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Wabara Must Not Resign By Ikechukwu Amazu
The logic of this game is dreadful and its outcome is evidently catastrophic. Who is spared? Who can be spared? Who, who can ever be spared? The man is Chief Worshipper, Chief Priest, Chief Prayer Leader, Chief Husband, Chief Father, Chief Eater, Chief Drinker, Chief Hater Since 1966, Chief President, Chief Traveller, Chief Commander in Chief, Chief Electoral Officer, Chief Supervisor of Rigged Elections, Chief Appropriator of Rigged Elections, Chief Election Winner, Chief Inspector General of Police, Chief Inspector General Fighting Fraud, Chief Overseer of Litany of Fraud, Chief State Prosecutor, Chief Informer, Chief Accuser, Chief Justice, Chief Gaoler, Chief Broadcaster, Chief Announcer, Chief This, Chief That, Chief Everything… This is the Chief Supreme indeed. There have been few of such Chiefs in history. One would have to venture into the darkest recesses of medieval Europe to find equivalent personages.
But rather than scouring the archives of distant history, one should simply train their gaze at Nigeria, 2005. In March of this year, the Chief Supreme and Chief President, acting as Chief Inspector General of Police and Chief Inspector General Fighting Fraud and Chief Prosecutor and Chief Accuser, accuses the country’s Minister of Education of fraud in a radio and television broadcast. In the same broadcast, the Chief Supreme and Chief President, who is also the Chief Justice, finds the Minister of Education guilty of fraud and dismisses him from office. The Chief Supreme and Chief President who is the Chief Justice then sends the Minister to a Crime Committee for due punishment. The Chief Supreme and Chief President, who is also the country’s Chief Gaoler, is expected to ensure that the Minister is appropriately punished. The accused Minister has not been able to defend himself throughout this episode. He has not been accorded the right of Natural Justice nor Human Rights to respond to what, at best, is an allegation by the Chief Prosecutor who is Chief Inspector of Police who is Chief Inspector General Fighting Fraud who is Chief President of the country. Nonetheless, the Minister of Education has been duly accused, tried, prosecuted and found guilty – all at once by none other than the Chief Supreme who is Chief President who is Chief Justice.
In the same broadcast, the Chief Supreme and Chief President and Chief Accuser accuses the Senate President and some other members of the country’s legislature of being accessories to the crime of fraud levelled against the Minister of Education. As the Chief Inspector of Police and the Chief Inspector General Fighting Fraud, the Chief Supreme and Chief President and Chief Accuser also finds the Senate President and other accused legislators guilty. None of the law makers has had the opportunity to defend themselves according to the laws of Natural Justice and Human Rights but the Chief Supreme already controls these laws for them to be applicable to all the accused. Even though the country’s constitution does not, surprisingly?, empower the Chief Supreme who is Chief President who is Chief Natural Justice Law Office r who is Chief Human Rights Law Officer to dismiss the Senate President and the other accused legislators, the former expects the latter to resign because the Chief Supreme and Chief President wishes so.
But the Senate President refuses to resign, protesting his innocence and insisting that he is not guilty of any fraud claims made by the Chief Supreme who is the Chief President who is the Chief Accuser who is the Chief Prosecutor who is the Chief Natural Law Officer who is Chief Human Rights Law Officer who is Chief Gaoler. Instead, the Senate President says that he would present his defence to the Senate and would only resign his position if his colleagues in the assembly find him guilty. On this, the Senate President is absolutely correct. According to the current Nigerian constitution, thankfully, the only way the Senate President can be forced out of office is through an impeachment by his fellow senators and not through the antics of the Chief Supreme who is the Chief President who is the Chief Accuser who is the Chie f Natural Law Officer who is Chief Human Rights Officer who is Chief Gaoler.
This is despite the fact that, ironically, the Chief Supreme who is the Chief President who is the Chief Electoral Office who is the Chief Supervisor of Rigged Elections who is the Chief Appropriator of Rigged Elections imposed the accused Senate President, who failed to win a seat himself, on the country after the 2003 rigged elections. The Chief President and Chief Supreme wanted a pliant Senate President after being outmatched by the intellect of the cerebral and sagacious Senator Okadigbo who had earlier on occupied that post during 1999-2003 phase of this presidency. As expected, this imposed Senate President emerged as a pathetically toadyish character that joined the anguished stretch of Igbo efulefu operatives doing the bidding of the Chief Supreme. The Senate President has used most occasions in his near 24- months in office to trumpet the most unsavoury things about the Igbo that must delight the Chief Supreme who is Chief President and who, we mustn’t forget, is also Chief Hater Since 1966.
The Senate President’s openly charged humiliation by the Chief President and Chief Supreme during a prime-time viewing television address to the country should be a graphic pointer to the Igbo efulefu (both at home and abroad), if ever there was, of the very transient nature of their being, their existence. As the Chief Supreme and Chief President’s creation, they breathe, wriggle, transmute, bark and are ultimately silenced by the wiles and caprices of their inventor. How tragic a choice to live on some other person’s terms! O gini mere Ndiigbo bu efulefu?
Yet, the efulefu can be highly combustible and could use the opportunity of redeeming themselves for once if they find themselves hopelessly cornered. This is the case of Dr Ngige, who also did not win the 2003 election, but was imposed on the Igbo as Governor by Chief President who is Chief Supreme who is Chief Electoral Officer who is Chief Supervisor of Rigged Elections who is Chief Election Winner. A year or so later, the Chief Supreme was tired of his Ngige creation and wanted to get rid of it but the latter, reconstituting himself to himself, resisted and dug in. Ngige wouldn’t be moved. Ngige repudiated the terms of his efulefu creation and freed himself. Yes, freed himself of the stranglehold of his creation by the Chief President who is Chie Supreme. Many PhD theses will no doubt be written on Ngige’s amazing defiance and repudiation of the terms of his being.
The Senate President now needs to Ngigeise his faltering fortunes: Do not resign. If, as you insist, that you are innocent of the charges levelled against you and against the Minister of Education, say so; demonstrate so comprehensively to your fellow senators. Use the texture and contours of the constitution as Governor Ngige has used to date. As Ngige has found out, the Chief President who is Chief Supreme is not really a bright man. He is stark-dull and dense and only charges and intimidates to cover up his shallow intellect and buffoonery swagger. This was all the display enacted during the infamous broadcast dismissing the Minister of education and the flagrant indictment of the Senators without their right of defence.
The Senate President should robustly present his case. He must also use the opportunity of this defence to tell the world what he knows of this Chief President who is Chief Supreme who foisted him on the country. Everything: What really happened to Senator Okadigbo, his last but one predecessor? Was he murdered, as some suspect? If so, was the Chief President who is the Chief Supreme who is the Chief Hater Since 1966 involved in the murder in any way? What of Attorney General and Minister of Justice Ige who was murdered? Was the Chief President who is the Chief Supreme involved in his murder? Who really murdered publisher Nwankwo and retired academic Ikoku? Who really murdered all the other high profile public figures in Nigeria in the past five years? Is the Chief President who is Chief Supreme involved in any way in these exterminations? What about the crippling sites of corruption that have shaped the character of the regime of the Chief Supreme and Chief President? Does the Senate President know how much the Chief President who is Chief Supreme paid legislators to remove Senator Okadigbo from office before his subsequent death which some feel was a murder? If so, the Senate President should tell the country. What about the scandal involving the forced resignation of nominal Inspector General of Police Balogun? What was the involvement of the Chief President who is Chief Supreme in this bribery? Why didn’t the Chief President who is Chief Supreme broadcast to the country on that occasion? What is the Chief President who is Chief Supreme’s involvement in the ID Card bribery scandal, the NITEL privatisation bribery scandal, the Missing Ship bribery scandal, the Ajaokuta Steel Mill bribery scandal, the all-African Games bribery scandal, the Lagos state budgetary allocation bribery scandal, the Ministry of Defence bribery scandal, the Nigerian Airway’s privatisation bribery scandal, the Bureau Public Enterprises bribery scandal, the gas liquidification/oil refinery mammoth construction enterprise bribery scandal in Ogun state, the Abuja stadium bribery scandal and the other bribery scandals that have rocked the regime since 1999? What has happened to monies returned to the Nigerian economy from the Abacha family? Where are these funds? How much of these are lodged in private accounts operated by the Chief President who is Chief Supreme and /or his family and associates? How much money has Nigeria made from petroleum oil sales since 1999 when the Chief President who is Chief Supreme and de facto, but not de jure Minister of Petroleum. On what basis is the Chief President who is Chief Supreme the Minister of Petroleum? Why didn't the Senate have the opportunity to constitutionally approve that appointement in an open hearing? Why are many Igbo youth who wanted t o play a football match as MASSOB XI currently arraigned in court, charged with the crime of treason at a time that Professor Wole Soyinka is drafting a constitution for the OPC, a similar Yoruba organisation? (OPC has murdered hundreds of people since its formation but MASSOB, a peaceful organisation, has never harmed anybody.) Why has the police detained and murdered hundreds of Igbo people belonging to MASSOB? Does the Chief Supreme who is Chief President a member of the OPC?
The Senate President has an historic opportunity to tell his story and redeem himself. Astonishingly, he has the full constitutional cover, similar to that of Ngige’s, to embark on this mission: Don’t be hounded out of office for the sake of your name, your family, your people and the world. Tell the world about that creator of yours, the man who made you Senate President even though you lost the election to the reverend contestant in your constituency. Tell the country everything you know of the antics of the Chief President who is Chief Supreme. You will find yourself lodged more reverentially in the history books that chronicle this epoch of Nigerian politics.
In this 21st century Europe-style, Kyrgyzstan-like, exceptional medieval fiefdom called Nigeria, the monumental problem to get rid of is not “corruption”, however this term is defined, but a monster who thinks he is Chief Worshipper who thinks he is Chief Priest who thinks he is Chief Prayer Leader who thinks he is Chief Husband who thinks he is Chief Father who is Chief Eater who is Chief Drinker who is Chief Hater Since 1966 who thinks he is Chief President who is Chief Traveller who thinks he is Chief Commander in Chief who is Chief Electoral Officer who is Chief Supervisor of Rigged Elections who is Chief Appropriator of Rigged Elections who thinks he is Chief Election Winner who thinks he is Chief Inspector General of Police who thinks he is Chief Inspector General Fighting Fraud who is Chief Overseer of Litany of Frau d who thinks he is Chief State Prosecutor who is Chief Informer who is Chief Accuser who thinks he is Chief Justice who is Chief Gaoler who is Chief Broadcaster who is Chief Announcer who thinkS he is Chief Natural Law Officer who thinks he is Chief Human Rights Office who thinks he is Chief This, Chief That who thinks he is Chief Supreme who thinks he is Chief Everything. |