Most recently, Nigeria , through the handy-work of its erstwhile respected and revered president OBJ merged into yet another abysmal period of its history to emerge as yet another country- one of those that is not to be taken so seriously. The Nigerian April 27 2007 election was another landmark of our national madness and period not to remember with happiness. President Obasanjo gave us that landmark and quietly he went off into his obscurity (because no one will recon with him again)

As Nigerians will never forget the historical April 2007 election, so will Nigerian history and future never forget the contributions and soul inspiring judgments of the Nigeria Judiciary. Most recently the Nigerian judiciary has continued to tell Nigerians that they and not president Obasanjo are the custodians of the people’s mandate. Their ruling in the case of VP Atiku that loyalty is (and I repeat) is to the federal republic of Nigeria and not an individual is a mark in history against future arrogance of lead politicians, of governors against their deputies and against presidents against their vice. Similarly the Ladoja case, will remind history that hence, decorum and due process shall be the bane of future impeachments. And currently, the Obi of Anambra’s victory in Anambra has not only given a new dimension to duration or period of mandate, it has given us a new and encouraging precepts. Henceforth, there can never be any universal general elections date for gubernatorial election in Nigeria again. Every general elections shall all always exclude Anambra which can never be held at the same date with the rest of the states in Nigeria .

This is a great development because since the Anambra election is going to be different from the rest of the states, all media, critic, analytical, skeptical and observation attention is going to be placed on Anambra. Happily so too, what Obasanjo thought he was doing to hurt us has uncalculated turned into something good and beneficial. In the case of Anambra, there can never ever be any “Iwuruwuru” because we will all watch to see when an incumbent deputy governor will steal a ballot box. Because all the other states of the Nigerian federation will not be engaged in election during the time of governorship election in Anambra, we will all watch and monitor true democracy happening. If not for the courage of the judiciary once again, Obasanjo would have punished us for good. How can anyone in his senses impose Andy Uba over the people of Anambra? If in the case of Rotimi Amechi of Rivers, the presidency and EFCC thought this guy has a huge skeleton in his cupboard and not good enough as governor of a state, how could they have felt Andy Uba is better? But the reason for insisting on Andy Uba is only convincingly known to OBJ and no one else. Since years, the people of Anambra had suffered. They suffered in the hands of the rest of Nigeria . This time I am happy that the judiciary says enough! The people of Anambra shall be happy for this development.

One is beginning to see a scenario where the election tribunal sitting in Edo State gives victory to Adams Oshiomole as he has been clamoring for. One sees Olushegun Agagu being called a thief of the people’s mandate at the April 2007 by the election tribunal sitting in Ondo State and Chief Mimiko invited to take the reigns of governance in that state. One foresees the legendary river goddess; Yeye Oshun, (that benevolent and people loving goddess of the Oshun River ) bathing the tribunal sitting in Oshogbo with sprinkled water of bliss making them to announce the opposition as true challenger of the position of the governorship in that state. One sees similar occurrences taking place across the states of Nigerian federation and then… buala!!!

If we are lucky that things begin to happen; that the good people of each of the tribunals will have the courage to say what is expected of them “in the light of convincing evidence,” then we should beginning to witness a scenario whereby no governorship election is general again in Nigeria . There will be different periods of elections and each one will have the full attention and concentration of all of us watching at the same time. That is a good development and a much welcome one too as opposed to the divided attention we all give to different. Hopefully, we begin to run towards the highly evasive regionalism that some people in some quarters have repeatedly refused to accept as a viable option. Hopefully, the presidency will no longer be massively attractive with all powers concentrated so immensely on the central.

If Obasanjo thought he was punishing us with his desire for “dead of alive” project, we might have come our more victorious than he envisaged. And history tomorrow will never account his name in favorable reckoning. History will remember that during the period of his political incarcerations, Nigerians, civil society organizations, individuals, laid down their lives to clamor for his release. In our innocence, we thought prisons lessons are more than school books and that he will remember what we gave that Nigeria might live. That history will recall what OBJ did in eight years and that, after all, he never meant well for us! And when we make it, we will remind our children to have disregard for the name Obasanjo but to glorify every name of every judge who occupied the courts within his period in governance (1999- 2007) and probably beyond!

Dele A. Sonubi can be reached on 
dele4you2@yahoo.com

Robot  # 1 | 17.07.2007 17:34

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