inflicted pains on Nigerians for the past
three years; it has made deceit its girdle; and it has elevated intimidation of
opponents as its breastplate. Now do you see why God has cursed the party and
why I said that the party would die in 2003?
ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON:
Since
1953, Nigeria’s
road to stable democracy has been predicted to be leading to Armageddon due to
the turbulence effect of military incursion into politics. Given the facts of
the past, lessons learned from that past, and the prediction of the future, can
we as civilians truly blame the Nigerian Armed Forces for ‘participating’ in our
democracy? The intendment of these soldiers in January 1966, we were told, was a
corrective measure to prevent the country from disintegration. Here we are
again, 37 years later, and lessons have not been learned. However, the issue
here is whether Nigeria will break up in 2003 due to the political permutations
of today.
Will
Armageddon finally manifest if the elections are rigged as predicted by Chief
Adesanya, the leader of Afenifere who had promised to disown his daughter
publicly if she accepted an appointment with Obasanjo? Well, she became a
minister of state in the Ministry of Defense, later in charge of Navy, and she
has since been moved on the become a full minister; yet, the Chief has not kept
his word. Now, are we to believe the many future seers based in the Southwest? The answer is
"very unlikely," judging by other events that have
already come to pass in the country.
For
instance:
-
When late Dr. K.O. Mbadiwe moved a motion, and got it passed to convert Lagos
into a federal capital territory, some prominent Yoruba politicians said that
hell’s fuel dump would explode. It did not.
-
When the late Pa Obafemi Awolowo was jailed for treason, and was later
released by Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu -- who had initially opposed Pa
Awolowo’s sentence, the nation still stood; only the Wild West burned.
-
When both the North and the West turned against the East because of the
January 1966 coup -- a coup that was executed by officers from the East and
the West -- and effected the Pogrom, many thought the county is finished. Yet,
only Ndiigbo and their brethren were ravaged. No Armageddon occurred.
-
When the aftermath of the pogrom and the unilateral and unnecessary abrogation
of the Aburi Accord led to a bloody war, the country still survived it and
remained one Nigeria
-
The country survived all the coups and countercoups perpetrated against the
citizens and the psyche of the people, yet no Armageddon.
-
The Yoruba people were silent after the justified annulment of June 12, 1993;
justified in the sense that bona fide citizens of Nigeria from the East,
North, and West petitioned the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) regarding
the abrogation of Option A4 election laws; justified in the sense that only 14
percent of Yoruba registered voters actually voted for MKO, according to Chief
Richard Akinjide; justified because the East and the North that voted en masse
for MKO did not register their dislike for the annulment at the ‘Oputa Circus
Panel’; justified that all the succeeding governments never revisited nor
reopened the white papers issued; and, incredibly, no Nigerian citizen filed a
complaint to Oputa Panel against anybody challenging the annulment of June 12th..
So let’s just add the now infamous Annulment saga to the list of national
wounds, like all the coups d’état that the nation has had to endure
-
The most shocking of silence is when the news of the death of Chief MKO’s --
after drinking Dr. Susan Rice’s brewed
Washington
tea, which, by the way was incidentally served by her, reached the world.
Nothing extraordinary as in mass demonstrations, tornadoes, or hurricane
happened. No Armageddon!
-
The most recent murder of Chief Bola ‘Cicero’
Ige, by unknown but known killers, did not lead to Armageddon. What a serious
defect in national heroism, loyalty, and faithfulness by very mouthy, urban,
anti-democratic groups. Even all the ‘juju’ in Oduduwa land and all the
‘overseers’ and ‘futuristic seers’ cannot tell us what yellow-belly cowards
actually plotted, hatched, and executed this dastardly act against our beloved
Uncle Bola Ige? “Et tu Brute,” Julius Caesar said when he was betrayed by
Brutus; “Et tu Afenifere? Why have thou betrayed Uncle Bola Ige?” Very
sad indeed!
As I
told my very dear Yoruba friend the other day, the Yoruba as a people should
join other Nigerians in seeing that justice is done at all times and for every
national situation. This is not a time for ethnic irredentism. In fact, the time
for narrow-mindedness must be consigned to the trash can of history as we all
build one great nation. I say this because if the many Yoruba intellectuals do
not move the Yoruba of today out of the tribal cocoon weaved by a few
ethnocentric elements, by joining other political parties and tasting true
democracy, the next generation may never produce another president for Nigeria
after Chief Obasanjo. You may call me any name you think may fit me, but the
fact remains that the actions of a minority but very vocal and influential
Yoruba politicians are still congruent with what Lord Lugard said in 1916:
“Lagos has for 20 years
opposed every Governor and has fomented strife and bloodshed in the hinterland…I
have spent the best part of my life in Africa, my aim has been the betterment of
the natives for whom I have been ready to give my life. But after some 29 years,
and after nearly 12 years as Governor here, I am free to say that the people of
Lagos and indeed the Westerners are the lowest, the most seditious and disloyal,
the most purely prompted by self-seeking money motives of any people I have
met.”
The
political carnage that is seen in PDP leadership today can be credited to its
current leadership by the aforementioned vocal but minority Yoruba politicians
who do not wish the people good. The infamous ‘HANDS ACROSS THE NIGER’ by this
selfish group is another infestation of ‘Operation Wetie’ syndrome; and the
curse is catching on nationally like wildfire. The ‘presidential killings’ in
Kano, ‘gubernatorial threats’ in Port Harcourt, and the political killings in
the East are all actions once considered anathema; they are now becoming en
vogue, thanks to PDP politics of infamy. Shame on Nigerians who accept the
abominable killing of fellow citizens as a solution to political disputes! May
the ancestors curse them for eternity!
As
Chief Clement Akpamgbo, SAN, the erudite lawyer and unarguably one of the best
legal minds the country has produced -- in Gamji Lecture on June 12, 2002 at
Kaduna -- boldly asserted that the handshake across the
Benue
had produced more monumental results for the benefit of the North, the East, and
Nigeria in general.
The East should, therefore, continue to work with the entire North, the current
Southsouth, and the detribalized section of the West for Nigeria’s sake.
I
strongly recommend that the Yoruba people should have an Oduduwa Sovereign
National Conference to determine why majority of their leaders have come from
Ogun State. Does it mean that Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo -- which has produced majority
of Yoruba intellectuals, Osun, Oyo peoples are incapable of producing leaders,
or are they practically followers of Ogun-designed republic? When they resolve
this issue amongst themselves, then, maybe, Nigeria would have another
conference, since Aburi was not adopted but is being recycled and embellished by
Chief Tony Enahoro and others.
THE ONLY SOLUTION IN 2003
President Obasanjo
continues to promise Nigerians and the international community that he intends
to conduct a free and fair election. Judging by what is happening today in the
country, one begins to wonder how he will do it.
It is now apparent that
Ndiigbo want the presidency. The idea is a very righteous and commendable
gesture. However, the monumental question, according to a leading Igbo
politician with whom I spoke, is: “Where will the candidates muster the billions
of naira required to defeat the incumbent?” And even if he has the funds, he
must collaborate with the entire North, the present Southsouth, and the new
generation, detribalized intellectual Yoruba from Ondo and Ekiti, and the
remnants of Akintola-Arisekola political group, who want to embrace multiethnic
nationalism. Ndiigbo must play the role of team players, not that of a people
with the intention to rule. They need to extract from the lessons of the past,
when the civil crises was confronted without adequate groundwork. As the
ancestors had it, “You do not sharpen arrows in the battlefield.” Truthfully,
the idea of a president coming from the Southeast or Southsouth is a very
challenging and a Herculean task, going by what is happening on the ground.
Meanwhile, all
familiar fingers point to the hilltop mansion in Minna and its radiant resident,
the Enigma Himself. It is now certain that after all the huffing and puffing, an
anti-PDP coalition will crown the consensus candidate, presently still smiling
and welcoming suitors at his hilltop mansion. The man is IBB: General Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida; or, as posters and tee-shirts and other political publicity
paraphernalia would soon proclaim: “I Believe in
Babangida.”
The issue is: will he
accept the challenge to come back and lead his people out of the wilderness
again? Say what you may, should he accept to come back he will have a resounding
victory. Believe me, this time around he will do a much better job than he did
during his first outing. He is a man that quickly adapts to challenges; he has
had ample time to reflect on his past mistakes, what he did wrong and ways to
remedy them, what he did right and ways to improve on them. Our democracy is
still transitioning. Nigerians need a capable hand with experience to guide them
out of this logjam. As I said before, if his detractors accuse him of starting
the mess, then they must insist that he comes back and clean the mess.
To realize this task,
the already registered parties should seriously look at the prospect of
defeating PDP and its leadership first. And if they agree that PDP as a party is
bad medicine for Nigeria, they should then adopt, draft, conscript, or even
ambush IBB -- a la OBJ in 1998 -- as their consensus presidential candidate,
while still maintaining their party identity on other contestable positions. Let
them collaborate to win a seat when the issue becomes dislodgement of PDP
candidates. At the end of the election, they would have attained their
objectives. A new beginning for Nigeria will dawn.
The chairmen of all
the parties should sign a ‘non-rigging’ pact. The pact should be enforced with
each party contributing an election monitor for each polling station; a National
Election Monitoring Task Force (NEMTF) should be empanelled to include a member
of the Mobile Police Force, Army, Navy, Air force, SSS, NIA, National Security,
Customs, Clergy, Student Union, NRTW, and, if possible, volunteers from
Nigerians with dual citizenships (thanks to IBB) living abroad to assist INEC in
manning the polling stations and ballot boxes to subvert any rigging and
manipulation of votes.
On the day of the
elections, all political thugs must be disarmed before entering the election
grounds, and intimidations against opposition candidates should be adjudged as
act of treason punishable with maximum sentences. All the state governors and
other contestants must be invited to pre-election seminar conducted by the SSS.
They should be warned that if anyone is killed due to thuggery or acts of
intimidation, it might result in contestants facing the death sentence without
the protection of Section 308 of the Constitution. The police, helped by the SSS,
must be given the power to enforce the laws of the land without bias.
Every party must
accept the verdict of the election, win or lose. Should Nigerians abide by this
simple rule, they will save their hard-earned democracy and the nation will soar
in the eyes of the world. And this will surely be the end of PDP as we know it
today. After the party is buried, we shall sadly say as an epithet: “Here lies
the iconoclastic party, the party that had the people’s mandate but
self-destroyed with wicked avarice and corruption that earned her the wrath of
God.”
Long live Nigeria.
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