According to the LeadershipNigeria newspaper (Tuesday 26 May 2009), former Governor of Delta State, the sticky-fingered walrus of Oghara himself, James Ibori is currently scheming to replace Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria’s Vice President come 2011. I know; there is an easy temptation to dismiss this piece of news with a wave of the hand but, sadly, we must acknowledge that this is a different Nigeria now. What is thought an aberration and the unthinkable in other climes has become the norm here. The fact that this idea was even allowed to seep into anyone’s head shows the depth to which Nigeria has sunk.

Even though, the powers that be made it clear to Jonathan from the get go that his was a ceremonious ceremonial appointment, the gentleman nonetheless never even tried to assert his authority and he allowed himself be pushed around by Kingibe when the later was the Secretary to the Federal Government. Also, in some quarters, Jonathan’s wife is being perceived as a liability and even thought to have come dangerously close to upstaging the Empress, Turai on at least a couple of occasions. However, Jonathan’s biggest ‘sin’ so far was that sometimes around March last year he had some funny meeting with Babangida and Abdulsalami prior to interjecting himself into the Election Tribunal process of the governorship tussle of his home State, Bayelsa and took a position that was diametrically opposite that of Yar’Adua when he squared up against Governor Timipre Sylva. I understand these are the lullabies to which Ibori put Yar’Adua to bed everyday.

Currently, Ibori wields a heart-breaking large influence within Yar’Adua’s kitchen cabinet. Besides being the biggest financier of Yar’Adua’s campaign run, in August 2008, Ibori caused David Edevbie to be appointed Yar’Adua’s Principal Secretary. Edevbie, a Harvard-trained economist, was Ibori’s Commissioner of Finance (2003 -2005) and Economic Adviser (2006-2006). He must know how Ibori managed to clean out the treasury in Delta state. Though his title reads Principal Secretary, Edevbie is in fact the de facto Chief of Staff at Aso Rock.

Not even quite ten days in office, Aondoakaa, the Attorney General was already writing letters exculpating Ibori and putting official road blocks in the path of UK’s Metropolitan Police who were then investigating Ibori. It was also reported that Ibori traveled with the official Nigerian delegation to the last Olympics in Beijing. It is similarly reported that Ibori has a permanent suite in Aso Rock. Even his wives know to call for him there whenever they can’t find him in his other haunts.

But more than all of that, Ibori as the Vice President of Nigeria is very thinkable; a real possibility in Yar’Adua’s world. Why?

Back in August 2006 during the heady days of Ribadu’s EFCC, Buba Marwa, the former Military Governor of Lagos State wrote a handwritten statement admitting that he indeed launder millions of Dollars for the late Sani Abacha and himself - some audaciously through the accounts used by the Nigerian Consulate and Embassy in New York and Washington respectively. Marwa was then the Military Attaché and Defence Adviser in both places. Then as Governor of Lagos, Marwa was creaming off a healthy percentage in bribe money from a private consulting firm that was collecting tax and other internally generated revenue on behalf of the Lagos State government. After Abacha bought the farm, Marwa used his share of the laundered monies, some of Abacha’s “lost” loot and the Lagos top-up to start an airline – Albarka Airlines. When asked where he got the capital to start an airline business soon after leaving the army, Marwa ludicrously claimed that they were proceeds from the two books he wrote. But hey, this is Nigeria where it has become fashionable for people to just talk anyhow. Lately however, he’s been belatedly talking about additional loans from some banks.

Marwa should have stopped there but he didn’t. He then fancied himself in Aso Rock as President. Before you can say “ole,” he had rolled out the drums and started campaigning for President. His campaign was dubbed: “Marwa Mission 2007 Movement.” That didn’t go down well with a certain Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo had a quiet word in Ribadu’s ear and Marwa was picked up. He hasn’t been a guest in one of the EFCC cells long at all before Marwa wrote his statement. To be doubly sure, Marwa also wrote a separate letter to Obasanjo dated 18 August 2006 which he captioned “Letter of Profound Apology And Remorse.” Satisfied, Obasanjo ordered his release and told him to go back home and sin no more.

So where is Marwa today? He is Yar’Adua’s Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa.

You see, initially in November 2007, when Yar’Adua forwarded Marwa’s name to the Senate for confirmation, the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs excluded him from the list of Ambassadorial nominees for alleged adverse security reports by the State Security Services (SSS). But by September 2008, Yar’Adua went ahead anyway and posted Marwa to South Africa as Nigeria’s Ambassador after a paroxysmal Ahmadu Ali resigned from that post.

Moreover, Marwa was not the only person that had unfavourable SSS report and was rejected by the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs but who nevertheless met Yar’Adua’s own peculiar criteria: Another nominee that was rejected was the former Minister of Aviation, Dr Kema Chikwe. She had since assumed duty as Nigeria's Ambassador to Ireland. Also originally excluded was Polycarp Nwite, but he too is currently His Excellency, Nigeria's High Commissioner to Botswana.

So why won’t Ibori be a serious contender for the VP slot? Yar’Adua has said severally that his thieving ex colleagues remain his friends and he is not going to deny them. Under this wonderful immunity, these men have continued to loom large in the polity and are the ones setting the national tone and standards. Lady Waziri at the EFCC continues to do the needful. The EFCC does not even allow a whisper about Ibori. I understand that his file had since disappeared into ether. So why shouldn’t Ibori seek to push his investment returns? Yes Nigeria; James Ibori for Vice President!

It is possible, but unlikely - why does he have to be in office to carry out his nefarious deeds when he can do them right now?

I'm not too sure there'll be much difference between Ibori and Jonathan, the latter wasn't exactly a clean man in Bayelsa with his wife even accused of money laundering.

This sense that Ibori is worse than everyone else is not quite justified by facts IMO. He won't be the first corrupt person to be 'elected' neither will he be the last.

OGIDIGBO IGO 1 OF AFRICA Will be President after Yara dua that man is very smart.