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Yoruba Rooooo nu OOOOO!!! By Babatunde Adenodi East Orange NJ
If there is any Yoruba alive who did not know that General Obasanjo was foisted on Nigerians and Yoruba in particular, as a so-called Yoruba candidate in 1999, that Yoruba man or woman is living in a fool’s paradise. And if they did not know that the architect of “Yoruba presidency” after the disastrous Hausa/Fulani chain of administrations was the same Babangida who thought Abiola was not muslim enough and not Nigerian enough to be Nigeria’s president, they are living somewhere on planet Jupiter! So, despite the fact that the Yoruba did not vote for him in 1999, and did not even start to give him their support until the 2003 elections, Obasanjo was regarded as a Yoruba candidate.
Those who chose him did not do so out of the goodness of their hearts. They did not choose him because of their love for Nigeria or their love for the Yoruba; nor for their empathy for the injustice of Abiola’s annulled election. No! They chose him because they thought he was their making and he would serve their interest better.
They had thought that Obasanjo would remain like he was in 1976-1979. They had not counted on an OBJ who would have a voice of his own and pander to interests other than theirs. So, they turned against him when it was apparent his own people would “fall” for him. They started the PDP, but will not shy away from PDP if they know Obasanjo would not give them back what they believe is theirs.
Before Obasanjo, there was Awolowo. Chief Awolowo was the greatest political theorist of his time. He was smart. He was charismatic. He had the knack for putting a round peg in a round hole. He got things done. He was the “best president Nigeria never had”. As good as Awolowo was, he was not to be acceptable to those who backed Obasanjo in 1999. They hated his guts and did their best to stop him.
Awolowo’s smartness did not translate into electoral victory. Not because he did not work hard enough nor because he did not earn victory especially in 1983, but because he was a threat to the feudal ruling class, both military and civilian. Not only that, the ruling class saw the middle-east as their model of governance and did their best to emulate their style: One man authoritarian non secular “democracy” where women are subjugated and the populace idolize their leader who gratuitously dole out favors to those who conform! Awo did not fit into this mould. Most importantly, and I know that I will be crucified for this: Awolowo was naïve enough to believe that he could be Nigeria’s president through electoral victory supervised by the ruling class! He thought that if he worked hard enough he could be president even without the support of the Igbo who had contempt for him and the Yoruba that he personified. Not to forget the unbridled rivalry between Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo which their disciples have now foolishly inherited.
Then there was Chief Bola Ige who was a carbon copy of his mentor, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Bola Ige was less overtly disliked by the ruling class but they still could not
tolerate him anyway. And this perception was not lost on the mainstream followers who by-passed him to choose Chief Olu Falae and Umaru Shinkafi to represent the APP/AD coalition in 1998 presidential elections.
Bola Ige gallantly led the un-exiled side of NADECO that fought IBB and Abacha to a stand still. By the time Abdusalami Abubakar gave the green-light for party formation, he led his Yoruba followers from Afenifere to PDP. At PDP he found strange bed-fellows there calling the shots, he fled to APP. At APP, he found Arthur Nzeribe whom he could not deal with, dead or alive! Again, he fled to form AG, I mean AD! So, within a space of 48 hours, Chief Bola Ige had led his people from NADECO to Afenifere, to PDP, to APP and finally to AD! And at each stop, he lost a number of his followers to the party he had just quit! By the time AD materialized, he could hold the executive committee meeting of his party in Yoruba! So what? So what?! It means non-Yoruba speaking members had joined other parties. And AD was now like its great grand-father: Egbe Omo Yoruba, or its grand-father, AG or its father, the UPN!
For the entire political career of Chief Awolowo, he led parties that were sectional and seen to be so! Not because he did not try to reach out; but because other people rightly or wrong saw him as a threat to their political interests! Besides, it was not conceivable to expect Chief Awolowo to be a mere floor member in a political party. He had to be the leader. And rightly so, I dare say! As good as this may sound, it does not win votes in other parts of the country!
General Ibrahim Babangida did some good, albeit, unwittingly. He formed two political parties during his time: National Republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Nigerians were forced to be in only two different parties. There were no obvious leaders. To lead, Nigerians must work their way to the top. Zik and Awo had died. So had Ahmadu Bello. There were no old primordial loyalties or old political alignments. For the first time in Nigeria, people voted their conscience. And that was what produced MKO Abiola who won even in Kano against Tofa! Then IBB realized that he had made a mistake…The rest, of course, is now history.
In deference to Obasanjo, the AD did not field a candidate in 2003. Not that they stood a chance of winning if they had. But, for the first time, the Yoruba acted wisely. And Obasanjo benefited from this action.
Whether he likes it or not, Professor Wole Soyinka is a Yoruba man and is seen primarily by the ruling class as such. That was why Abdusalami Abubakar considered him for the post of President before he settled for General Obasanjo in 1998. The NALICON which he headed was to fight IBB and Abacha. And he did! For all the noise that NALICON made on Radio Kudirat, nothing happened! If those who arranged Abacha’s death had not done so, we would probably still be stuck with Abacha! Question: At what point will Yoruba anger be manifested in concrete action in defense of the Yoruba political survival?
If Awolowo was jailed, Abiola’s election annulled, and Abiola was killed and the crop of Yoruba elite were hounded out of Nigeria at will by those in power and nothing happened, why should the rest of Nigeria listen to the Yoruba and take them serious?
When those bombs were exploding in Lagos in the heat of the struggle against Abacha, I actually thought it was the NALICON. Now we know; it was rumored, that it was Abacha trying to kill Marwa in order to accuse the Yoruba of his murder!
In post-Obasanjo era, the Yoruba have begun to play the old politics. They are said to be in AC which will revert to the status of AG or UPN or AD of the Yoruba or even NCNC, NPP or APGA of the Igbo. Alliance for Democracy, or what is left of it is dead! They are sectional, tribal and parochial parties that will have no influence beyond their immediate environments.
Some Yoruba were so shamefully vocal in the propagation of IBB as a potential president that it was sickening. Alex Akinyele readily comes to mind. Even, it is said that some Yoruba leaders are considering their support for Muhammadu Buhari! In spite of the repression suffered in his hands by the Yoruba and despite the fact that Obasanjo is still alive!
Bad as Balewa, Shagari and all the usurpers of the northern ruling class were considered to be, their people stuck with them! Buhari’s support in the north is solid. So also is IBB. So would Abacha if he were still alive!
President Obasanjo was aware of this when he by-passed the South/South or the South/East and chose to hand over to Musa Yar’Adua. Unless Yar’Adua is a particularly bad candidate, he is the man to beat. How many coalitions have ever joined together to wrestle power from the incumbent party in Nigeria? None! Why do the Yoruba think they can achieve this now? Because they are politically naïve.
What should the Yoruba do now? They must
ditch the AD. The Yoruba must remain in the PDP. They must rise or sink
with Obasanjo. They must encourage the Igbo to stay in PDP because this is
where the Igbo bread can be buttered. (The Igbo will not want to hear
this).
Yoruba rooooo nu OOOOO!!!
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