If the dead could be privileged, to peep into
the
world of the living, late General Sani Abacha would be
grinning from ear to ear on the mess made of the
mandate given those who used to harangue him. "The
know alls" who now fumble and waffle. Those who used
to condemn him as a dictator have since dusted his
script. The worse part is they seem to be poor
copycats.
Whatever reservations Nigerians have as to whether
Abacha politicians and disciples are running this
democracy vanished when some PDP and APP Governors
under Lar and Anenih along with some ministers went to
"beg" President Olusegun Obasanjo to re-contest his
seat in 2003. That day I gave up on the current
Nigerian political leaders. I was not alone. Other
Nigerians also felt let down.
Not because Obasanjo ala Abacha was acting the
reluctant political bride, but because it appears his
handlers are bent on recreating the Abacha political
phenomenon by giving us feeling of de ja-vu. There was
no originality in it. No political engineering not to
talk of re-engineering.
There were some of the Governors and Ministers who
served the Abacha regime so faithfully. Take Ahmed
Makarfi of Kaduna for example. He was a Finance
Commissioner during the Abacha days and later
Director, Abacha Foundation based perhaps on his
loyalty to Abacha.
After Abacha died and the game was up Makarfi found a
place in PDP during the Abdulsalami transition. He
went on to seat on the throne of the North's power
base- Kaduna. Since he became governor he spent his
time fighting northern political leaders and worming
his way to the heart of Obasanjo, whose regime turned
his zone- north went to backwater in appointments etc.
Makarfi, I observed never publicly call for the
release of Bamaiyi, Al-Mustapha and Muhammed Abacha
who were perhaps his benefactors.
If I do not take Makarfi as a serious, principled
politician I wonder what I can make of two other
Governors, who on principles should not have shown
their faces at Otta. Abdullahi Adamu of Nassarawa
State and spokesman of the northern governors during
the Reception 2000. By showing his face in Otta he
destroyed whatever credibility he was garnering as a
principled defender of the north.
If I may, I asked His Excellency Abdullahi Adamu is
OPC reigned in? Were northerners not massacred at Idi
- Araba after his speech? What has Obasanjo done to
placate the north? There are rumors that Abdullahi
Adamu went to Otta to protect his throne at Lafia
under threat from those close to Aso Rock. I have no
confirmation of this. But he should never, ever again
talk of the "Northern cause".
I was personally embarrassed when our own Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso of Kano was said to have joined the band
wagon of those begging to inflict four more years of
Obasanjo on his subjects. Kano in the northwestern
Nigeria more than any other state lost its privileges
under this regime. Kwankwaso became a folk hero here
when he was mouthing pro - Kano slogans and issuing
threats that his government cannot watch Kano people
hounded out of their positions. What has changed?
Personally I have not seen any unless he can give us a
list of his people appointed into big positions under
Obasanjo.
Again many claim Kwankwaso was there to cover his
flanks from serious threat emanating from Rimi/Ghali
axis and Musa Gwadabe front. I have no proof of these.
But as a Muslim I know only God gives and takes. We
are all servants and beggars of God Almighty including
those ruling us at Aso Rock. They cannot alter an inch
from what God Destined.
As for the APP Governors that went to Otta despite a
written warning from their Chairman, it simply
re-confirm our postulation that APP is no alternative
to PDP. APP has been virtually pocketed. If not let
the party dismiss Mala Kachala and Abubakar Audu. I
bet nothing would happen.
If what happened in Otta is no Abacha like script I
wonder what is. It looks to me like the five leprous
parties adopting Abacha. I doubt if APP would field
any serious contender. We all know AD is more for
Obasanjo than even PDP.
Meanwhile the greatest losers are members of the
National Assembly. Out of sheer greed and
visionlessness they have walked into an obvious
political trap. Instead of battling to widen the
democracy field by fixing a genuine Electoral Act that
allows for more parties their leadership collaborated
with the Executive to deny us choices in the ill -
fated Electoral Act.
A prominent member in the National Assembly once told
me, on winning his seat, that he is a "practical
politician" compared to me a"theoretical politician".
But by his role in the abortive Electoral Act, it is
now obvious his limitation: practice should be based
on sound theory. He struck a deal with the Presidency
forgetting that in dinning with your political
opponent you need a long spoon. He almost lost his
"political soul" in that tango.
He failed to read correct theoretical under pinning in
AD Senator Wahab Dosunmu and his colleagues decamping
to PDP and retaining their seats. By that singular
precedence he should have widen his options by
ensuring in the botched Electoral Act that more
parties are allowed to exist.
My friend and all his colleagues in the National
Assembly have lost woefully with the ruling of the
Supreme Court on local councils. The Governors now
hold the decisive end of the stick. Most likely they
will rush to conduct local polls and fixed their
cronies in the local councils. With that they will
call the political shots in the states. The President
would strike political deals with them. Members of the
National Assembly either grovel before the feet of
their Excellencies to return to Abuja or join us on
the streets.
They seem to realize rather late that more parties
should be registered. Well they collaborated in
creating the political monster. Before they know it if
Governors would conduct local polls. The President may
not sign the Electoral Act before the next elections.
With the proposed 5 million-man match scheduled for
May 29th the Abacha counterfeiting scheme is almost a
fait accompli. What remains is the decision of God to
be made public.
Jika teaches at the Department of Mass Communications,
Bayero University, Kano.