20 Mar 2007 |
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Atikulating Obasanjo’s Master Plan
By
Phil Tam-Al Alalibo
Our elders say when the wind blows, all can see the bottom of the fowl or to put it more succinctly in the words of today’s young men, when the wind blows and lifts the skirt of the beautiful yet elusive young lady, all the gentlemen, the prospective suitors, shall have an opportunity to truly evaluate her beauty. But there appears to be nothing beautiful regarding the venturous events that have been unfolding in the last few weeks in connection with the April elections. Indeed, the wind is blowing furiously in Obasanjo’s direction and we, the innocent spectators, have been accorded a bird eye’s view of the blueprint of Obasanjo’s master plan.
For those in doubt, they should look at the handwriting on the wall; writings that many have forewarned would be more legible as Obasanjo’s term draws to a close. Many have foretold those events, and even the men of God have predicted that there would be no elections in April. The other day, Buhari’s former Minister of Petroleum, the virology Professor, Tam David-West, warned that the third term plan is still very much enliven well couched in masterful guises. Today, it appears, those guises are beginning to unfold even as the master plan to achieve term elongation would pounce on Nigerians in an innocuous and unwitting manner.
The equation thus is;
INEC disqualifies Atiku + Atiku sues + Atiku wins + INEC postpones elections to print more ballots = Obasanjo remains and consolidates power.
To better understand this master plan, perhaps, we ought to consider the following sequence of events that have heated the polity in the last several weeks. It is a curious point or should be to the keen observer, perhaps, the casual one as well, as to why INEC’s review of candidates was done late in the day, at the eleventh hour, just thirty days to the election. This is a development Nigerians must not take at face value. There is, indeed, more to this than meets the eyes and may very well be in the thick of Obasanjo’s grand master plan to remain in office beyond May 29, 2007. This is confounding, especially, when we know that in other African countries, for example,
Another factor that suggests a sinister presidential motive is INEC’s Chairman’s questionable allegiance. While he has sworn variously that he remains a neutral arbiter, it is far from the truth and well founded that he dances to Obasanjo’s tunes. The events in Anambra where Iwu has all but given the governorship seat to Andy Uba presents a good example. But we must not be surprised at this tendentiousness as it is true to type and expected of a man whose academic credentials as written in INEC official papers are shrouded in a compounded web of doubt, lies and deceit as revealed by Sowere Omoyele and his colleague; a man seriously injured by these revelations and akin to blackmail from the highest levers of power. In a sane society, such an allegation would occasion further inquiries from the government to clear the aura of dubiety surrounding the chairman’s credentials, a position that commands honor and integrity. But such upright endeavors cannot be expected from a country such as
What is the basis for disqualifying Chris Ngige and Peter Obi? What criteria did they not meet, but met in the first balloting only a few years ago? In fact, Uba, so sordid in his treaties, so tainted in his dealings cannot win an election against an ill-reputed pig not to talk about tested men who have proven to deliver the goods. Uba, like Iwu, is a damaged good, dubbed the “face of fraud”, a man whose younger brother, Chris Uba, still walking in the midst of decent humans, single-handedly made the state ungovernable. What we will see in Anambra when Uba rigs his way to Awka is nothing but the pilfering of the state in ways that would make Abacha and Babangida look like innocent alter boys. Let us remember well that it was Uba who ensured Iwu’s enthronement at INEC and what we have at hand is the case of one hand washes the other. To repay Uba for the great favor of doing Obasanjo’s bidding, Iwu has cleared the road to government house in Anambra.
Atiku’s disqualification by INEC, after all, may not be warranted, but it is in line with the grand plan of the high priest in Aso Rock. Obasanjo has become very obsessed with this to farcical heights. If the intention is not term elongation but rather to ensure that Atiku does not ascend the Aso Rock throne in order not to probe him later, then it would have been easier to allow him in the race and rig the elections as usual in Yar’Adua’s favor. But with the queer sequence of events leading to Atiku’s disqualification and the subsequent legal action by Atiku so close to the election date, Obasanjo and his compeers have since atikulated the end game of election postponement. But the irony is; even if Atiku runs and all things being equal, it does not appear that he would win the popular vote as damaged as he is with such vitiating wont.
My friends, Obasanjo is up to something, let us not believe that this belated eleventh hour action was taken in obedience to the law. In eight years, Obasanjo has never referenced the law. Why now? Why the legal subterfuge? Here is a man who has flouted every legal action in his disfavor; here is man who held Lagos State local government funds in direct contravention of a court order now citing the law as the impestus for disqualifying Atiku. Here is a man who supported the illegal impeachment of the Oyo State governor by 18 legislators out of 32, far from achieving a quota, advancing the law when it pleases him. There is something inherently wrong with this picture and therein lies the problem at hand.
Some have even said that Obasanjo imposed Yar’Adua on the PDP in spite of his failing health in the event the man collapses under the weight of the campaign, the government would have a reason to postpone the election as stated in the Electoral laws. This has not happened and I certainly wish the Katsina governor well. But could Atiku’s disqualification be Obasanjo’s plan “B”? If the court verdict is in Atiku’s favor, and Obasanjo knows it would be in his favor, then what? Will INEC rush and print 60 million new ballots with Atiku's name imprinted and rush them to all the polling stations across the country or will it ask for postponement of the elections? And if elections are postponed, will Obasanjo stay beyond May 29, 2007 or ask the Senate President to step in as an interim president charged with conducting a free and fair election? And if that be the case, on what basis will the Senate president be stepping in as an interim president when his tenure expires on June 3, 2007, thus, no longer third in line to the presidency? From all indications, this is a drama that just got interesting, very interesting. ________________________________________ The author can be reached at alalibo@gmail.com
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