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The Fall of Nzeribe By Emeka Oraetoka
On Thursday, December 7, 2006, Olusegun Adeniyi confirmed the emerging belief in Nigeria – that the acceptability of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Nigerians is no more in doubt. For Adeniyi to inform the whole world that the stage-managed primary election that produced Osita Izunaso in Imo West, effectively consigned Nzeribe to the thrash can of political history lent credence to President Obasanjo’s theory of “no PDP no Nigeria”. The only logical inference from Adeniyi’s verdict on Nzeribe is that ours in Nigeria is a One-party System; if however Adeniyi decides to insist that ours is not a One party State, then he may have been sponsored.
Intelligent
Nigerians may recall that in 1998 when Nigeria finally embraced
democratic governance, Senator Nzeribe won election to the National
Assembly on the platform of All Peoples Party (APP), now All Nigerian
Peoples Party (ANPP). We may further recall that ours then was a
Multi-party democracy. The parties then were: Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), All Peoples Party (APP) and Alliance for Democracy (AD). Between
then and now, the democratic space has been expanded to accommodate
about fifty (50) political parties. Informed Nigerians may agree with me
that with the further opening of the democratic space, ours is an ever
expanding democratic space. The question now is what informed Adeniyi’s
verdict on Nzeribe, bearing in mind that he could still achieve his
senatorial ambition in any of the remaining political parties?
Two factors
could be discerned from Adeniyi’s verdict on Nzeribe as regards the
stage-managed primary election in question. In the first instance,
enlightened Nigerians could discern hate theory [political or
personal].. As Adeniyi himself reasoned that the primary election in
question was a contest between Governor Achike Udenwa and Nzeribe, with
Osita Izunaso as pawn in the chess board, one begins to wonder what
prompted the closing of democratic space by Adeniyi, when he knows that
Nzeribe could opt for another political party to pursue his
aspiration.what gives Adeniyi the impression that PDP will not act on
the basis of justice and equity on Nzeribe protest? As a privileged
staff of ThisDay Newspaper that exclusively reported on Monday 4th
December 2006, that Izunaso would hold in trust, the senatorial mandate
for Achike Udenwa, one had expected Adeniyi to ask one or two questions
regarding Izunaso/Udenwa arrangement. After all, other state governors
opted for senatorial contest – one had expected Adeniyi to tell rational
Nigerians what to expect from Achike’s senatorial representation since
from ThisDay’s report, Udenwa’s presidential aspiration was just
pretence as Izunaso is holding the ticket in trust for him.
If Achike would swaps position with Izunaso as reported in Olusegun
Adeniyi’s ThisDay, could Udenwa offer better representation in the
National Assembly considering the fact that he and his wife are under
serious EFCC searchlight for not properly accounting for the money meant
for grass-root development in Imo west and elsewhere? This is Udenwa who
was before his election as the Governor of Imo State, was an ordinary
employee of a company in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Rational minds may
wish to know what the EFCC chairman said of Achike Udenwa, the Imo State
Governor, when Senate invited him to give progress report on his
commissions’ activities. The EFCC chairman said that in Imo state,
Udenwa engaged in the extortion of N56m from each of the state’s 27
local councils as contribution for a road construction project that was
abandoned a long time ago. he further said, “one of the local government
chairman in Imo state and a female lawyer, who were involved in the
bribery, have already been charged to court” “We have done exhaustive
investigations in Imo and I want to say that it is one of those states
that we’ll soon be going to charge to court”. With this background
information on Achike Udenwa stewardship in Imo state, what would be the
quality of his representation? The company said to be handling the road
construction project was linked to his wife, Mrs. Theresa Udenwa. It is
therefore, surprising that a columnist of Adeniyi’s standing could allow
hate? to becloud his sense of political judgment in the charade called
Imo West Senatorial contest which he attested to in the said write-up.
Perhaps the
real reason Olusegun Adeniyi hates Nzeribe and his politics is probably
the constitutional and legitimate court process he explored in seeking
the cancellation of June 12 election, believed to have been won by MKO
Abiola of blessed memory. As a law abiding citizen of Nigeria, he felt
cheated in the process leading to the June 12 election proper, he
therefore decided to go to the court in search of justice, which he got
or is Adeniyi saying that Nzeribe had no right to seek redress in court
of competent jurisdiction because we were then in military era?
Adeniyi’s theory of Nzeribe’s connivance with military government of
Generla Ibrahim Babangida to derail the transition to civil rule
programme, may have existed in his imagination, because no sane mind
would contest Nzeribe’s right to search for justice in law court if the
need arises. Adeniyi probability failed to know that Nzeribe as a free
citizen of Nigeria could go to court, whenever his fundamental right is
infringed upon, and that was exactly what he did with respect to June
12.
Hear Adeniyi,--But
the tragedy of his political career is that he has failed to recognize
that successful living is more than winning elections, it requires a
purpose that adds value to the society ….. This excerpt from the
concluding paragraph of Adeniy’s verdict on Nzeribe certainly tells a
story of very poor perception of the man Nzeribe by Adeniyi. Segun is
certainly aware that there are various methods by which people can
positively affect the lives of others. The stories of Nnamdi Azikiwe and
Chief Obafemi Awolowo easily come to mind here. While Zik’s philosophy
was to show them the light and they will find their ways, Awolowo’s own
was Free Education. In Awolowo’s free education, he never brought out
money from his pocket to sponsor students, rather he emphasized on good
governance and good management of tax payees money.
For Nzeribe,
no body would have known that whenever elections are coming, he
identifies God fearing candidates in both executive and legislative
arms, and sponsor them in elections. It is on record that late Rev
father Moses Adasu, the former Governor of Benue State, was a
beneficiary of his kid gesture [sponsorship]. Nobody would have known
that Nzeribe sponsored Adasu if the clearance of Adasu for ICPC job was
not brought to the senate. Adeniyi, contrive of this, if you can. It is
equally on record that Rev. Father Adasu did wonderful job in Benue
state. This same Nzeribe sponsored countless number of legislators to
the National Assembly. One of them, this writer is glad to note, Adeniyi
mentioned as Nzeribe’s former boy. We can go on and on. For Nzeribe,
this could be his own way of adding value to the society without noise
making.
Emeka
Oraetoka
Information
Management Consultant
Writes from
Garki –Abuja
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