abdulraheem
One of the privilegeds of working in Abuja has been the opportunity to meet and study from very closely quarters, those who run our country or wield the influences of power. Over the past six years, I have come to know Atiku Abubakar and General Babangida, at that closely personal level as warm and incredibly generous human being. I have not always agreed with their politics, but who on earth can ignore their places in our national life? At least, there was one thing they did which was very courageous, and that was to oppose the third term agenda of the most despicable human being ever to rule Nigeria, the disgraced despot, Olusegun Obasanjo. We might add that through Obasanjo, they suffered the same collateral damage inflicted upon Nigeria, by the man that they brought to power in 1999. The fact that they joined us to oppose his agenda to impose a lifetime in power on all of us was a major act of restitution of their pasts. The most recent story is that Obasanjo is making a desperate effort to reach a rapprochement with Atiku Abubakar and Generals Babangida and T.Y. Danjuma. These three individuals played a portal role in his emergence as president, but as treacherous as ever, Obasanjo betrayed them and did everything to humiliate them. Out of power, facing the reality of life as the most despicable, most hated figure in Nigeria, the despot is cornered like a rat, and knowing that his political options are narrowing by the minute, he is reaching out to the people who he did everything to humiliate while in power. Obasanjo is what the Americans will call a S.O.B! (pardon me please) who believes he could eat his cake and very will have it whole again. I was reliably informed that it was Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu who first adviced the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar to reject whatever approaches Obasanjo made! What is happening is that Obasanjo believes these individuals (Atiku, Danjuma and Babangida) are suckers, and they could still be persuaded against their own experiences and better judgement, to join in the evil scheme he is plotting to isolate and destroy Umar Yar’Adua, the president he imposed, but who has decided to do things in ways Obasanjo does not approve of. This note is therefore to urge Atiku Abubakar and General Babangida to reject the overtures from Obasanjo. What should be done is to destroy the power base he tried to create within the PDP, through the Amadu Ali-led Executive of the party. Obasanjo is a political leper, who should not be seen in some political environments. His preferred candidates for the party leadership, starting with Sam Egwu, should be decisively defeated, whenever the convention is called. Obasanjo himself should be thrown out as BOT chairman; he is too damaged and is The Writings of a Media Life. such a despicable character, that he would be better spending his last, unhappy days, in his old prison cell in Yola. If Atiku Abubakar and General Babangida accept Obasanjo’s overtures, they would be helping to destroy whatever remains of our hope for the future of Nigeria.
