By Ayodele Fagbohun
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May I be allowed  again to paraphrase  the immortal saying of Shakespearean work “Julius Caesar” that the evils that men do live after them, the  good interred in their bones.

This indeed  is pertinent to and; to contend with the sardonic narratives of some disgruntled motley  assemblage of ethnic nationalities ostensibly  for self determination and strident clamour to restructure the country.

But in actual fact, the  tribal jingoists and dramatis personae of these  ethnic nationalities are seeking political relevance  at the evening of their lives having dissipated their youthful days on frivolities and debauchery when at the  political helm of affairs of this great country.

Some are now a bunch of political spent force and fast becoming  totally irrelevant in the scheme of things.

Lest I forget, some personalities within the Northern Elders’ Forum, Pan Niger Delta Forum, Middle Belt to mention just a few, played dominant roles and actively took part in government since independence. With particular references, their records loomed large in the defunct notorious NPN Federal government during the ill fated Second Republic.

They were virtually in control of power and authority ensconced, and dictated pace of governance, constituted themselves as cabal and held the nation in perpetuity.

With the anti-corruption and no nonsense stance of the present federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress (APC), these men under the auspices of parochial  ethnic groupings feel  they have reached the end of the road.

They have long lost their hold on the government and a rare opportunity of calling the  shots. They now regroup and woo new found friend of  strange bed fellow in the splintery Afenifere to lord it over the nation. This intrigue and smearing campaign of tribal hatred will certainly fail.

No wonder, they opt in unison for People’s Democratic Party’s standard bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for his laissez-faire policy to conduct the solemn affairs of the country with “business  as  usual”, anything goes, stealing the nation’s wealth unscrupulously and mortgaging the integrity of the country to the  outside world. Heavens will not grant them the harrious request to truncate the present democracy on the altar of political greed and venality.

As electioneering  hots  up, it is needful to highlight some of the  antecedents of  these  erstwhile political  elite who as a matter of course should play the advisory role  of elder statesmen. For reasons best known to them, they chose to promote narrow selfish interest, mayhem and non  existent electoral violence in a bid to score cheap and undeserving political point.

Baba Chief Edwin Clark of Niger-Delta was a federal commissioner in the cabinet of Major General  Yakubu Gowon until the regime was ousted and brought into ignominy after nine  years of military rule. As information commissioner  in Gowon’s regime, he propped up continuation of maximum rule, brain behind the political  monster called “tenacity of office” that led Gowon to  cling tenaciously to power sine die. Gen. Gowon  reneged his earlier promise to hand over power back to the civilians in 1976.

Mr Clark was then  power drunk to have insulted  Chief Obafemi Awolowo, his most  senior colleague in Gowon administration. Awolowo , out of principle had left the regime and vowed to offer constructive criticism for good governance and enthronement of public  morality in Nigeria.

When Gowon regime was overthrown Edwin Clark and his fellow co-travellers were indicted for charges of corruption and gross malfeasance.

It is unfortunate that Chief Ayo Adebanjo, an Afenifere Chietain cannot pretend to be oblivious of the chicanery of Edwin Clark and his group that plunged the country to a sorrowful pass. Unless,  Adebanjo wanted to join multitude to do evil and stabbed Awolowo’s laudable and staunch principle and right ideological orientation to  govern the people in all honesty of purpose and transparency.

Next, Professor Ango Abdullahi, a former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu  Bello  University (ABU). He is ultra conservative, unrepentant protagonist of Northern hegemony to ensure that power resides in perpetuity in the North and the south should go to blazes! No doubt, a member of the dreaded Kaduna mafia of old.

Pro Ango knows full well if by God’s grace  and the people’s might, President Buhari wins the presidency,  will go to the south by 2023.

By sheer obtuse reasoning and unpatriotic self interest to enslave  the rest  of the  country, Ango and  his ilk believe firmly that Atiku’s presidency will further give the North another uninterrupted eight  years in office. This is brazen-faced and machiavellian principle emanating from power mongers not channelled towards attainment of good government and unity of the country.

According to Northen Elders Forum, that Buhari will not be able to complete the  second term in the fear and trepidation of the North. They wish him dead and  foist a thoroughly discredited and socially condemned  political apostasy on the country.

It is galling and nauseating that some Nigerians talk in ignorance and lack divine wisdom from the above. It is not those who lie down that will be hit by the arrow of death. You don’t count your chickens before they are hatched. Only the creator of life and death knows when the creatures both living and the non-living alike may ceaze work. Let evil thought perish with the purveyors and tale bearers.

It is apparent that some members of Ohaneze Ndigbo are confused and in utter dilemma. Some are PDP apologists who have lost selfish and egocentric battle of hanging to power indefinitely. They invariably lie that PDP will return power to the Igbo.

Why did their task master, General   Olusegun Obasanjo  fail to produce Igbo presidency having been in the corridor of power for too long and yielding for his south south protégé, Dr Goodluck Jonathan,  the ex-president?

The Igbo must have a rethink, restrategize that Igbo presidency demands rigorous hard work, industry; faith in the unity  and progress of the country and to cap it all, fervid electoral support for the second term bid of APC led President Buhari’s on presidency.

Coming to my base Yorubaland. I am  not surprised that Yinka Odumakin,  an author of fake news and not a true representative  of Yoruba interest, should offer himself as the spokesperson of the so called ethnic nationalities.

We have moved ahead fo that lewd and  sickening stage shortly  Chief Obafemi Awolow was reelased from Calabar prisons on phantom charges of treason in August 3, 1966 by the Head of  state, Major General  Yakubu Gown.

Awolowo charged his lieutenants and the rest of Western Region to eschew politics  of ethnicity and joined forces with the est of the country for the enthronement of federalism and constitutional government.

It stands to reason, therefore that the body of the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo will turn in his grave in sharp reaction tot he perfidious role played by Ayo Adebanjo for jettisoning the staunch principle handed down by Awolowo himself and railroad splinter group in Afenefere founded by the late cicero of Esa Oke Uncle Bola Ige for reasons that are detrimental tot he growth  and rapid progress of Yoruba race.

Chief Obafemi Awolwo and uncle  Bola Ige have belonged to the ages  and now become avatars. Those who fraudulently use and deploy their names for unsavoury   political considerations and conduct the affairs of government in the breach of  their laid down rule and proactive  do so at their own peril no matter how long they may live.

The evils that men and  women of affairs  in this country do will certainly haunt them to their grave. While good and fair minded ones who lay down their lives for others to live and abundantly well too will be remembered for they shall flourish like palm tree, even after their death.

Ayodele Fagbohun, writes from Akure.