Obasanjo-Ogbeh's 1-1 draw
By Reuben Abati
"HAVE you heard the latest?"
"What is that again?".
"I have just read in the papers that Chief Audu Ogbeh has begged Baba"
"Beg who?".
"He was taken by some members of the PDP National Executive to President Obasanjo on Wednesday, and he and the others had to beg the President to please temper justice with mercy and forgive him"
"Forgive him for what?"
"For embarrassing and upsetting the President. For exposing the PDP to ridicule. For writing a disrespectful letter to the President".
"And the man begged?"
"He must have. The National Publicity Secretary of the Party actually issued a statement saying that the misunderstanding between the President, and the Party Chairman has been resolved amicably".
"Another family affair".
"In fact, the President has been quoted as saying that it is a 1-1 draw. Audu Ogbeh wrote him a letter, and he too replied. You wrote, I replied, so it is a 1-1 draw".
"Fire for Fire".
"If you Ogbeh me, I will Obasanjo you".
"The whole thing is a joke. A big, ludicrous show of shame. I feel like laughing but if I start, I won't know when or how to stop".
"Okay, try".
"Don't bother. I am in fact angry. What the PDP has done is to advertise its lack of seriousness as a political party. Why ask Audu Ogbeh to beg the President, whereas the only thing the man has done is to exercise his right of free speech. The party needs to do some soul-searching. Are the PDP members saying that Audu Ogbeh was not speaking for the party whereas his letter is very categorical in that sense?"
"No. The truth is that the party is vindicating Audu Ogbeh. He had said in his letter that many of his colleagues in the party cannot look the President staright in the eye, and tell him the truth".
"It is clear that Audu Ogbeh is not the leader of the party. It is President Obasanjo who is effectively in charge".
"Leader and Emperor".
"But do you believe that Audu Ogbeh actually begged the President?"
"Until he denies it, I am tempted to believe that he actually prostrated and begged for forgiveness".
"The PDP is not a serious party. It must clean up its act".
"Well, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party is holding a series of meetings, but I am afraid that at the end of that meeting, Audu Ogbeh may be removed as Chairman of the party. When the President said their exchange of letters is a 1-1 draw, I don't believe that he means that the game is over. There would be penalty shoot-outs between both sides. If that happens, Audu Ogbeh will be the loser".
"I understand that the PDP NEC meeting is meant to get rid of Audu Ogbeh. He is being accused of mismanaging party funds, violating the party's constitution; and the persons who are asking for his head, are insisting that the entire National Working Committee should be suspended, and a caretaker committee appointed in its place".
"Well... well, well..."
"Even if Audu Ogbeh escapes an attempt on his office, those who want to deal with him would have made their point. Making him struggle to keep his chair in the party is a strong message. And we do not need a soothsayer to know that his offence is his trying to assert himself, and attempting to measure himself against the President".
"Yeah, it is the law of power in display. No man of power allows my competitor around the throne. There can be no two kings on the throne. If you challenge the king, and ridicule him openly, you risk death, removal, disgrace or comtempt."
"But where are those other aggrieved PDP members that Audu Ogbeh was referring to in his letter to the President"?
"In the game of power the underdog is often the victim. The king would always have more supporters, particularly if the enemy is an individual."
"Particularly, if the king is surrounded by men without principles".
"You are moralising. The PDP is a party with a moral burden. It is a party where everybody preaches morality, without any intention to show personal examples"
"Candidly, I think Audu Ogbeh should act honourably. If I were in his shoes, I will resign. I won't wait around to be humiliated. If he had resigned as soon as his letter became public knowledge, he would have made his point more effectively, public sympathy would be on his side and..."
"My brother, this is Nigeria. It is not that easy".
"But when will he not be removed, eventually? He should learn from history. The President starts by supporting a particular person as Chairman of the PDP, but eventually, he gets rid of him, the moment he tries to be assertive".
"The President does not even need to carry out the elimination himself. There are people in Abuja,and in the party whose main business is to read the big man's mood. Once, they know how his mind is working, they go to work".
"Like the mind-reader who wrote the President's reply to Audu Ogbeh".
"A terrible piece, totally unbecoming of the office of the President of Nigeria, and Chairman of the African Union".
"A stream of consciousness piece of verbiage, without rhyme or reason".
"The President avoided the issues raised by Audu Ogbeh and opted for abuse".
"You know, I have had to take a third look at that letter; I am concerned that there are a number of issues in it that the President, the PDP and all of us as Nigerians must not allow to go away".
"The PDP is trying to sweep the letters under the carpet. They are speaking of reconciliation".
"Well, I am talking about the people's right to know".
"So?"
"One"
"Yes, One"
"The President has confessed that he was instrumental to former Governor Mbadinuju's exit from the PDP. He decided on behalf of the people of Anambra State that Mbadinuju could no longer serve as Governor. Then, he accepted Ngige; who one way or the other emerged as Governor. After Ngige got into office, he, the President decided to set up an Elders Advisory Committee to assist the Governor in ruling the State. And he directed that the Committee should be funded directly from Aso Villa. Now, what does this say about the President? Who gave him such powers to take over the running of a state?"
"The President's letter is a Freudian misadventure. It is full of too many slips".
"Two, Ngige and his godfather, Chris Uba confessed in his presence that the 2003 elections in Anambra were rigged. Ngige even admitted that he did not win the election. But rather than do something about this, the President boasts that he ordered the two men to leave his residence! So, does he expect us to clap for him?"
"The President is saying that he is an accessory to electoral fraud".
"Before and after the fact, as it were".
"What he has said in his letter is that the 2003 elections were fraudulent. Whoever wrote the letter for him overlooked the fact that the Gubernatorial and Presidential elections were held at the same time, on the same day, and so?"
"The President must have written that letter himself".
"You can't be too sure. Whether he wrote it or not, is beside the point. It is his act, that is what is important".
"Very sad. The election monitors and observers who noted that the 2003 elections presented the world with new and exciting methods of electoral fraud have been vindicated".
"Ngige has since replied the President. He has more or less suggested that the President is telling a white lie".
"The man who has been vindicated is Peter Obi, the APGA candidate, who is widely believed to have won the election in Anambra state. There is an Election Petition Tribunal looking into the Anambra Gubernatorial Election. What is the Tribunal still waiting for?"
"In fact, what are the people of Anambra waiting for?"
"How?"
"Look at what is happening in Ukraine. Nigerians have a lot to learn from Ukrainians. They are saying that the Presidential election in their country was rigged in favour of the incumbent President. They have not only refused to accept the result as declared, they are out there on the streets campaigning for the man they voted for".
"Voter power. But to get to that point in the Anambra crisis, the people need to be educated".
"What education do the people of Anambra need? In Nigeria, we also have our own history of civil society insisting on its right to choose".
"May be the people of Anambra are indifferent".
"If you are indifferent, then you can never make a diffrence even in your own affairs. And, where does that leave Peter Obi, the APGA Gubernatorial man"
"The Tribunal".
"How many rulings have been given by Election Petition Tribunals in the last one year? Those rulings are routinely ignored".
"What do you expect? You know the President in his letter said he had taken judicial note of Audu Ogbeh's threats about the likelihood of a coup".
"Judicial notice? When did the President become a court of law?"
"Precisely, what we are saying".
"Then, he says the media is sponsored, particularly the print media".
"I think he meant that as a compliment".
"What compliment? The man is saying that journalists have been compromised".
"He can say what he likes. It is no news. But did he not also confess in that letter that he is always out of the country at critical moments?".
"Somehow, I pity Audu Ogbeh".
"Save your sympathy. If it is true that the man actually went to beg the President, to save his job, to save his neck, to save his face, then he owes the Nigerian public an explanation. Is he withdrawing his letter? Is he disowning the contents of the letter? Is he also blaming the media for blowing the issue out of proportion?"
"They have reduced serious national issues into a personal tango, a football match".
"1-1 draw. Imagine that. Well. I am not surprised by the President's use of football imagery. Afterall, he only recently met with the victorious Enyimba team".
"Look. Let's talk about something else. What are your plans for Xmas?"
"I have no plans. It is so surprising how the year has ended so quickly".
"I am not surprised but amused".
"Like your friend?'
"There are no hampers, this year at all. It is such a dry season".
"People are saving their money to use it to buy petrol, kerosene and diesel. The banks are looking for N25 billion. Other companies are not so sure of what will happen in 2005, so they are saving what they have".
"Not even one hamper, oh".
"How many have you, sent out yourself?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you".
"Okay, how about you?"
"Ah, have you not heard that in Abeokuta fowl thieves have taken over the town as we prepare for Xmas? In the last few days alone, 20 young men have been arrested stealing other people's fowls".
"You are making this up".
"I read the story in the Daily Champion".
"Why would anybody steal fowls for God's sake?"
"Abject poverty, that is why. The young men confessed that they do not have money to buy fowl for Xmas, so, they have to help themselves".
"A fowl is about N1,000".
"In fact, you can still get a nice-looking cockerel for N650 only".
"We have problems in this country oh".
"That is what the PDP as a party should be talking about. We want a majority party that is interested in the people's welfare, not petty politics".
"Saying that is like preaching to the deaf".
"Na wah O".
"Well, well..."
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