Fellow Nigerians, today is one of those days that I
don’t even know where to start from. I’m sure you
won’t blame me for finding myself in this lethargic
and somnambulist state. I feel like I’m in a trance
with events spiralling out of control at the speed of
light. But this incredible stories need to be told
somehow. Man proposes but God disposes. I had
planned to write on a different topic entirely and
had even completed the mental draft before things started falling apart.

It seems I was in a spiritual mood from the
beginning of this week and I just allowed myself to
move as the spirit directed. My original plan was to leave London to Dubai on Tuesday and spend one night before connecting to Accra on Thursday
morning but I changed plans at the last minute and decided to do an immediate connection from Dubai.
It was to prove a fortuitous decision. I spent about
four hours enjoying the bliss of Dubai on Wednesday
morning as I marvelled at what transformation a
visionary Leadership can achieve almost effortlessly.
I had helped to market Dubai to Africans about 12
years ago at the invitation of British Trade Partners
to Ovation International and I never cease to marvel
at how much Dubai has changed since then. But that
is another story for another day.
As I boarded the magnificent Emirates flight, little
did I realise the shocker that awaited me. Just
before the doors of the plane were shut, two
Nigerians sauntered in from the blue and one of
them turned out to be Nigeria’s only former military
Head of State and Civilian President, the
irrepressible General Olusegun Obasanjo, and his
ubiquitous Personal Assistant, Alhaji Akande. As he
sat down, I approached him calmly and despite our
differences, prostrated to greet him as any well
brought up man would do, shook hands and returned
to my seat after a brief chat with his warm PA.

Of course, as a reporter, my journalistic antenna had instantly jolted into action. Since we were the only two people on the second row, it was a bit easy to accomplish my mission of observing a former President on an eight-hour commercial flight. I engaged in internal monologue and stream of consciousness: would he eat and drink like a normal
civilian would do? Would he drink, sleep, and use the
same washroom after flying Presidential jets for so long…?

It was an uncommon private glimpse of one of
Africa’s most influential men. A few people who
recognised him went to greet him, including the
Emirates crew who had asked me if they could snap some pictures with him. Say what you will, former President Obasanjo is actually a very charismatic, intelligent and canny leader despite his rustic disposition. This accounts for the tremendous influence he wields on the Continent and indeed outside it. In addition, ladies in particular find him attractive and see in him traits of a strong man who brooks no nonsense. And one thing is certain, women are astute in unearthing, understanding and
appreciating power and its source. I was very
impressed with his cosmopolitan carriage and he was truly Presidential. He exuded an aura of intense confidence and you could not but feel his vibrations throughout the flight.
I was stunned at his capacity for hard-work as he was
kept busy by calls after calls most of the flight.
Emirates is in the vanguard of airlines in this regard,
allowing you to make calls on your mobile phone
during the flight. The former President was only
able to take a short nap and ate some light meal.
What I made of his many calls was that Obasanjo was
controlling Nigeria from the skies of Middle East all
the way to Africa. His attention was badly needed
and I should have known that something serious was
about to happen. For the only man in Nigeria’s
history to have ruled as military Head of State for
three years and eight years as civilian President,
Obasanjo is too entrenched in every facet of
Nigerian life to be ignored. His views are much
sought after by both friends and foes alike. When he voices an opinion or in keeping with character
delivers his usual epistle on aspects of the state of
the nation, the country reverberates as if shaken by an earthquake.

Anyway, we landed safely and went our different
ways. Within 24 hours, events began to unfold at
almost the speed of light snowballing at an alarming
rate into a final denouement that any producer of a tragic thriller would have been proud of.
First was the sad news from Ekiti State where seven members of The Ekiti State House of Assembly claimed to have impeached their Speaker in a House
of 26 members. Like a macabre dance of
masquerades we were informed that three other
people whose identities remain a complete mystery sat with these legislators during their deliberations.
This was probably to make up the numbers to form a quorum of nine members before any legal decision
could be taken by the House. Just like that! Our
LAWMAKERS will simply not learn the law. Or maybe
they believe they are above the LAW. How many
times does the Supreme Court have to pronounce
that a farcical process like that can never be
sustained because it is simply unconstitutional, null and void.

As if that was not bad enough, I watched our Brother the Governor of Ekiti State Ayo Fayose as he boasted
on National Television that he supports the
impeachment without apologies. He emphasised
that “without apologies!” without any compunction! I shook my head sadly as I remembered how a few of us, strictly on matters of principle, had stood stoutly
against the kangaroo decision that kicked him out of office. I remember how bitter he was at the time
that Obasanjo had masterminded and orchestrated
his impeachment. But strange are the ways of PDP
because the same party that sacked him
ignominiously has brought him back triumphantly.
That is not my cup of tea but I thought we had
passed this level of executive recklessness and
impunity and that if one person had learnt a lesson it would be the new Governor of Ekiti State who was once a victim. Is this what inordinate ambition does
to people? How can anyone with a sense of History
ever imagine they can get away with this kind of
hocus-pocus!

My frustration was further compounded by the lack
of better explanation of the implication and
repercussions of such audacious acts at this time and age. How could it be possible for a Governor to combine both executive and legislative powers
simultaneously? Where are we headed with this type of unbridled rascality? How can seven people sack a
man and his deputy supported by at least 17 other
members against all known tenets of Democracy?
When have ghosts resurrected to suddenly join in an
impeachment process and as miraculously as they
appeared evaporated and vanished into thin air?
Indeed everything is possible in God’s own country,
Nigeria.

As that Ekiti debacle was
sinking in, something
bigger and more
combustive was brewing. According to reports, the
President and Commander-in-Chief, Dr Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan had written to the National Assembly
asking for an extension of the existing State of
Emergency in three States. It is curious that the said letter was extended to the Speaker of The House of
Representatives, Waziri Aminu Tambuwal, who had
virtually been declared persona non grata since
decamping from the ruling party PDP to the
opposition APC. There is speculation and suspicion
by conspiracy theorists that the President had been
sold a decoy that it was possible to foxily impeach
the Speaker by tricking him out of his recess by
sending that Emergency letter which is obviously in
respect of a matter of utmost national importance
given the Boko Haram rampage and outrage in those
States. The idea was to reopen the House and block
the Speaker at the notorious gate where we were
stopped and the Police threatened to shoot us when
we demonstrated in defence of then Vice President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan against the cabal in 2010.
As I watched the latest melodrama, memories of
that gory experience flooded back to me. The
Speaker who had previously been stripped of his
official security without justification was kept at that
gate for no justifiable reason. That was an outlandish
joke carried too far.

The Speaker and his supporters were not fooled or
caught napping. They were obviously many steps
ahead of the game. If they had not forced their way
in last Thursday, it is most likely that a few PDP
loyalists would have sat like they did in Ekiti,
attempted to do in Port Harcourt, and sack Speaker
Tambuwal and dare him to go to court and spend
eternity waiting for judgment and justice. It is a
travesty and a sorry tale of how low we have
descended that some people have had the temerity
to condemn the Speaker’s conduct in not giving in to
unabashed and shameless destruction of our
constitution, our values and our democracy.
In any event they don’t seem to understand the well-
tested aphorism that a bully only respects a bully
and the child of fire is always sent to fire. It
happened in Rivers where Governor Rotimi Amaechi
would have been impeached if he had chosen to be a
perfect gentleman. In a country where the Federal
Government wields the power of life and death, and
the Judiciary has been desecrated mercilessly, many
have learnt to resort to self-help. It is such a terrible
and horrifying development but that is the reality of
our situation if our nascent democracy is to be
protected and nurtured.

The Nigerian Police acted apparently in bad faith and
obviously in malice in the partisan manner their
officers blocked the Speaker from gaining access to
his own office. It was a classic case of abuse of
power. I felt ashamed on their behalf at their
defence that they got a security report that
hoodlums were going to invade the National
Assembly. Nigerians are not so foolish to believe
such a cock and bull story. I’ve watched the footage
on Channels Television repeatedly and except our
elected representatives are now being considered
and referred to as thugs and hoodlums by the
Nigeria Police, the justification is fantasy existing
only in the minds of the police and those who
provided this piece of “authoritative intelligence”.
The way the Speaker and indeed all the legislators
were treated was nothing short of totally scandalous.
If his offence was decamping from PDP, how come
the same party gloats whenever others abandon
their parties to join them? It is the height of
intimidation and oppression. All the Nigeria Police
seem to have achieved is confirmation that the
country needs a foil against their excesses and State
Police appear necessary to checkmate such
unbridled disregard for constituted authority.

However, I am sad by the fact that a few lawmakers
went overboard by reacting in such violent manner
that could have resulted in bodily injury to
themselves and others. I commend the maturity of
the Senate President, David Mark and the Speaker,
Aminu Tambuwal in the face of what could have
plunged Nigeria into total mayhem and bedlam. An
assault against the Speaker is the same as that
against the Senate President.

As usual, my biggest concern and advice is for
President Jonathan. Sir, too many people are selling
you lies and dummies at a premium. A good General
should never fight on too many fronts. You are
already too exposed on the fronts and flanks without
adding any more.

The Presidential election is only three months away
and what is most obvious is that many of your
supporters are acting like you can win whether the
opposition likes it or not. It is not going to be that
easy. This moment requires utmost caution. I will
humbly suggest again that Mr President should
abandon those urging him to violently violate the
Nigerian Constitution and trample on fellow citizens
and leave them to their idiocy. They are present in
every government at next to nothing. They are
heating up the polity unnecessarily. They portend
no good for you. Let them not be responsible for
your downfall. If you must exit the stage, let it be
with dignity and honour. Let history be kind to you.

One thing is certain, none of those scurrilous
advisers shooing you into these present follies will
be charitable about you and your leadership when
tomorrow. Not even the military regimes could cow
Nigerians or sentence them to perpetual servitude.
There is no point starting a war you can’t win as
history has taught. Fate has been too kind to you.
Remain the master of your destiny, Mr President.
God be with you, now and always.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/that-notorious-gate-in-abuja/194699

Long write ups, probably a story for the gods..

Well, FCT or FTC sha jus incase!