In this report, TOPE FAYEHUN x-rays the cries of the ex-generals against the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming presidential election
The recent outburst of some Nigeria’s former leaders against the re-election bid of President Mohammadu Buhari may likely create serious hurdles for him to overcome as he prepares to take another shot at the presidency at the February 16 presidential poll.
Although the president and most of his supporters are leaving no stone unturned in achieving his aim of returning for a second term in office, without mincing words, certain people and political players determine who gains power in any election in Africa’s most populous nation.
Currently, apart from some opposition parties coming together to form a political coalition, that is, (CUPP) which aimed at preventing him from winning a second consecutive term in the forthcoming elections, some leaders who were not equally satisfied with his style of governance, are also hell-bent on stopping him.
No doubt about the fact that the likes of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, amongst others, who were said to have assisted the President to defeat the former president Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, are allegedly opposing his reelection bid this time.
Pundits are of the opinion that President Mohammadu Buhari was able to secure 53.9 percent of the total votes cast in 2015 to become the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent at the ballot box with contributions of the former generals who believed then that he belongs to their camp. No doubt, his victory over former President Goodluck Jonathan prompted spontaneous celebrations among supporters, including people from the same constituency, ( that is ), former military officers across the country.
But now, the table has turned against the president. According to information gathered by LEADERSHIP, the crux of other ex-generals, who are not members of the ruling APC in the country against him this time, apart from Obasanjo who some political observers said has personal scores to settle with him, was said to have been based on the issue of insecurity. Most of them frowned at the inability of the president to curtail the growing trend of insecurity across the country, especially in their various domain.
For instance, Danjuma, last year accused the Nigerian military of prejudice, urging people to defend themselves, rather than rely entirely on the institution for protection.
The former Chief of Army Staff, at the maiden convocation of Taraba state university, said the state has over the years witnessed alleged killings by armed herdsmen.
The retired General who then charged Nigerians to depend less on the Armed Forces, which according to him “are now biased in their operations,”expressed regret that the institution, which used to be a shield for citizens, irrespective of religion, tribe or political party affiliation, has descended into partisanship.
According to the former Minister of Defence, the Armed Forces now “collude with armed bandits” to attack innocent Nigerians,” he said, warning: “If you depend on them to stop the killings, you will all die one by one.”
He urged the people to rise up and “protect themselves” from killings by “ethnic cleansers.” He cautioned that unless there is a rethink in the way the military carries out its duties, “Somalia will be a child’s play.”
He said: “Defend your country, defend your state and defend yourselves.” He stressed that since the people have nowhere else to go, they must “collectively resist any attempt that would frustrate the growth of the country.”
Even, the statement recently credited to the former Chief of Army Staff where he raised the alarm over an alleged plot to rig next month’s general elections, was not personal.
In the said statement, Danjuma, while describing democracy in the country as primitive, claimed there was a plan to cause unrest that would make some states ungovernable in order to manipulate the elections.
He warned the people of Taraba to protect their votes to prevent electoral fraud, saying, “We must work hard for peace in addition to just registering and obtaining our Permanent Voter Cards.
“There is no need to fight one another because they will use the police and soldiers to destabilise us and rig the elections. It is in our best interest to ensure there is peace. Those behind this plot know that they will not win elections if there is peace. I am calling on you not to sell your votes because you will be selling your birthright if you do so.”
He said “we are on the eve of the election and if you want another four years for our able governor, we must work for peace. “Those who do not wish us well will want us to fight ourselves, then they will use soldiers and police to destabilize us and rig the election. “It will be in our best interest to ensure there is peace.
But in the case of Obasanjo, obviously, being a former president, he has his personal grievances against the APC-led administration of President Mohammadu Buhari, according to the investigation.
For the umpteenth time, the former President berated the Buhari-led APC government, accusing it, among others, of planning to rig February presidential polls in favour of ruling party.
Obasanjo, who made the accusation at a press conference in Otta, Ogun state, advised Nigerians to appreciate Buhari for the little he has done, and allow him to go home peacefully.
The former president, who also faulted the administration’s handling of the insurgency and related security challenges, also accused the federal government of empowering Boko Haram fighters via the payment of ransom in dollars.
On the alleged plan by the Buhari administration to rig the forthcoming election, Obasanjo said: “President Buhari and his hatchet men in the coming election think that the judiciary must be primed in their favour. Hence, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, has been harassed and prosecuted for non-declaration of his assets without following the constitution and the law, just to make him confirm or set him aside for a Buhari man to take over or act, as President Buhari and his people believe no stone should be left unturned to rig Buhari in.
“It seems to be a ploy to intimidate the judiciary as a whole in preparation for all election cases that will go before them. Where and how will all these stops? Typically, with overwhelming outrage and condemnation, we are told that the Presidency denied knowledge of the action. But the vice-president told us that the president knew of the action on Saturday night for everything that has been prepared for Monday morning. Haba VP, it doesn’t happen that way.
“Nobody should take such measure against any of the four in the hierarchy below the president or any of his ministers without his knowledge and indeed his approval. But if that can happen to the Chief Justice of the Federation, the fifth man in the hierarchy of government, without the knowledge let alone the approval of the president, then it speaks for the type of government we have, which means the president is not in charge, let alone being in control, and no Nigerian must take anything for granted.
“A constitutional liberal democracy cannot thrive without an independent and insulated judiciary from the executive and the legislature. Nigerians must wake up and stop these acts of wanton desperation tantamount to mental incapacity to run the affairs of Nigeria wholesomely.
“Life and living are anchored on trust. But if I trust you and you deceive, cheat or disappoint me the first time, it is shame on you. However, if I allow you to do so the same thing for me the second time, I do not only have myself to blame, I must be regarded as a compound fool.
“Buhari has succeeded in deceiving us the first time and we will be fools to allow ourselves to be deceived the second time. Buba Galadima, who knows Buhari very well as a confidant and National Secretary of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, the Buhari’s party before it joined in forming All Progressives Congress, APC, has warned us this time around that no matter what he promises, he cannot change his character and attitude. He describes him as inflexible, insincere, dubious, intolerant, never accepts responsibility when things go wrong and impervious to reason and advice for a change.”
Likening the APC-led government to Abacha regime, Obasanjo, who was jailed over alleged coup plot under the regime, recalled that “at the height of Abacha’s desperation for perpetual power, he did not brook any criticism because Nigeria was seen as his personal property. You must go along with him or be destroyed. All institutions for ensuring security, welfare, and well-being of Nigeria and Nigerians, particularly the police, the military and the Department of State Services (DSS), were abused and misused to deal with critics of Abacha and non-conformists with Abacha.
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“Today, another Abacha era is here. The security institutions are being misused to fight all critics and opponents of Buhari and to derail our fledgling democracy. EFCC, police, and Code of Conduct Tribunal are also being equally misused to deal with those Buhari sees as enemies for criticising him, or as those who may not do his bidding in manipulating election results. Criticism, choice and being different are the inherent trade mark of democracy. If democracy is derailed or aborted, anarchy and authoritarianism will automatically follow.
“Today, as in the day of Abacha, Nigerians must rise up and do what they did in the time of Abacha. Churches and Mosques prayed.”
On the activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he said: “The transmission and collation of results are subject to interference, manipulation, and meddling. If the INEC’s favorite political party wins with all the above infractions, the result will be conclusively declared and if not, there will be a ‘rerun’, the result of which is known before it is carried out. I know that I am not alone in being skeptical about the integrity of INEC and its ability to act creditably and above board. But we are open to being convinced otherwise.
“The joke about INEC would seem real. The INEC was asked if the commission was ready for the election and if it expects the election to be free, fair and credible. The INEC man is reported as saying in response, “we are ready with everything including the results!” God save Nigeria! It is up to Nigerians to ensure that the redline is not crossed in safeguarding our fledgling democracy. And if crossed, appropriate action must be taken not to allow our democracy to be derailed.
“I personally have serious doubt about the present INEC’s integrity, impartiality and competence to conduct a fair, free and credible election. And if the INEC is willing, will the ruling party and government allow it? From what we saw and knew about Osun state gubernatorial election, what was conclusive was declared inconclusive despite all advice to the contrary. The unnecessary rerun, if viewed as a test-run for a larger general election, would lead people to expect incidences of deliberately contrived, broken or non-working voting machines or card readers, confusion of voters as to their voting stations, inadequate supply of voting materials to designated places, long line to discourage voters and turning blind eyes to favour the blue-eye political party of INEC because the Commission’s hands will be tied to enable hatchet men and women to perform their unwholesome assignment.
However, in a swift reaction by the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC), Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, he declared that their ‘gang up’ against the APC-led government would fail.
Oshiomhole who took a swipe at ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, over their ‘opposition’ to the second term bid of President Muhammadu Buhari, noted that the future of Nigerians was no longer in the hands of the ‘old men.’
Obasanjo, an elected president, had a two-term tenure of eight years and was widely believed to be pushing for a third term which could not materialise.
Querying their right to challenge Buhari’s second term bid, Oshiomhole, in a veiled reference to the two former leaders, said their plots would fail.
According to him, “Why do the old men think that the future belongs to them? The future of Nigeria is not in the hands of retired generals. Nigeria will now determine their leader”.
Continuing, the party leader said: “One of them ruled for nine years as a military ruler, while another one ruled for eight years and even wanted the third term. They are the ones that are now saying that President Buhari should not do eight years.”
The national chairman who expressed his firm belief in the doctrine of one man, one vote, assured that his party does not need to rig to win the election in 2019.
According to him, it was clear that Buhari will win the coming election, considering the high level of acceptability across the nation. Nigerians should begin to ask questions about the N16billion allegedly went into some private pockets when the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was vice president.
Also, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu described Obasanjo ’s remarks as the last push by desperate politicians who can’t handle the president politically and have resorted to subterfuge.
Garba Shehu who lampooned the former president said, “Our first message to the former president is that he needs a good doctor for good treatment and to say to him, “Get well soon.”
The statement reads: “As repeatedly said of him, since Chief Obasanjo left office in 1979, he never let every succeeding leader of the country function freely, and this included the one he personally handpicked against all known rules drawn up by the party that put him in the office of the President. But Chief Obasanjo is jealous because President Buhari has more esteem than him and the sooner he learns to respect him the better.
“It is a notorious fact that in dealing with any leader that he failed to control, he resorted to these puerile attacks. As the grand patron, more correctly the grandfather of corruption as described by the National Assembly, Chief Obasanjo released today’s letter purely for the reason of rescuing his thriving corruption establishment.
“The elections starting in February will be free and fair as promised the nation and the international community by President Buhari. What Chief Obasanjo and his co-travelers in the PDP should expect is that from the outcome, we will teach them a political lesson that they will never forget. This margin will be much bigger than we had in 2015
“Claims that President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have embarked on the president’s “self- succession project, by recruiting collation officers who are already awarding results based on their projects to actualise the perpetuation agenda, in which the people will not matter and the votes will not count” is not only utterly false but a copious note from the book on the failed third term agenda of President Obasanjo.
“The man, President Buhari who has taken Nigeria’s reputation to a higher level internationally and is working hard to improve on the records of elections he found in place cannot descend to the level that Obasanjo has himself sunk.
“As for his attacks of the administration’s records in fighting corruption, what the former president said is no more than evidence that President Buhari’s war against corruption is succeeding. They thought it is all a joke.
“A leader who took USD 16 billion “upfront” to supply electric power yet failed to add a single megawatt to the national grid and to date, there is no trace of the money is jittery that he will be called to account. He is a coward.
“Chief Obasanjo, manifesting a confused state of mind blames President Buhari for the fall of Libya into a failed state and the unholy alliance between the Boko Haram terrorists and the ISIS, while at the same time calling it an African problem, saying “the struggle must be for all West African, Central African, North African and most East African States,” which really does not amount to saying anything new.
Nigerians looked up to him as a role model and a ray of hope to ethical and clean leadership until President Yar’Adua called him out to explain what happened to the sixteen billion dollars of taxpayer’s money. It is clear that with him sitting on top of the heap of corruption, he is no different from the crowd he leads.
“This language of his 16-page letter, likening President Buhari to General Sani Abacha, a man he dreaded and the one who jailed him under military laws is most unfitting from a former President of Nigeria.
“The claim that President Buhari has put in place rigging machinery is both outlandish and outrageous. We are unable to get the words to describe a 90-year old liar, except to say that by the publication of this tissue of lies against the President, he Obasanjo, not the President will fall from everyone’s esteem.”
Pundits, however, averred that weather the ex-generals support him or not, one of the major factors that should not be discounted in the coming election is the power of the state at President Buhari’s disposal. But they equally submitted that the election will no doubt be a major test for him because his performance scorecard will be determined by the electorate.
According to them, despite the assurances by his followers that he would win the forthcoming poll with a landslide, the election is going to be a referendum on his performance whether he would be able to silent the ex-generals from further dictating who gets what in the country with his reelection on February or not.
Observers noted that the use of religious and ethnic appeals as tools of political mobilization which usually play a major role in the country political space for sometimes now will become less attractive in the forthcoming election. According to them, both the strong contenders, that is, APC and PDP candidates are from the same ethnic group and religion.
Pundits also posited that with the president huge grassroots support base and as one of the few leaders in the country’s history who has been tough on corruption, will place Obasanjo and his co-travelers permanently on silent mode after the election, because he may win the poll with or without them.
Whether President Mohammadu Buhari will be able to swim out of the cries of the ex-generals against his reelection bid or not, time will tell.
