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By Mideno Bayagbon
([email protected])
In the cacophony of events that littered the whole of last week, a few of them cannot but merit a second look. As an interested ringside commentator, let me draw your attention to some of the salacious events whose huge implications will unravel with time.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, finally, fulfilled all righteousness, holding its controversy laden, much delayed and postponed convention. With the Abami Eda, Fela Anikulapo, now dead, there is no one to sing about “Na arrangee government we dey o!” In a few words, as it comically turned out, the APC drew a one-one goalless draw with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, when almost all its new national officers turned out to be decampees from the opposition party. The PDP had earlier peopled its own National Executive committee, mainly with decampees from the APC during it last convention.
You don’t believe me? Well, it was our own Emmanuel Ovuakporie, the Northern and Abuja Editor of TheNewsGuru.com who first did a story, a day after the APC convention highlighting the fact that the new officers, from Chairman downwards are mainly those who left the PDP umbrella for the broom of the APC.
BUHARI IMPOSED CONSENSUS LIST PARADED:
National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, (PDP decampee). National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, (PDP decampee). National Women Leader, Betta Edu, (PDP decampee); Uguru Matthew Ofoka: National Treasurer, (PDP decampee). Senator Abubakar Maikafi, National Auditor: (PDP decampee). Barrister F.N. Nwosu, National Welfare Secretary: (PDP decampee). Deputy National Chairman South East, Emmanuel Enukwu: (PDP decampee). Muazu Bawa Rjau, National Vice Chairman, North-Central: (PDP decampee). Mustapha Salihu, National Vice Chairman, North East: (PDP decampee). Barrister Festus Fuanter, Deputy National Secretary: (PDP decampee). Nze Chidi Duru, Deputy National Organizing Secretary: (PDP decampee).
….THE PDP LIST:
Iyorchia Ayu — National Chairman: (APC decampee). Taofeek Arapaja — Deputy National Chairman, South: (APC decampee). Umar Damagum — Deputy National Chairman, North: (APC decampee). Samuel Anyanwu — National Secretary: (APC decampee). Ahmad Mohammed — National Treasurer: (APC decampee). Umar Bature — National Organising Secretary: (APC decampee). Kamaldeen Ajibade, National Legal Adviser: (APC decampee). Ibrahim Abdullahi, Deputy National Publicity Secretary: (APC decampee). Hajara Wanka, Deputy National Women Leader: (APC decampee).
Let me not say anything for now on this PDPnisation of the two parties.
THE APC NEW POWER BLOC
So the Governors had some concessions made to them. They got the National Secretary and one or two other positions. As we noted last week in projecting towards the convention of the APC, the Governors were forced to eat the humble pie and succumb to building the new executives after the image of President Muhammadu Buhari. Well, okay, let’s amend that. The four or so minders of the President are the new undisputed power brokers in the APC. Apart from the National Secretary, they succeeded in getting the President to position their nominees in four of the five most critical positions in the party. Yet we know they are working arduously to foist someone, not yet officially a member of the party, as the Presidential candidate of the APC. For those who know, it is rumoured that that someone, one million dollars and the active connivance of the Attorney General of the Federation got a judge to publicly rape the National Assembly, damning any consequence, recently. The parable is for another time, soon. Fowl yansh as we say in NIgerian pidgin go one day open.
So where does the Jagaban, Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu stand in the new equation? While some topnotch members still think he stands a chance, slim as it is, to emerge the candidate, others pooh pooh him. He is finished they claim. This new executive composition totally seals his ambition, others claim. Surprisingly, Godwin Emefiele and Rotimi Amaechi appear to be the new kings of the bloc. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo comes third in the list. But we all now know that whoever can get the president’s ears and colonise it, stands the chance of getting his man as candidate. Read that to mean the Aso Rock Mafia, ARM.
President Buhari, in the euphoria of the APC convention aftermath, poured a thinly veiled petrol on the ambition of 70 years old Bola Ahmed Tinubu – at least that is how it is being interpreted in the party. The President telling the new National Executive of the party not to give the ticket to the highest bidder, pundit in the party now say, is to warn against the only perceived moneybag in the party: the self-acclaimed National Leader of the APC Bola Tinubu.
People are easily recalling how Umaru Dikko used almost similar words in the heydays of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, to thwart the ambition of Chief MKO Abiola, who before then had been the main financial powerhouse of the party. With that he had wanted to contest for the Presidency of Nigeria. Abiola had to resign from the party and not until 10 years later, did he venture back into active politics, eventually winning the June 12, 1993, elections. Yet the real money bag, throwing public money carelessly in the background appears unscathed by this presidential admonition!
WIKE AS PDP HIGHEST BIDDER
Sometime in late January this year, I was with one of the top flight presidential aspirants under the PDP umbrella. He is a friend. Seeing his enthusiasm and hard work in trying to build a national platform to achieve his ambition, while relying on support from Nyesom Wike. I warned him. I told him Governor Nyesom Wike will definitely throw his hat into the ring to try and fight for the ticket of the PDP. No, my friend said, Wike is not contesting. He only wants to ensure that the ticket comes to the South. I smiled and shook my head before telling him, he will see what I told him about Wike in no distant time. I repeated that Governor Wike will run for the Presidency.
True to my prediction, Nyesom Wike, whose body language and not too discreet signs over the years indicate he will run, jumped into the race, four days ago. He says he is the only man who can take on the APC and whoever its candidate is, and win. From now, Rivers State and its humongous resources will hear from Wike’s ambition. The kingmaker now wants to be king in a sharks-infested stream. My prediction? He is positioning for a Vice Presidential slot. He may not admit it now, to himself or to anyone. He will be forced to eat the humble pie. Or he will be taught a very sound political lesson. I am not God. I am not clairvoyant. But just common sense and understanding of the politics of Nigeria.
EXCITEMENT OVER PETER OBI
There was palpable excitement in Igbo land and indeed across the South of Nigeria when, finally, the former Governor of Anambra state, who was also a former Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 Presidential Elections, Mr Peter Obi, joined the race to be the candidate of the PDP. Obi has carefully been marketing himself as a prudent, knowledgeable and patriotic Nigerian, who despite the billions of Naira he sits on, deeply wants to change the Nigerian governance narratives. A large segment of the youths are his ardent followers. He towers above most of those who have flooded the field. He is humble, self-effacing and different. His fans believe he can be the difference and make the difference in the politics of the country. Unfortunately, he comes from the wrong side of the country! At least that’s the feelers I got in the PDP northern caucus last week. All agree that he is so far about the best candidate for the post among those who have declared in the PDP. But he is Igbo. More the shame to our collective guilt.
ATIKU AND THE MARGINALISED IGBOS
Top contender for the PDP ticket, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, also publicly declared his intention to run again for the ticket of the PDP and hence for the Presidency of Nigeria last week. With his declaration came an interesting introduction of why it is not just the South East that is marginalised in Nigeria. His handlers are pushing the argument that the North East has been marginalised since independence as it has never, like the Igbos, been allowed to produce the president of Nigeria. The South East, they say, are even luckier than Atiku’s zone since the ceremonial President at Independence, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, was of Igbo stock. Their argument now is that, yes, the presidency should be zoned. But to the North East. Or to only the North East and the South East. They are calling for equity and fairness. Like the South East, they think it is only fair to use the same brush to paint the picture of marginalisation in the country.