By Ayodele Fagbohun
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In a frantic and desperate search for anointing/endorsement, some presidential flagbearers either nocturnally or openly visit the inner sancta of some political leaders regardless of their relevance in the scheme of things.
Prominent amongst these leaders is the former head of state and ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo a.k.a OBJ. Like a leopard who won’t change spot, he is at it again! His wizened, stricken old age notwithstanding as he officially claims 86!!.
Like a fox OBJ would still prance and frisk in a circumlocution amongst various presidential flagbearers. And finally opted for Mr. Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP).
OBJ knows fully well the Achilles’ heel of Peter Obi, very vulnerable and weak in his base, Igbo speaking South East states. Obi’s constituency, the South East is smarting under the anguish and stranglehold of IPOB, an ethnic militia, violently agitating for a separate republic; to revive the already dead and buried Biafra.
Besides, South East is under the seething cauldron of incendiary and nefarious activities, and bedlam; wanton killings malicious damage and arson of infrastructure especially the INEC facilities. All the unspeakable acts of terrorism and brigandry occurring incessantly in this 21st century especially across the South East of Nigeria reduce the unfortunate and harrowing Biafra/Nigerian infanticidal civil war to a child play.
It is galling and nauseating that OBJ who pompously claims to be war hero, former military head of state and two term president lacks the courage to tell Peter Obi to let at least relative peace and tranquility reign in his domain before venturing into presidency.
Peter Obi is a fair-weather politician who can be idiomatically styled a bird of passage.
Once upon a time, Peter dumped his original Igbo inclined party, APGA for the Peoples’ Democratic Party. In the PDP presidential primary, Obi suffered a huge defeat; lost gallantly to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is now PDP flagbearer.
Peter obi, in a hurry, reorganized and wangled his way into Labour Party for the sole aim of realizing a vaulting ambition without properly mobilizing his own people for the arduous task of nation building inherent in the exalted office of the presidency.
No wonder, Obasanjo, former head of state supervised the transition to civil rule in 1979 singularly warded the presidency to his mentor, Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (Fulani), a reluctant and least qualified to please and gratify the Fulani oligarchy.
OBJ recklessly and annoyingly eulogized President Shehu Shagari of the NPN as the political grandmaster to the chagrin and amazement of Nigerians.
Whereas, Obafemi Awolowo, the well prepared and most qualified candidate for the job, intellectually, emotionally and in field experience; once rated by former British prime minister and President in the United states (US) if he (Awo) were both in the two mentioned advanced nations.
Regardless of the local and international rating, OBJ deliberately and perfunctorily worked political Arithmetic to answer, fraudulently installed Shagari without meeting the minimum requirement of electoral Act and proceeded to nail a fellow kinsman (Awo) to political cross.
So, the warped thinking of average military dictator having enclosed their thinking apparatus on the sole of their feet, more often than not, gate crashed to power.
Ayo Adebanjo was there, when Bisi Onabanjo (Ayekooto); LK Jakande, Uncle Bola Ige (SAN); Pa M.A Ajasin became elected governors of their states and took effective charge of party affairs and responsible government in Nigeria.
Now, it is in the latter days when politics in Yoruba land hijacked and infiltrated by fake Awoists and new breed inexperienced politician, everything turns awry.
Chief Reuben Famuyide (OFR) later emerged as National Leader of Afenifere, characterically deferred and condescended to take Chief Ayo Adebanjo in his wing. He was accorded the honour of deputy leader contrary to the convocation of Afenifere which does not recognize the official title of deputy leader.
Ayo Adebanjo overwhelmed and engrossed with rabid envy of the organizational skills of Uncle Bola Ige who packaged Afenifere as a fierce suicidal struggle to counter Gen. Abacha military’s despotism and to revalidate the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential elections.
Awo had earlier charged his lieutenants and the rest of Western Region to eschew politics of ethnicity and joined forces with the rest of Nigeria for enthronement of federalism and constitutional government. The body of Awo will definitely turn in his grave in sharp reaction to the perfidious role played by Ayo Adebanjo as he jettisoned the principle of promoting the unity and good governance handed down by indomitable Awo.
Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a longtime lawyer seems ever vociferous in canvassing and championing re-structuring of the country prior to the conduct of general elections. Awoist to the core, Ayo Adebanjo should have realized that the concept of restructuring must not necessarily be a campaign issue.
A progressive politician of Pa Adebanjo mould should not play into the hands of fifth columnists who from ab initio do not wish the country well.
It is wrong for Pa Ayo Adebanjo to suddenly abandon his campaign for restructuring which has not turned out as political “gimmickry”. and turn volte-face to play upon the intelligence of gullible Nigerians and canvass for a weak and inconsistent Peter Obi, LP’s flagbearer by whipping up silly and puerile ethno religious sentiment.
It is unthinkable that the old war horse, well known erstwhile firebrand party stalwart will announce with funfair that he was on the page with OBJ to hobnob with Peter Obi of Labour Party. This, to say the least is, an arrant nonsense and gargantuan betrayal of lofty principle and practice of social welfare programme, the corner stone of good governance doggedly espoused a century of political exploits in the country.
By extension, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, flagbearer of APC anchors on similar welfarist programmes of action as only the ideology to transform developing and the so called third world countries including Nigeria to rank with the advanced economies.
With humility, I urge the electorate to discountenance the antics of OBJ and Adebanjo. It is oozing out from the old duo’s irreconcilable political strange bedfellows who for several decades did not see eye to eye politically until recently.
OBJ and Adebanjo can be compared to the biblical Pilate and Herod-who were traditional foes. But out of conspiracy, intrigue, bad blood and bad feelings to implicate and sentence Jesus Christ, duo, (Pilate) and Herod) with no love lost between them suddenly became dubious friends of the moment to condemn Jesus, the saviour of mankind to an agonizing death by crucifixion.
The antics of OBJ/Adebanjo smack of vitriolic bitterness, bile and avuncular animosity. It is the bid to settle old score on the candidacy of APC flabearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu must not be allowed to drag and rankle on ad nauseam to destroy the future of well knit and most homogeneous ethnic group in Nigeria, Yoruba race arguably remains the beacon of hope and political rebirth for the entire country Nigeria.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima joint ticket of APC towers above other candidates in aspects of leadership and management of the people and resources.
It is hightime we eschew party affiliation and primordial inclinations and rally round the right candidate to fix the economy which is in shambles in the shortest possible time.