A Memo to Buhari

A Memo to Buhari

Ahmed Salisu Isyaku

Nigerians nursed mixed reactions regarding the current predicament of the ANPP presidential candidate whose fate is still yet to be decided by the Supreme Court on an appeal filed challenging the legitimacy of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's election. Its part of the dynamism within the domain of democracy for each and every citizen to enjoy freedom of expression of ideas and opinion as such ideas and opinions are regarded as the entitlement of its owner. Mallam Buhari has been one and only person that has dignified and distinguished himself as the only person that was tested on throne of leadership and was found to be fair, just and ranked above his peers and in comparison with his predecessors and those that opportunity listed after him. Historically Buhari has served as a governor, minister and Head of State with additional title of heading a government within a government (PTF). I am not disputing that Nigeria is not having many Buharis, but are yet to be discovered, tested and perfected. What made this Buhari distinct from others is his discovery and the others are yet to be discovered.

Buhari has posed many challenges to the elites, if one placed all other personalities that were opportune to have tested the least of the offices enjoyed by Buhari in terms of what they owned and their position within the society materially. In fact he is the only person that after each of his tenures in all the offices there could not be any trace of mismanagement or any sharp practice as against many of his examples. To be fair and equitably just to them; if any body has any record that could be linked with Buhari as being corrupt, Nigerian had been patiently waiting for none.

It is unfortunate that the ANPP has now turned to be the worst enemy of its two times consecutive Presidential flag bearer. The Ume-Ezocke led party has been more of a garrison command than a political party. The manner in which it transcends on a person that has been robbed of his right and forced to pursue a judicial redress after he has openly opposed taking the matter to court. And he is now being castigated for not succumbing to GNU. What manner of a party?

It is obvious that Buhari has been pushed to the wall by the so called ANPP leadership and its Kangaroo reconciliation committee headed by Bashir Tofa. His utterances against the party leadership and other bigots is a mere retaliation of a patient Bull when pushed to the wall. Even the position of the party not to expel him for such unruly behaviour is a clear sign of being the cause of his action.

The dilemma in which Buhari is trapped now lies in the Supreme Court judgment. Perhaps, if the Supreme Court should rule that fresh elections should be conducted, Ume-Ezocke led ANPP may not obliged to field Buhari as its candidate because of the rift between the duo. And if the Supreme Court should upheld the election of President Umaru Yar'Adua then Buhari's fate in ANPP is at stake because he has lost his grip of the party machinery. The party leadership is at longer-head with him, the Governors of the party have virtually lost hope in him likewise most elected Senators and House of representative members that control the party machinery.

The only solace to Mallam Buhari is when the almighty Supreme Court decided in his favour and declared that he is the candidate that scored the majority of the lawful votes as against President Umaru Yar'Adua in the April polls. A situation that could be the democratic landmark of the millennium, and I wonder how the executive council will be constituted with party pillars in disarray.

Buhari's position of not to seek redress in Court right at the beginning of events could have been the best option, the likes of him in Kenya and Zimbabwe took same stand and were able to arrive at certain position. Though Buhari consider such a position as a taboo in his perception of democracy. However, it could have been the solution, had Buhari insisted on not going to court and stood firm in his declaration of no government by May 29th 2007. Such treasonable stand would have paved way for his arrest and same will trigger mass action which at the end will necessitates reconciliation and formation of a true government of national unity; just as it has been witnessed in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Verbal call for mass action could not have been ideal at such a situation as action speaks louder than voice.

If one should consider politics as a give and take option, it is not the issue of compromising ideology rather, it is a mission of ascertaining who gets what, when, and how. Buhari should have x-rayed the situation, and could have developed alternative solutions to basic situations that could have given him the anatomy of achieving a definite task by deferring the set objectives to circumstantially accept and compromise certain pigments of goals only to aligned and perfect them in future.

It is a controversial situation now, Buhari has succumbed to pressures within and without the country and has been carried away by illusion, such situation needs careful observation and analysis of consequential repercussion of each alternative solution before adoption, because each step taken at this crucial moment is ideal to the political future of Buhari and Buharites. Many past political leaders were able to command respect and authority over the masses through adoption of ideology and the establishment of a broad network of political base by institutionalizing political traits and hegemony. Buhari is no exception, the TBO is not to be misconstrued as an ideological based organization. It is just a mere group formed to pursue political aspiration. Buhari's present predicaments was partly the handwork of the TBO members who ensued into unnecessary and avoidable rival-ship and unwarranted confrontations with certain political office holders within the ANPP. The case of Kano State Governor and the TBO is a very good example.

Presently the ruling party is gearing towards a single party system with their machineries all over the country trying to coopt members of other parties ANPP inclusive. And with the recent rumours that the AC Presidential Candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is gearing towards returning to the P.D.P. it is clear indication that only Buhari will remained at the bottomline of opposition. Hence, there is every need for Buhari to consolidate his thought despite all odds to champion the cause of mass movement in Nigeria. It is what is expected of him, not just pursuing a legal action that in one way or the other seem as a political gimmick used by certain power brokers to coerce the activities of President Umaru Yar'Adua by threatening him with court nullification of election or indirectly when the Court finally nullify the election, Umaru will return to the Presidency to serve for fresh four years mandate after spending a free two year tenure in office. A stitch in time will save more than 90 million youth of the country.

Ahmed Salisu Isyaku