Mariam Mariam
A week can be a very long time in politics; that ha become a common place statement now. The past week has been a truly noteworthy one for the Nigerian political elite, as a denouncement of a sort was reached at many levels. Of course, the eventual expulsion of Particia Olubunmi Etteh was just a matter of time for any discerning observer of the cloak and dagger world of politics.
It was also good to hear that the former Speaker singled out the Nigeria media as the main source of her travails. I think the Nigerian media as the main source of her travails. I think the Nigerian media has acquitted itself very well in that long-running controversy around the renovation scandal in the House of Representatives. The media kept at the story, we stayed on top of the intrigues, and in the process opened up all the apertures to the depth of rot and sleaze which characterize Nigeria’s political system. What the Nigerian media has done in that case is in tune with the constitutional role of the media, which obliges the media to hold the institutions of government accountable to the Nigerian people.
For Mrs Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, the persistence of the media was “an enemy action”, which eventually led to her removal as the Speaker of the House of Represntatives.It was in the same manner that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and all those connected with the third term agenda found the Nigerian media such a nut to crack really. But by exposing the sleaze in the House of Representatives or exposing the third term agenda, the Nigerian media merely played the role expected of us by the Nigerian constitution. The importance of the institution of the media as a leading element of civil society was also clearly reinforced as that institution which stands up squarely to defend the interest of the Nigerian people.
Underlining the various issues of politics that we are witnessing playing themselves out today is the need to break the yoke of authoritarian control of the political space, which has been the lot of Nigeria since 1999. Obasanjo and his garrison politicians ruled Nigeria with an iron fist and consequently made it difficult to evolve genuinely democratic expression within the nation’s political process. Because recruitment of leadership did not need the most basic elements of transparency, often Nigeria became saddled with the lowest common denominator in the choices foisted on us as a people. The worst culprit in this strange scenario has been the ruling PDP, especially when Obasanjo ruled the roost. The political process has therefore been caught up in the crises of conquest of the PDP began soon after the 2003 elections.
It is quite clear that the impostors at the head of the PDP led by “Garrison Ali”( to borrow the apt description by our Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka), did not read the mood within the house of Representatives and neither did they understand how disgusted the Nigerian people have been with the bullying tactics of the Obasanjo era. Doctor Amadu Ali responded to the exposure of the sleaze around Patricia Olubunmi Etteh by hurling threats at members of the House of Representatives, and without even allowing th process of investigation to commence, he declared that Etteh was not guilty of any crime. It was the flippancy of Ali amongst several other factors, which eventually hardened the resolve of the opposition elements within the Integrity Group to press on with the effort to terminate Etteh’s leadership of the House. The Obasanjo group within the PDP badly miscalculated the desire for a radical move away from the Obasanjo method in the practice of politics in the new era. Obasanjo’s style is far too reviled for Ahmadu Ali and the enforcers to get their way with the members of the political elite.
The revolt against the directives issued by the PDP in respect of Etteh’s place as the Speaker and when that failed to shift the grounds of the opposition, the PDP apparatus moved to impose a candidate as the successor speaker of the House of Represntatives. But even in that process, Doctor Amadu Ali and his fellow travelers got eggs thrown in their faces. Ordinarily, the revolt in the National Assembly should tell the PDP apparatchiks that they have become a total liability to members of the party and Nigerian in general. It was therefore not a surprise to learn that members of the Integrity Group have resolved to carry their offensive to the convention to choose a new leadership for the PDP. I think this is a particularly fortuitous moment in Nigeria’s political life. The issues are very interesting, as they come together so very telling.
In the first place, the president of the country faces a legitimacy challenge arising out of the flawed process which produced him; and in fairness to the man, he recognizes that his occupation of the highest political office has alienated the Nigerian people as well as having devalued, if not discredited, the political process. Given the weight of his position, he chose to operate within some parameters of decency contrary to what his sponsors had probably hoped for. I think that Malam Umaru Yar’ Adua realized that the circumstances in Nigeria has become so delicately poised that it was not possible to continue with the old ways of doing things. That is why observance of due process became the reigning mantra of the past few months. At least, that posture has earned some sympathy from the aggrieved people of Nigeria who are still angry at the way that the aggrieved people of Nigeria who are still angry at that combination of the PDP, INEC and security forces massively rigged the 2007 elections.
In trying to respond to the new realities in Nigeria, Umar Musa Yar’ Adua’s posture has emboldened those who want a break with the authoritarian approach which has damaged the nation’s political process. On the other hand, the Obasanjo clique has watched with increasing alarm the gradual disintegration of the “house of horror” which they craftily and cynically constructed over the past couple of years. The removal of Etteh has shown that it was possible to even rout the Obasanjo tendency once and for all. A coalition of some sort has built, salivating for the blood of of the old dictator and all that he ever stood for. All those that Obasanjo did wrong, ridiculed or disgraced now have common cause to demystify the disgraced despot. The arena of struggle has moved firmly into the recesses of the PDP.
This is the background to understand the plea by “Garrison Ali” THAT Obasanjo be forgiven for all the crimes he might have committed against individuals in the course of his disastrous eight years of power. Amadu Ali has been forced by circumstances to pretend to be eating humble pie. He has been forced by the dizzying pace of events to confront the new reality which is unfolding even within the PDP. The older order that Dr Amadu Ali represents is so discredited that all tendencies are massing to do away with it once and for all. If the media is to be believed,even Malam Umar Yar ‘Adua is so exasperated by the Obasanjo tendency within the party that he might not be disposed to wielding the big stick on their behalf in the contest for the soul of the party. In case, a wily political operative that he is, Umar if he is seen to be openly endorsing the platform which Obasanjo represents in the present circumstances.
Unfortunately for all of us, we cannot ignore the goings-on within the PDP.It remains the biggest political machinery in our country even if it is a discredited, authoritarian, vote-rigging contraption. The truth is that it came into being in the first place within the context of some lofty idealism at its inception. It turned into a danger against democracy in the hands of Obasanjo and his gang. So, if the Integrity Group and other elements want to build a new coalition to rescue the “rational kernel” within the PDP, we can only wish them well for the sake of our democratic process. I hope that translates into a decisive defeat for all the candidates sponspored by Obasanjo, starting from Sam Egwu.
One of the most interesting statements affirming the intention to help democratic survival in Nigeria came from Honorable Justice Katsina- Alu in the judgement which reinstated Rotimi Amaechi as the Governor of Rivers State. The learned Justice had underlined the fact that the judiciary will not allow technicalities of law to becloud the substantial issues of justice in the nation’s judicial process. It is a point that we must applaud, because it could open an avenue to the building and consolidation of a democratic culture in our country. An activisit judiciary is helping us to unravel the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In the midst of all of these developments, I am tempted to conclude by talking about the “Atiku Abubakar effect” on the nationa’s political process. The former Vice President turned to Nigeria the other day to confront clearly difficult times within the political coalition which he cobbled together as a survival platform. The roots of that platform must be located in the truly spirited fight which the Turankin Adamawa led against led against Obasanjo’s third term agenda. It is testimony to his incredible political staying power and his dogged belief in the judicial process that Atiku Abubakar took his battle against the vindictive politics and illegal use of excutive power by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. Case after the other, the illegalities were nullified by the courts. I think this affirmation of belief in the rule of law became Atiku Abubakar’s greatest contribution to our political process and democratic consolidation. Those indeed are the interesting dimensions to politics.
