Election 2007: Who Must Be Blamed?By Rima Amadi New Jersey, USA
As president Obasanjo and PDP gamble with their chances of winning the forth coming elections in 2007 by installing Obasanjo’s stooges and oh’ yes men as candidates, my only happiness and consolation is that there are other political parties with credible candidates running for the same and various elections too. Even the allegation of corrupt practice does not deter PDP from fielding an aspirant as a candidate, as long as the candidacy serves the supreme interest of mighty ruler, president Obasanjo. If PDP and Obasanjo think that their candidate is automatically elected at the general elections regardless of his/her credibility they must be living in a dreamland. Since PDP has failed to learn anything from the third term brouhaha, then the biggest shocker is yet to come in 2007 if PDP fails to field credible candidates.
How in the world would PDP field in a guy like Andy Ubah with his alleged involvement in corrupt practices as a gubernatorial candidate in Anambra state and expect to win? Anambra people must be very senseless, stupid and deserving of all that’d been happening to the state for the past three years if they vote for him. Any way, with a guy like Dr. Chris Ngige contesting against him, it is a tall order that no amount of rigging can save him. So, the PDP should now start to lick their wound in Anambra state just like the fail third term agenda.
If on December 16, 2006 the PDP NEC and president Obasanjo do not let the most credible candidate emerge as the presidential flag bearer, they should prepare for a tsunami as what happened during the third term will only be a child’s play. I used to think there were political analysts and think tanks within PDP who could analyze and forecast what would happen, but instead of having those, PDP is counting on rigging as a way to get ahead at the elections as evidenced during their so called party primaries.
If president Obasanjo and PDP feel that they can throw any “shitty” candidates to Nigerians and they vote for them, they must be fooling themselves since I know that Nigerians would do to those candidates what is done to shit, which is to dump it. How would Obasanjo, Mr. Reform, justify his alleged involvement in asking an ex-convict, highly corrupt governor from the south-south to sponsor his presidential candidate, Yar’Adua’s campaign expenses just for the EFCC to stop coming after him? Why should Obasanjo want compromise the security interest of the country by installing a weak successor for his own selfish interests? If president Obasanjo as alleged is truly backing a terminally ill and poorly experienced governor Yar’Adua just to achieve his selfish goals, then his so called love for the Yar’Adua family and Nigeria must be in question. The stress of the job could worsen Yar’Adua’s already poor health while his inexperience and poor grooming for the job could jeopardize the security and unity of the country.
If it is really true that Yar’Adua is as sick as has been reported and President Obasanjo knows this, then he Obasanjo must be heartlessly wicked and Yar’Adua is so foolish to allow himself to be so used, except if he is so crazy about being the president that he’s willing to sacrifice his life. If Obasanjo thinks that he would be controlling Yar’Adua from Otta farms, he should remember what he had done to IBB after he helped him to ascend the presidency in 1999. Moreover, Obasanjo will not be the only one that would have access to Yar’Adua if he eventually becomes the president in 2007, the likes of IBB, Atiku, Buhari and a host of others would have influence on Yar’Adua. If president Obasanjo’s hands are “clean”, he would not be looking for who will be protecting his interests when he leaves office.
The admission of the chairman of Transcorp group sometime ago that Obasanjo owns 200 million shares of the multi-billion dollar corporation and other allegations from the PTDF saga have shown that president Obasanjo is heavily corrupt, and by the time he leaves office in 2007 the loots of Abacha and Babangida combined would be nothing compared to what Obasanjo has looted. It is no secret to Nigerians and the world that Obasanjo farms was bankrupt while Obasanjo was in jail, yet it is the same farm that’s been so transformed since OBJ became president. Nigerians are now aware that there is no facet of our economy that OBJ does not have his hand on, it is alleged that OBJ has interests in Zenith Bank, UBA and two other big Nigerian banks, he is also alleged to have interest in Oando oil and Arik Airlines, OBJ owns Bell university and is building a multi-billion naira library. For over two years now, about fifty Nigerian agriculturists are in Brazil being paid salaries by the federal government in hard currency, they are learning how to breed animals for the biggest ranch in Africa that Obasanjo is building for his retirement. It is also alleged that a lot of companies are fronting for Obasanjo.
Since the inception of his presidency, OBJ has been the minister of petroleum and not balancing the books with the CBN. A very reliable source has it that OBJ owns an oil field in Equatorial-Guinea, which as at last check was valued at $18.1 billion US dollars. All the above-mentioned allegations against OBJ are pretty strong and are enough to make a person to do whatever that is necessary to cover his or her tracks. Could these allegations be the reasons why Obasanjo would want somebody weak to succeed him? Nigerians should be aware that left with Obasanjo and his cronies, there would be no free and fair elections, they must rig their way in because Nigerians would not accept their mediocre candidates. As has been shown with the voter e-registration, the present INEC cannot be trusted to conduct a free and fair elections, it is not even ready for the exercise. If PDP goes ahead to present less than credible candidates, Nigerians should be weary of massive election rigging in 2007. Nigerians have no more hope in Obasanjo.
The only hope left for Nigerians is in the National Assembly whose oversight duty is the only redeeming hope of last resort for Nigeria. It is now a matter of utmost urgency that Senator Ken Nnamani and Speaker Masari should step up to the play to save Nigeria from a possible disaster by impeaching president Obasanjo and vice president Atiku. Am sure Atiku wouldn’t mind this, Obasanjo wants him down by any means necessary anyway, and so if they both go down it shouldn’t bother him. In fact Atiku should encourage the NASS to take this action to expose OBJ more. Those senators and members of the House of Representatives who would not be returning to the NASS because they were victims of PDP rigging and manipulations should join hands with the senate president and speaker Masari to do this country one last favor before they leave, by impeaching OBJ and Atiku and helping to conduct a free and fair elections since the present process is already tainted by the evil hands of Obasanjo and his “Yes” members, the same shameless group that blindly championed the third term agenda.
The reasons to impeach the duo are enormous because they have violated at various times their oaths to protect the constitution of the Federation Republic of Nigeria, from Obasanjo failing to act when Chris Ubah and Chris Ngige came to him admitting that they rigged elections in Anambra in 2003, and their (OBJ /Atiku) involvements in the PTDF scandal amongst others. With Ken Nnamani as president and Aminu Masari as vice president, Nigerians will then heave a sigh of relieve that there will in deed be a free and fair election in 2007 with a new INEC chairman in place. Ken Nnamani and Masari should understand that they have a huge political capital that should be used to checkmate OBJ’s excesses.
On a more personal, ambitious and selfish note this is the greatest opportunity for Nnamani and Masari to take over and run things to show Nigerians what they are truly made of. Nnamani would retire as a former president with all the benefits that come with it while Masari would bow out as a former vice president, which elevates his chances of becoming the president in future. Nnamani would become a permanent member of the FEC, which will be good for Nigeria since the caliber of his person is highly needed in that exclusive body. The future of Nigeria largely lies on whatever action the NASS decides to take before the election of 2007.
As am writing this article, a friend of mine asked me why I even bother writing about Nigeria, he said that all OBJ would do is to increase the amount in a Ghana-must-go bag to be given to the members of the NASS and they will keep quiet. Well, I disagreed with my friend because a lot is at stake now. I told my friend that members of NASS should “chop” his money and repeat what they did to him during the third term saga. I know a lot of money would be offered if this action is taken against OBJ and Atiku, but please members of NASS take the money and still do the right thing to save our country.
In as much as I blame president Obasanjo for all the corrupt practices that have been going on under his watch, I give more blame to the NASS that so far has woefully failed its oversight duties. This is the time and maybe the last chance for this NASS to show its relevance by doing the right thing. If the NASS allows Obasanjo to remain in office to conduct the election of 2007, then the NASS would be blamed by posterity for whatever happens afterwards.
Rima Amadi New Jersey, USA
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