The expected move by a chieftain of the
defunct Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF),
Maj. Gen. Lawrence Onoja, to the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) if not well
handled, could rupture the current
relative peace in Benue State politics,
reports Remi Adelowo
Former Military Governor of Plateau
State, Lawrence Onoja, a retired two-star
general of the Nigerian Army has been in
the news lately.
After two years of being in a political
hiatus of sorts, Onoja, a former Principal
General Staff Officer (PGSO) during the
regime of the late General Sani Abacha,
suddenly reappeared from the blues to
drum up support for the speculated
second term ambition of President
Goodluck Jonathan.
Prior to the 2011 general elections, Onoja
was constantly in the news. He had
contested the Benue South senatorial
election on the platform of the defunt
ACN against the incumbent senator, who
is also the Senate President, David Mark
of the PDP.
It was a bitter electoral contest that
nearly threatened the peace of Benue
State.
The first battle between the two generals
was fought in the primaries of the PDP to
pick the senatorial candidate for Benue
South. Mark secured 1,680 votes to
Onoja’s 317 votes.
Not satisfied, Onoja left PDP for ACN
where he was handed an automatic ticket
to challenge Mark at the general election.
The ‘war’ got so messy that on a
particular day after the end of a campaign
rally, Onoja escaped death by whiskers
after some unidentified political thugs
allegedly shot at the Toyota SUV
conveying him, shattering the glasses in
the process. Though he was alive to tell
the story, Onoja sustained injuries on his
right hand and was subsequently
hospitalised.
It was a baptism of sorts for Onoja in the
politics of his home state. Not
unexpectedly, Onoja pointed accusing
fingers at Mark as the alleged mastermind
of the attack on him. The spate of
violence in the state during this period
culminated in the invitation of prominent
politicians in the state by the State
Security Service (SSS).
The anti-climax of sort was Mark’s victory
at the general elections defeating Onoja
by 149,923 votes to 79,433 votes.
Onoja cried foul and challenged the
election result up to the Appeal Court,
which finally affirmed Mark’s victory.
With his fate finally sealed by the apex
court, Onoja recoiled into his shell,
perhaps to wait for another opportunity
to actualise his political ambition.
Some weeks ago, Onoja, who is also the
Chairman of the Strategic Mobilisation
Committee of the Arewa Consultative
Forum (ACF), granted media interviews
where he declared the support of the
Middle Belt region to the alleged second
term ambition of the president.
In a statement that clearly contradicts the
position of the ACF, which has been at
the forefront of the return of the
presidency to the North, Onoja was
quoted as saying, “Middle Belt of today is
different from the Middle Belt of the 60s
when we were categorised as part of the
core North.”
Onoja, who is also a member of a political
pressure group, Congress for Equality and
Change, added that Jonathan was
constitutionally qualified to run for a
second term in office if he so wishes.
According to him, the Middle Belt region
would back the president for a second
term in office.
His words: “There could be anger in
certain parts of the North. But there is no
anger against Jonathan in my own Middle-
Belt part of the North. We support
Jonathan for his second term. Every group
has the fundamental right to agitate for
power.
“The groups that are talking, the Northern
Elders, Arewa, are not political parties.
They are socio-political cum cultural
associations. So, they probably cannot
install a president. At best, they are
talking of supporting a candidate from the
North. You don’t blame me for saying
that my own people support Jonathan.”
Speaking further, Onoja, an Idoma, said
his people were not regarded as core
northerners even by the so-called North.
He voiced his conviction thus, “Assuming
the power comes to the North today,
would you tell them to concede power to
the Idoma people where I come from?
This is because I am a minority in the
North and Jonathan is a minority from the
South-South.”
The retired general added, “I want to say
categorically that it is not yet time for
power to shift to the North. Mr.
President has not done his second term.
All the other presidents were given
opportunity to do their second terms and
Mr. President, by virtue of the fact that
he is a minority like me, it would be unfair
and an injustice to stop him from doing
his second term. If he finishes his second
term in 2019, then other areas or blocks
can now begin to agitate for power shift.”
These were, no doubt, sweet music in the
ears of the power brokers in the
Presidency.
Speculations that Onoja may be on his
way back to PDP further heightened when
he was part of the delegation of the
Middle Belt Elders Forum (MBEF), led by a
former Senate President in the Third
Republic, Ameh Ebute, on a recent visit to
the president. During the visit, the
support of the Middle Belt to Jonathan
was further reiterated.
Sources say the stage is set to receive
Onoja in PDP any moment from now after
the Benue State Governor, Gabriel
Suswam, reportedly received a directive
from the Presidency to that effect.
A few days ago, Suswam met with some
Benue PDP stakeholders to intimate them
of Onoja’s return to PDP.
The Nation, however, gathered that not
all the major PDP stakeholders have
bought into this plan. One of them is
Senate President David Mark, who has yet
to reconcile with Onoja over their political
differences.
Sources in the state revealed that Onoja’s
planned return to PDP was part of the
Presidency’s alleged plan to checkmate
the influence of Mark, whose relationship
with the president has been described by
sources as lukewarm at best.
The Presidency, according to findings, is
allegedly not happy with Mark, the reason
which may not be unconnected to the
hardline stance of the Senate and the
House of Representatives on certain
government policies.
Some members of the president’s kitchen
cabinet are also not happy with Mark over
the proposal by the Senate Committee on
the Review of the 1999 constitution,
which recommended a single term of six
years for the president and governors.
Though the proposal did not scale through
eventually, it generated an angry reaction
from the president’s Special Adviser on
Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, who fell
short of accusing the Senate of plotting to
frustrate his boss’ alleged second term
ambition.
According to sources, not a few of the
president’s men believe that Mark is
secretly nursing a presidential ambition in
2015, a development that has compelled
his being placed under a close watch.
Currently in his fourth term as a senator,
a record by any Nigerian politician, Mark is
also serving a second term as Nigeria’s
longest serving Senate President.
The Idoma-born retired one-star general
of the Nigerian Army Signal Corps, is
allegedly positioning himself as a
compromise candidate in the event that
power shifts to the minority tribe in the
North, as it is being canvassed in certain
political quarters.
But the big poser is: does Onoja who is
allegedly still interested in contesting for
the Senate in 2015 has the political
weight and structure to dislodge Mark?
Also, will the Presidency sacrifice Mark,
who has not openly spoken in support of
the president’s alleged second term bid
for Onoja in its calculations for the 2015
general elections? These puzzles will
surely be unravelled in the months
ahead.
source http://thenationonlineng.net/new/2015-onoja-presidency-plot-to-checkmate-mark/

David Mark days are number.

Political mathematics

Jeel: Political mathematics

exactly, no permanent friend no enemy
only permanent interest.