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The Whirlwind of April 2003 General Elections:
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the Spilt Milk
by
Obinna Okoro
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We had a pact!! Yes, I shall abide by the pact!
We shall not field a candidate; you shall be our consensus candidate, but only in the presidential election? It
is okay by me! This was what transpired between the Afenifere/AD and President Mathew Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo of
the PDP.
At the beginning of the alliance of all alliances; someone said that the pact is not binding on him; He was ostracized.
But; Alas!! Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu is finally the winner. Now who fooled whom.
The whirlwind started with signs of the unknown and many versions of political maneuvers trailed the transition
from civil rule to civil rule in Nigeria. We saw campaigns and counter-campaigns, accusations and counter-accusations,
as politicians tried to discredit one another but the greatest shocker of all this electioneering process was the
alliance between the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and President Olusegun Obasanjo, not even with the Peoples' Democratic
Party (PDP).
Why is it a shocker? Many may ask; well it was not because the word alliance is new to politics, but because if
fair-play was to be followed, the alliance should have been between the AD and the All Nigeria Peoples' Party (ANPP),
since it was the ANPP (then the All Peoples' Party 'APP') who deprived their 1999 party flag bearer, Dr. Ogbonnaya
Onu, from contesting in order to make way for Chief Olu Falae of the AD all in the name of "an AD/APP Alliance".
Big Betrayal people may say, but wait a minute the greater betrayal was on the way for the "Allied Forces,"
and it started on April 12, 2003, and climaxed on April 19, 2003, and a lot of cry for betrayal followed it. NO!
DON'T CRY OVER SPILT MILK.
Don't cry! Oh' Afenifere/AD, for the fear of the Betrayer is the beginning of Wisdom; All hail Gov. Bola Tinubu,
the "Black Sheep that became the Winner;" he new what was at stake and refused to take the risk of being
TRIBAL over political matters. Tribe! That great Discriminator; Tribe!! The great Barrier to the Human Race; Tribe!!!
The Conqueror of Friendship; Tribe!!!! The Mother of Enmity; Tribe!!!!! The Father of Greed; Tribe!!!!!! The Lover
of Bad things; Tribe!!!!!!! The Cause of all Wars; Tribe!!!!!!!! The wrong Bride of all Mankind. TRIBE is the foundation
of the latest cry of political betrayal in Nigeria, a betrayal of kinsmen by a kinsman; (of Afenifere and ousted
AD Governors by President Obasanjo).
"The east wind always leaves catastrophe in its trail; it is the ill-wind." That was the warning of the
Most Revered, Pastor Tunde Bakare to Nigerians, the South West particularly, in his interview to THE WEEK Magazine
of November 4, 2002. Vol, 17 No. 5; I remember his song in Yoruba in that interview the song went thus (A o merin
joba eweku ewele), now how can we get the Elephants Tusk with which to cure the sick Lion King? (Embattled President
Obasanjo), it is only by killing the Elephant (Alliance against the rest of Nigeria), I also remembered the Great
Prophet of God ending that interview part one on page 23, with the warning "South West Beware." So don't
cry over spilt milk, the Prophet warned you.
If you cry, does it then mean that you never knew your Son too well before going into alliance with him? Well,
if not, then know now; that he is the Schemer, the master Gambler, the Originator of broken Accords, and the greatest
political Maradona.
Don't cry over spilt milk; for Betrayal begets Betrayal!! The Afenifere/AD betrayed the ANPP by not paying them
back their 1999 generosity with a 2003 alliance even when the APP had more States in 1999 than the AD. Your 2003
betrayal of the ANPP and Nigerians have caused you five former AD States (Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti) leaving
the AD with only Lagos State, where Gov. Bola Tinubu retained due to his complete disapproval of the Afenifere/AD
alliance with Mr. President; Kudos Gov. Ahmed Bola Tinubu; "A o merin joba eweku ewele". Since this
betrayal of the century is that of Yoruba versus Yoruba, the cry of foul-play would not be so strong and taken
Afar; if it were to be from another tribe, then we may have been getting set for the emergence of another Operation
WETIE; YES!! Another NADECCO.
In 1993 when Chief Ernest Shonekon betrayed the peoples' mandate (June 12) by accepting to head the Interim Nation
Government (ING), No much cry against injustice; in turn, Chief Moshood Abiola (the peoples' apostle of June12)
betrayed the ING in a secret pact with Gen. Sanni Abacha (we all watched him (Abiola) on the television congratulating
Gen. Abacha for ousting Chief Shonekon's ING), yet no cry against injustice; but when the "Tormentor"
Gen. Abacha betrayed M.K.O., we had a resisting "CHILD" in the form of NADECCO. Don't cry over spilt
milk, it is just retributive JUSTICE.
Today, Afenifere and the AD have accepted the outcome of the April 19, 2003 elections; in other words, they have
accepted betrayal by their own son and in real sense seems to be saying, "It is our son, so no qualms".
Consequently, the outgoing Governor of Ogun State, Gov. Olusegun Oshoba seems the most confused in the pack of
the losers as he is accepting the result and at the same time disapproving it. One thing is sure and certain in
all these political dramas (Apology to Dr. Chuba Okadigbo) unfolding in the South West, and that is that the AD
is Politically finished by the outcome of the current scheme of things in the South West. This marks the end of
AWOISM in Yoruba Politics.
If the current reports by the International observers that witnessed the elections, especially the one by the respected
Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim (former Secretary General of the O.A.U.) is anything to go by especially the particular mention
of Rivers, Enugu and Bayelsa States, then the whole elections is a complete fraud and Nigeria is a shame in the
eyes of the world and democratic processes. One would have to submit that the 2003 elections was against the wishes
of the masses and then should be discarded as a fraud or better a coup against the masses and a big mockery to
the whole act of Democracy.
While "consoling" the Afenifere/AD on the loss of their political prowess, I would love to posit that
the will of the generality of Nigerians be done, and that will is for the whole 2003 general elections be canceled
and immediately be redone or the conveyance of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) for the discussion of Nigeria
since the current "Republic" is elapsing.
Remember, the Masses are King in all aspect; don't let them revolt.
Thank you,
Obinna Okoro
Rescue Chambers, Port Harcourt.
The Whirlwind of April 2003 General Elections:
the Spilt Milk
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