Sorry, its not
about Barrack Obama, who since after America's Super Tuesday, has given all
black men the faith to re-believe that dreams do come true and a man is judged
by the content of his ideas, character and not the colour of his skin. Nigeria's
super Tuesday is on 26th 2008
On Tuesday February 26th, two great events will take place. One is a microcosim of
the macrocosim. Whatever be the out come, it will affect me, if it doesn’t break
my heart, it will scratch it and sure must leave an indelible scar.
Within my own little world, the Registrar general of Corporate Affairs
Commission (CAC) has called for a meeting to address the hydra-headed problems
confronting CAC. We salute the courage of the RG to dream up this idea. In as
much as we have misgivings about the venue, we encourage all lawyers to attend
and bare their minds. Our misgivings over the venue-Shehu Musa Yar’Adua
Center, is hinged on the fact that about a year ago, the CAC online programme was
midwifed at this centre and since this premature delivery, the online
registration suffered the faith of African child-malnutrition and death. Taking
us to this centre gives one a feeling of dejavu.
The other event that will take place on Tuesday the 26th of February, is the
delivery of the Court Appeal sitting in an electoral capacity over the infamous
Iwu doctored April 2007 General (s) Elections in Nigeria. A lot has been said
about the outcome and the reaction of President Yar’Adua. While others opine
that the president will not seek re-election based on fear of one way ticket to
Germany to cure cold; he will not appeal the judgment, this writer is of the
opinion that PDP will never allow him. After all the Supreme court in Amaechi Vs
PDP & Others ruled that it is the political party that contests election. So
whether Yar’Adua refuses to contest the re-run, PDP will still hoist a candidate
from the North-East, where the party has zoned the presidency.
The members of the Yar’Adua is doing well school of thought, believes that if a
fresh election is organised, Yar’Adua will win free and fair. This argument is
anchored on the fanatical zeal with which Yar’Adua’s administration is
dismantling the ‘legacies’ of Obasanjo. According to the radical wing of this
school of thought, the tribunal will rule in favour of Yar’Adua and PDP. I
differ with these argument.
Let me take on the radical die hard faithfuls. The lower tribunals have removed
five(5) governors, unmarked Mark the Senate president, who are all product of
the same election that vomited Ya’Aradua on us. Doesn’t logic and common sense
explain that a paper used to wrap salt, is salty? Weren’t some of the elections
discredited by the tribunals done on the same day with Yar’Adua’s? Did INEC
change staff to conduct presidential election? Did places where PDP was indicted
of rigging, only rigged for the Senator and not the presidential election?
The wise men at the tribunal, should borrow a leaf from their brothers at the
lower tribunals, continue to reinforce the new found faith of Nigerians in the
judicial system and ...(its prejudice to rule for the court). Their fearless
ruling will have a ripple effect on other states, whose tribunal is yet to rule.
Yar’Adua’s winning of a bye election(?), is as a result of dearth of viable
opposition in Nigeria. In well over 6 months into Aso Rock, Yar’Adua has not
fulfilled any of his electoral promises. The energy sector has gone from
epileptic to comatose. The joy of this administration is reversalism, running a
relay race backward. I am not holding forth for OBJ, Fan-Kayode, Remi Oyo, Nweke Jr
and diminutive El-Rufian are still alive to defend what their administration did
while in government.
For non-developing nations like Nigeria, continuity of governmental policies is
the express way out of the woods. These policies may not have been the best, but
it behoves on the masses, to prompt their representatives, to repeal this or
that. But with the executive fiat Yar’Adua is turning the apple cart, one cannot
but smell rat that this administration is waging an economic terrorist attack on
a sector of the rich class without the interest of the masses at the base of the
ladder. What becomes of the shares of impoverished Nigerians in these companies
the government has rolled over? Should Yar’Adua win a re-election, rejoice not
Nigerian, for then will your sorrows multiply. In the sense that the real Musa
will emerge without fear of election petition, or the hairy hands from Ota Zoo.
Should Yar’Adua lose, the opposition should make the removal of Iwu as a sina
qua non to participating in any bye-election. All the resident commissioners who
per-took in the conduct of the ignoble election, should be relieved of their jobs.
As a matter of National urgency, they should not take part in Kogi, which is the
litmus test.
