WILL THE STRANGE, GANG-UP BY THESE ARMY GENERALS WORK AGAINST PRESIDENT JONATHAN By Iyke Nwambie Generals Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) and Muhammadu Buhari(GMB) have remained daily names within the political-psych e of the Nigerian nation. They say what catches their fancy whenever they want to. They tell Nigerians who to vote for during every election year, and when they lose out in the power-games at Aso rock, they do a quick 360-degrees and begin to galvanize the unthinking portion of the Nigerian teeming masses against their former proteges. In case you have forgotten, it was the likes of IBB who after telling us that Chief Moshood Abiola could not rule Nigeria due to reasons best known to him and his military cabal, chose to rehabilitate OBJ in an attempt to appease the overtly offended great people of Yorubaland. And when OBJ reneged on their power- sharing formula by going for a second term in office, IBB said: ...The north cannot put all their eggs in one basket like they did before... Unfortunately for IBB, OBJ bulldozed his way through using all the appurtenances of incumbency to his advantage. OBJ eventually pacified IBB by supporting the late Umaru YarAdua (after the Nigerian senate failed to amend the constitution for a third term in office). And within a couple of months of witnessing YarAduas slow-but-determ ined leadership, it was obvious that IBB was the one calling the shots through President YarAdua (late) instead of OBJ. That obviously irked OBJ beyond words as he watched his much vaunted legacies disappear gradually through the new acts of President Yar Adua. And when OBJ saw the opportunity to fight back, he did by telling YarAdua to quit if his health was failing him. That act ignited a series of public reactions which led to the emergence of the incumbent President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ). GEJ interestingly, happens to be the very opposite of these Generals. He refused to interfere with the results of any elections which led to his party, PDP, loosing about four states in quick successions to the opposition parties, he refused to see politics as a do- or-die affair like OBJ once boasted, he maintained that his ambition was not worth the death of anyone unlike one of the Generals, General Muhammadu or Mohammed Buhari (I was told that they were both one and the same thing) who openly told every ear that cared to listen concerning what would happen if he failed to win through his ...blood of baboon... speech. Now, before you wander off on what the import of this submission is all about. I want you to know that it is all about the sudden re-grouping of these Generals for an all- time political offensive against what they have called corruption in leadership. And in their school of thought, General Buhari is the one that can salvage the Nigerian system. Take for instance, when OBJ was asked about General Buharis certificate saga, he said, ...Once a General, always a General...It is not Abati or Okupe...that will tell General Buhari what to do... When he was reminded about General Buharis inability to stop corruption in a small agency like the PTF (OBJ scrapped the PTF) which led to the embezzlement of over 25 billion naira under General Buharis watch, OBJ said, ...Buhari was not liable for that... What OBJ was trying to say was: Yes, Buhari should not be blamed for that embezzlement because it was carried out by those under him in an agency he was directly the head...Yet, President Jonathan is the one that should account for the embezzlements in the different Local governments, State governments and Ministries carried out by those under him. When the opinion of General Babangida was sought on who should lead Nigeria next, he said: ...We have a sense of espirit-de-cor ps in the military... When GMB visited him, he said, ...Old soldiers never die, they fade...You have not faded...The military will back you up...The Generals are for you... When he was asked about the loyalty of the military to his claims..and the possibility of President Jonathan rigging the elections, he said, ...All the people in power today that you see, are boys to our boys...So, they will not rig the elections. It is noteworthy that all these men are able to say all these flip-flops because of the gentle temperaments of President GEJ. Well, IBB should not worry about rigging the elections because GEJ has shown again and again that transparent elections can be carried out in Nigeria through his enviable records contrary to OBJ who once said, ...Even if Jesus Christ was was to conduct elections in Nigeria, that election will still be rigged... So, while Nigerians are listening to the words of these Generals, the question that will remain in the hearts and lips of right-thinking - Nigerians are: 1. Why must these men who ought to be enjoying their retirements with grace like General Gowon is doing, (having contributed immensely to the sub-optimal state of the Nigerian nation) be allowed to continue to dictate their selfish and short- sighted preferences to us? 2. What is the wisdom in voting for a Buhari who never showed strong leadership even as a Military head of state suddenly become the toast of these Generals? 3. Why should General Babangida who toppled General Buhari for incompetence be listened to at this time? 4. Does General Buhari understand a lick of what is going on in the world today? 5. How can Nigeria command the respect of the outside world with a Buhari who is better-known for entrusting leadership on his subordinates? It is these posers and several others that led me to the conclusion that: Though, President Jonathan might not have scored 100 percent on all counts, he still towers far above a General Buhari who is still struggling to remember the correct names of his running mate. May God bless Nigeria! Iyke Nwambie Dr Iyke Nwambie is the President of The Advancement Ministries Inc.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 23:49:30 +0000
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