The fall of Nyako

JULY 17, 2014 BY ABIMBOLA ADELAKUN 4 COMMENTS


Viewpoint, Thursday, July 3, 2014

One has to be either naive or a perpetual denier of the obvious to extricate the impeachment and subsequent removal of the Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako, from the contest of wills he engaged in with President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact, when his impeachment saga started, I wondered why it took that long in coming.

When Nyako started that battle, I had expressed some surprise the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was not after him yet for the ostensible sin of taking on the Presidency. It turned out that I was jumping ahead of myself because, in the fashion these things take in Nigeria, it was only a matter of time before his wardrobe was cracked open and his skeletons came tumbling out.

Knowing where his fate would berth required neither a Nostradamus insight nor a deep understanding of Nigeria’s political power play. As it was in the days of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, so it is in the days of Jonathan and so shall it continue to be as long as we have leaders with overripe egos. When those with incommensurate power like Nyako criticise their leadership or show themselves a threat to their superior’s ambitions, their Judgment Day comes. Such is the absoluteness of power wielded by leaders on this side of the equator – they have the balls of their opponents in their left hand and a grinding stone on the right.

Nyako himself was not without sin and could not convince anyone of his innocence in the various allegations of corruption made against him.

When he saw the impeachment train coming in his direction, he declared a meaningless two-day holiday and never showed up before the panel to defend his integrity. He spent the last few weeks considerably sobered up and he even backtracked on the fierce stance he had earlier taken on the politics of the Boko Haram war when he delivered a speech in Washington DC in March. He was also quick to absolve the Presidency of its woes. None of those placatory measures could save him, however.

[b]I find it curious that some commentators seem to find the power tussle between the President and the governor rather entertaining. There is some sort of psychological abuse that must be plaguing those who are amused by this spectacle of power play and even take it to the point of insinuating that the fall of Nyako – and the subsequent implication for his party the All Progressives Congress – is one more proof that Jonathan is not as clueless as is generally bandied around. They see it as a gladiatorial show rather than a reckless use and abuse of power.

To them it does not matter that every arm of government in Nigeria is just as corrupt as the other, and Nigeria rots and stinks from the head to all parts of its anatomy. To them, it is no big an issue that other governors routinely dip their hands in the public till but remain immune from impeachment as long as they do not overreach themselves and make the “Abuja Big Ogas” uncomfortable. To these spectators, it is no issue that the various instruments of democracy are to provide checks and balances and not to be manipulated as someone’s battle-axe. To those among them whose heads have been rewired by religious dogma, the fall of Nyako is one more proof of divine working power in the affairs of the Nigerian state.
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While I was not in support of Nyako’s petition, I thought he should have been given a listening ear if only for the sake of posterity. It was obvious he was using rhetoric the way ardent Jonathanians had done in the past few years. They have successfully sold the logic that Boko Haram was a creation of some northerners who once vowed to make Nigeria “ungovernable” for President Jonathan. Nyako tried to upturn the argument – that rather than some powerful northerners on a vindictive mission, this was actually a David vs. Goliath fight; that it was a southern minority President trying to decimate the powerful north.

Rather than merely shouting him down or discrediting him as a frustrated and petulant noisemaker, I thought some of his accusations were grievous enough to warrant at least a legislative hearing. He should have been made to prove his allegations and if he failed, subjected to appropriate punishment. No matter what, he should have been treated like a governor who was in the position to know if the Boko Haram war is what it is or something else. By shouting him down till he backed down, we lost a chance to improve the integrity of our democratic processes as envisioned by those who sculpted the concept. Now, democracy looks more like who has what power to wield over whom.

Another implication of impeaching Nyako is that his colleagues and fellow public officials will learn restraint. They all have their hands soiled and they know it will not be hard to pull the rug from under their wobbly feet. This is not all about justice or a course of democratic process no matter how much it is packaged that way. Nyako’s removal as a climax to his confrontation with the President is no coincidence either. At various levels of government, from the executive to the legislature to the judiciary, all have sinned and come short of political glory; so, why is justice selective? If who goes and who stays in office is truly determined by the level of corruption in one’s government, even the President should have been long impeached. So, why pick on one thief and let others live?

There is also the added aspect of decimating the opposition party before the 2015 elections. The momentum built by the APC when it had the Peoples Democratic Party members defecting to its side earlier this year has largely waned and would probably continue to do so. Presently, the Nasarawa State Governor, Umar Tanko Al-Makura, has been served a notice of impeachment and who knows how his case will end. The message seems to be that salvation, for these executives, lies neither in their good or bad works but on how much they can play worthy subjects of Pharaoism. To avoid becoming another casualty, it won’t be surprising they will rush to Aso Rock to declare allegiance by chanting, “I remain loyal, Sir.”

One has to be either naive or a perpetual denier of the obvious to extricate the impeachment and subsequent removal of the Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako, from the contest of wills he engaged in with President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact, when his impeachment saga started, I wondered why it took that long in coming.

texaco1: Aregbesola and nasarawa state governors to go very soon too. Enough of janjanweed nonsense

Gbawe:

Typical response of those the part in red font in the article points at. Oga, let it even be impeachment of the entire opposition to place all GEJ-friendly leaders as head of all Nigerian States so that the 2015 'victory' of GEJ is even a non-event. When events take a turn for the worst let myopic folks like you , who do not see beyond even one hour and remain ready to back what is wrong once that comes from their own kinsman or political affiliates, remember where you stood and what you supported.

Some of us made the same predictions back then when certain 'victories' were celebrated yet people like you behaved in the same manner. We are now a nation of bombings, insecurity, hideous corruption and anti-people leadership because politicians, on all sides, chose the wrong path while their ethnocentric and clannish followers back them blindly rather than support what is best for the development of Nigeria. Hatred of the North or any other region does not make what GEJ is doing right or justifiable. Continue in your myopic revelry, blind support of what is wrong and deification of a mere mortal who believes dictatorial antics best suited to our sordid past is the way forward today. What is sure is that Nigerians never learn from the past and this is why mistakes are repeated that keep us backward.

texaco1: all the rubbish you have written down now how will it stop pdp from wining osun state and the presidency?all ur predictions have never been true or even come to pass and by the way aren't u supposed to be distributing aregbesola 100 naira recharge cards in osogbo?abeg go do ur work ooooo .

disloman: D daftness in nature exhibited by d PDP E-goats.Nt surprised.Check d source again.

disloman: D daftness in nature exhibited by d PDP E-goats.Nt surprised.Check d source again.

texaco1: all the rubbish you have written down now how will it stop pdp from wining osun state and the presidency?all ur predictions have never been true or even come to pass and by the way aren't u supposed to be distributing aregbesola 100 naira recharge cards in osogbo?abeg go do ur work ooooo .

lakpalakpa: Nice write up, fact remains that whatever PDP does to destabiize APC, the party is here to stay and will remain the beacon of hope for progressive Nigerians.

MzJackBaueress: Sponsoring an impeachment against Nyako as a political witchhunt still makes Jonathan a clueless mofo. He's still clueless no doubt! Even though I blame Nyako largely for the woes that besieged him, using an Impeachment by the PDP to bring him down is outrightly stoopid and a dent to democracy in Nigeria.

Let Jonathan stop the boko haram insurgence and I will never call him clueless again.

gratieao:

It means that corruption should not be seen as an offence no matter the time, year or political party one belongs. Our politicians should encourage decency instead of promoting or glorifying corruption.

Civil servants were owed salaries for two months under Nyako. There are no sign of infrastructure development in Adamawa. The state is ranked among the most insecure states in the country. How would one expect the people of Adamawa to stand against any move to remove the man in charge of such state. If indeed the president was behind that impeachment, what a favour. He has done to the people of the state. The president should of course not allow the ship he captains to be navigated as Nyako has navigated his ship.

Gbawe: I disagree with the conclusion of the article, because I believe the APC, as a strong opposition Party and as the required evolutionary stage to check a misruling and all-powerful ruling Party, is here to stay whatever the PDP throws in its path for short-term political/electoral gain. Also, I think that dictatorship will be very difficult to sustain in a Nation as diverse and as complex as Nigeria, but I think the author is on point with everything else. The part in bold red fonts, in my opinion, is especially true regarding the outlook of the ethnocentric and clannish fans of GEJ on this forum. These nauseatingly myopic cretins now supports what is outright wrong and portend great danger for our democracy because of nothing other than the animalistic hatred of others they feel GEJ is 'defeating' and 'owning'. They have no use for supporting what is indeed decent, upright and good for the future of Nigeria. They do not care that it is proven over almost 5 years that GEJ is ineffective and that Nigeria, in this day and age, deserve much better.

Where I differ to the author relates to the aftermath of dictatorial actions and bullying of others in a very populous nation full of influential men and women with serious connections and ties even beyond Nigeria. I don't think a Nation like Nigeria, even accounting for how inordinately powerful the Nigerian Presidency is to the detriment of Nigerian institution, can be dictatorially held hostage to the whims, caprices and unpopular ambition of one man which is prompting gross abuse of power all designed to kill the concept of democracy being a game of numbers and genuine test of popularity. There has been a reaction to every round of bullying and desperately dictatorial antics from GEJ. This, for example, is what led to the removal of Bamanga Tukur after he was unceremoniously imposed on others. The shallow and mindless ethno-religious jingoist backing GEJ jubilantly today should spare us the revisionism tomorrow when the worst, perhaps even beyond what they expect, has happened.

They should also desist from any attempt in future to present GEJ as a "victim" when we are all see now that Mr.President is anything but that. It is obvious, whichever way for Nigeria, the role GEJ is playing when he should be first, for the sake of peace and unity of the nation which is greater than his own unpopular ambition, to heed and act upon the warning that Politicians should put personal ego and ambition aside so that the worst, as predicted for us, does not happens in 2015. People should remember the saying relating to actions and reactions. I think GEJ is playing politics related to 1970-1999 Nigeria. Such tactics, while it may generate temporary 'victory' the myopic cheer wildly, wont be effective for long in Nigeria of today. Let GEJ and his inducement continue to impeach away and 'militarise' every process. We will see where this all ends.

gratieao:
Hahahahaha people especially the APC members were taking Jonathan’s gentleness to be weak, I laugh at them when they call him weak president, Jonathan is neither weak nor clueless but very intelligent. I see those who sees him to be clueless to be the ignorant ones, APC should stop politics of media houses and face the realities of politics else they are finished. Jonathan may be slow in action but for sure he gets to his target. APC should wake up, APC should leave the office of the president and go back home to work else their eyes will be at aso rock while their homes are gone.

Strategizing is what Generals do! And top politicians are supposed to be generals in politics. They should not be abusive but set their strategies right. APC should produce their counter strategy to PDP and they should stop behaving like a spoilt school child.

Omexonomy: Eleyi gidi gan.
This öne when gbawe and his fellow ogogoro E-urchines are weeping like weeping willows.
Tell ur governos (captains of the jweed) to stop smoking dry goat shi.t and certisfy the people needs and wants instead of repartrating it to bourdllion account i bet you no evil from hell can defeat them. Just becos only fash is scrathing ground does not means all apc governors are working.
Tell the commander generals of the supporter of APC to control what comes out of their mouth e.g dogs and baboon will be soak in blood, loose and roast by tinubu, using a collective insults on all the Yoruba kings e.t.c

koboko69:

When i saw your moniker as the last person to comment, inwas expecting your usual unintelligent, childish posts. I am glad you didnt dissapoint.

Omexonomy: Eleyi gidi gan.
This öne when gbawe and his fellow ogogoro E-urchines are weeping like weeping willows.
Tell ur governos (captains of the jweed) to stop smoking dry goat shi.t and certisfy the people needs and wants instead of repartrating it to bourdllion account i bet you no evil from hell can defeat them. Just becos only fash is scrathing ground does not means all apc governors are working.
Tell the commander generals of the supporter of APC to control what comes out of their mouth e.g dogs and baboon will be soak in blood, loose and roast by tinubu, using a collective insults on all the Yoruba kings e.t.c

The shallow and mindless ethno-religious jingoist backing GEJ jubilantly today should spare us the revisionism tomorrow when the worst, perhaps even beyond what they expect, has happened.

They should also desist from any attempt in future to present GEJ as a "victim" when we are all see now that Mr.President is anything but that.

koboko69:

When i saw your moniker as the last person to comment, inwas expecting your usual unintelligent, childish posts. I am glad you didnt dissapoint.

When he saw the impeachment train coming in his direction, he declared a meaningless two-day holiday and never showed up before the panel to defend his integrity. He spent the last few weeks considerably sobered up and he even backtracked on the fierce stance he had earlier taken on the politics of the Boko Haram war when he delivered a speech in Washington DC in March. He was also quick to absolve the Presidency of its woes. None of those placatory measures could save him, however.