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Apr. 27, 2007 When the malleable compromised chief electoral officer of the nation, 'Prof' Maurice Iwu, the INEC chairman declared with incredible satisfaction the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’Adua, the winner of last April 21st presidential election what was noticable was Iwu's seeming lack of interest in what the international and local observers had said about the general elections especially the presidential one whose faulted predictable outcome he was announcing with mischievous glee. Yar’Adua, according to Iwu, polled a total of 24,638,063 votes to emerge the winner having met all the requirements to be so declared. The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, polled 6,605,299 votes to come second, while Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Action Congress (AC) presidential candidate, garnered 2,637, 848 votes. The INEC chairman described the general elections as "free, fair and credible," noting that it was the first time such a historic event was happening. Yes he was right there; such fundamentally flawed electoral historic event because it had happened before in 1993 (the famous June 12) but the difference between 1993 and 2007 lies in the personages that midwifed the polls: 'Prof' Iwu and Phillip Umeadi and their fraudulent unpatriotic incompetent pedigrees. Whereas Prof Humphrey Nwosu organised a presidential election (designed to fail by Ibrahim Babangida) adjudged as the best free and fair election we had had 'Prof' Maurice Iwu chose to ally himself with the 'gods' of power mortgaging his conscience and social standing. Maurice Iwu's apparent determination to fool all of us all the time came to naught; his studious realisation of a sinister electoral plan hatched and executed by those that appointed him must have lifted a kind of siege mentality and psychological war he had had to face and endure trying to satisfy army of godfathers and godmothers, godsons and goddaughters, mistresses and political pimps who expected much from him and nothing less. No one is fooled or surprised at Iwu's dogged determination to accomplish his mission. It was a suicide mission with a price on his head if he performed outside the 'rules' of engagement. I for one would have been surprised or shocked if Iwu had declared Buhari, Kalu, Utomi or Atiku winner of the presidential election. Iwu and his charade of an election should accept my ironical congratulation and condolence with the latter bearing more meaning. Condolence because Marice Iwu and Olusegun Obasanjo are both patriotically and morally bereaved! Iwu has passed the examination in flying colours according to his masters' expectation; indeed he has delivered according to the script written and handed out to him long before we realised that a marionette was here. Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua by your statement after your declaration as 'winner' of the polls you sounded like one with good conscience who may not have known what transpired before, during or after the elections-- all tailored towards your installation as Obasanjo's successor. You sounded accommodating and magnanimous in 'victory'. Yet that does not assuage the grievances of those short-changed to have you on the throne. Nigerians wait with the patience of Biblical Job, tormented, hopeless, but fiercely God-loving on how you heal the deep wounds inflicted on people's psychés-- wounds of dashed hopes and dreams, wounds of national leadership betrayal! To be sure I am not totally against you assuming power because you have proven to be trust-worthy, frugal, simple, patriotic and positive-thinking -- qualities your party and its BOT life chairman lack. Your stewardship as governor of Katsina state speaks good of your achievement, modesty and sense of purpose. You may bring about the needed change in Nigeria with commitment and vision and focus but the question is: will you unlike Shagari in the Second Republic be able to tame the monsters and vampires (a la Umaru Dikko, Uba Ahmed, Akintola) you will be saddled with as special assistants, ministers and advicers? Will you be forthright in taming corruption being not corrupt yourself? Unlike your godfather through whose influence you are now 'elected' president-elect will you respect the judiciary and legislature by not seeking to criminally impede their works? I think we should be proud that we are having for the first time in our chequered history a certified graduate with his deputy equally certified graduate as president and vice. Before now the Buharis, Babangidas, Obasanjos, Abdusalamis had been running the show with dubious academic achievements. As an educated man with gubernatorial experience in his kitty I believe the sky will be your limit if you seek a good name and good judgement from history and posterity. A good job done is never hidden from public perception or appreciation. Propaganda or self-glorification cannot do the trick. I know you know that you are not in good sound health and your Goodluck is more of a political novice than sophisticated politicians that abound in Nigeria. To be a governor in a backward far-flung rural state like Katsina cannot be equated with being the president and commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Uneasy must therefore lie the head that wears the crown whether a stolen one a la Chris Ngige or one obtained on a platter is inconsequential here. What matters is that our country, Nigeria is not progressing in spite of the huge revenue accruing from crude oil deposits in Niger Delta. You must therefore confront the issues of PHCN and the darkness they are generating, the taps that refuse to gush out fresh drinking water, unemployment that is soaring year in year out, educational decline, population explosion especially in Lagos without basic infrastructures to meet that challenge, corruption that is now our national identity, network of federal roads that are death traps, injustice and inequity in the distribution of the national resources, the 'Andrew' phenomenon, that is the penchant of able-bodied young and old Nigerians exploiting every avenue to leave because things are not changing for better. Alhaji, I'm not resident in Nigeria but my mother, brothers, sisters and friends are there daily reporting the diminishing Nigerianness in them. Mr president-elect the task is a daunting one but with vision, honesty of purpose and goodwill of Nigerians you could surmount the obstacles and development challenges ahead of you post-May 29. Like Prof Wole Soyinka had said rationally those whose 'clone' you are may not give you the room to operate patriotically. And that is the crux of the matter here. But you had re-assured doubting Thomases in your many media interventions that you will not betray the national cause; that you will not be anybody's yes-man. Sometimes it is easier said than done; we shall appreciate those assertions when you get to office and the manner you exercise your authority and assert your independence will determine if you were being economical with the truth. Mutawallen Katsina, I was worried and troubled when you flew to Minna just moments after 'winning' the PDP primaries to confer with Ibrahim Babangida, a dictator still left untouched despite manifest crimes and huge sleaze against our commonwealth while in power. Did you by any means assure him that he will continue enjoying the unofficial 'immunity' Obasanjo granted him in 1999? What did you go there to do so early in the day? And why must Minna be your first port of call after your Abuja 'coronation' as the PDP presidential flagbearer? Remember IBB killed Dele Giwa the great journalist and murdered democracy on June 12 1993 and contributed principally to the emergence of the locust that killed Abiola and even your elder brother Shehu! Do not forget that he stole billions of naira and dollars from our collective purse; if you are in doubt ask Pius Okigbo or dust up his report. To seek to understate the gravity of the travesty of democracy we all witnessed last weekend and the weekend before it is tantamount to decreeing time out of existence; it must therefore be acknowledged that you, president-in-waiting Musa Yar'Adua, are a product of an elaborate electoral fraud which must be recorded by history. That's about the truth and it must be told if we are to be fair before God, Allah and men of goodwill. But you are not the chief villain, I dare say Alhaji Yar'Adua; not even Iwu can be said to be one. The responsibility of this whole electoral scam 2007 lies squarely with President Obasanjo himself who has something to hide post-may 29. Sadly you are being schemed to power to help sustain such lies and treasonable misdeeds long after the villains are gone. How sad, how bad! The anointed one, hundreds if not thousands of our compatriots had died in the last two weeks trying to apply what late U.S Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona once said: "extremism in defense of liberty is no vice". May their souls rest in peace! As late President Abraham Lincoln once noted, "if you want to know the true measure and character of a man, give him some power". We know you have been given gubernatorial power in Katsina and you have not abused such privilege or exploit its advantages for selfish ends but it's a different kettle of fish up there in Aso Rock you will agree with me. Enormous powers and resources awaits you Alhaji and care must be taken to be just, equitable and fair in their exercise and distribution. Dear president-elect, allow me to weep for my dear motherland just murdered electorally; allow me to mourn our degeneration! By the spirit of your scrupulous elder brother late Shehu Yar'Adua, in sad remembrance of his untimely death in late Sani Abacha's terror chambers I welcome you to the center-stage of Nigerian voodoo politics. But know for sure that this welcome is without enthusiasm! The patriotic enthusiasm, to be sure, which ought to accompany such 'Bonne arrivé' such 'Bienvenue' (welcome in French) has been sacrificed on disappointing way and manner of your teleguided emergence. The future is therefore fraught with the unknown, beware! Beware please of modern propagandists (a la Dr Goebbel of Hitler's Germany) like Frank Nweke Jnr, Akin Osuntokun and Uba Sani. Beware dear Fulani blue-blood of recycled crooks of Abuja, city of iniquity, convicted and unconvicted! Be fair and firm, just and justice-friendly. May Allah, the Benevolent, Merciful, All-knowing, All-powerful (and not Obasanjo, your 'King Solomon' of a godfather) help you in the onerous task ahead. Allah kemu! ------------ About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a U-K contributor based in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. Email: soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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