‘No Vacancy’ Sign Still On

By

Sam Nda-Isaiah

leadershipnigeria@yahoo.com

President Olusegun Obasanjo might have been crushed in the National Assembly as far as his self-perpetuation bid is concerned, but anyone who thinks that he has given up as a result still does not understand the essence of the man. If anything, the defeat has only made the president angry.

 Why should Nigerians dare to stop him? And as is always the case, this is yet another opportunity to prove to them (Nigerians) that he, Obasanjo, gets whatever he wants. He expects Nigerians to have given in to that fact by now and simply just acquiesce to his generous request to stay. What would even be more annoying to him is that some small boys hoodwinked him, collected his N50 million bribe to each, and went ahead to insult him openly during the debate.

His recent military and cabinet changes and the vengeance with which he did them should inform anyone who had studied Obasanjo well enough that the president is only re-positioning for something sinister. For starters, he has decided to punish Nigerians by inflicting Femi Fani-Kayode on them as a minister.

Fani-Kayode may be brilliant (as he no doubt is) and even well-qualified for the office of a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but not a few would find his appointment an affront. But that is what Obasanjo wants to achieve by the appointment in the first place. He has also passed on the message to Nigeria’s elder statesmen viz Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and a host of others whom the special adviser had thoroughly insulted that everything was done with his blessing. For those still sleepwalking, Fani-Kayode’s appointment is an open declaration of war.

The president may actually be thinking of making him the information minister so that he can continue his hatchet man’s job. The Senate is likely to reject his nomination, but like the president did in the case of the screening of Babalola Borishade (another minister whose job specification would now be deepened to include the self-perpetuation scheme), he would present his name over and over again, and inundate the senators with tons of Ghana-must-go until he wears them out.

The appointment of Fani-Kayode, Hon. Bala Ka’oje and others who would do anything for the president no matter how wrong or illegal should erase any lingering doubt in people who think the president is planning to vacate office in 2007. Obasanjo has not made any statement remotely resembling a farewell like what the Nigerians saw in 1978 prior to his leaving office in 1979. But more worrying is the fact that he has not started grooming any successor. It is in the nature of any leader, good or bad, to seek to groom a successor.

Former President Bill Clinton of the United States had a worthy successor in Al Gore. It was just that Gore didn’t win. Margaret Thatcher groomed John Major. He became Prime Minister. Former President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana also groomed a successor who failed to succeed him. Any leader who is about to leave office grooms a successor. At the moment, Obasanjo is not grooming anyone. And this is telling.

Indeed, he has shown by his recent body language that he is only grooming himself to succeed himself. He is preparing Obasanjo to succeed Obasanjo and he is dead serious about it. Hatchet men are being brought into government and the police are gearing up to acquire armoured personnel carriers. Does anyone need a prophet to predict the colour of 2007? The president knows that nothing short of war against the people would keep him in power beyond 2007, and he is girding his loins for one.

When the third term project was about to collapse, some friends of the president got worried and attempted to design a fallback position. They constructed scenarios for the fallback position that would give the president a soft landing and safe exit devoid of disgrace. But Obasanjo on his own was designing a different fallback position, but this time for his tenure elongation. The president is said to considering several options. People have talked of a state of emergency or even the manipulation of the crisis in the Niger Delta to remain in office beyond next year.

Yet others have said the president might declare a war over Bakassi. There was even a time I know shameless presidential cronies were overtly canvassing a “compromise” of extra two years for the president. In their desperation they forgot the dictionary meaning of compromise.

There is obviously a great sense of trepidation and insecurity in the president’s camp. The president fears that his serial abuses of office, like the chickens, will come home to roost. How on earth would he explain all the withdrawals from the excess crude account? What about his publicly known pecuniary relationship with Transcorp and the fact that Transcorp is now the preferred vehicle for the snapping of national assets. What of Bell’s University and the Presidential Library? How would he explain his mass bribery of the National Assembly members? People would also like to know why the investigation into the death of Bola Ige was officially treated off-handedly.

Obasanjo knows several questions are being kept in the cooler until after May 29. He therefore would not hand over willingly. What is more, Abacha has already de-mystified him by putting him in jail. He fears that he might end up in jail again and that this time it would be for good reasons and forever. He even suspects that if he enters into an entente cordiale with an incoming president, even if that person is Gbenga his son, such confidences would not be respected once he is out of power. He should be the first person to understand that kind of breach since he did it to Ishaya Bamaiyi and others. In fact it would be the joy of many to break any deal with him just so he can have a taste of his own medicine.

But politicians would have to find a way to resolve this. And until that is done, Obasanjo will never remove the “No Vacancy” sign on the gates of Aso Rock.