The heat and buzz currently radiating the polity which was generated by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo's petition against President Buhari and his APC-led government weeks ago in which Obasanjo succinctly exposed the President's clear incapacitation to steer the ship of the country, the acute incompetence, bad governance and stinking ills of this administration, and also, flawed the misfiring policies of President Buhari as well as his bid to re-contest in 2019, is yet to die down. The letter generated so much noise and fanfare that it split notable voices in the country into two fiercely contrasting fronts. While very few (Tinubu, Falana, Oshomole and co), all of whom are the masterminds and beneficiaries of this clueless administration, condemned and questioned in strong terms, the audacity and intention of OBJ to write such a "debasing" letter against Buhari (and releasing it to the public), many, however, hailed him, stating that such uncommon effort from the former President was long overdue.

Whatever the reactions and counter-reactions maybe, one thing is essential for us the masses; and that is a vivid critique of the contentions, intent and purpose inherent in this highly political letter especially, the solution (mechanism) OBJ personally devised and is zealously recruiting Nigerians to buy into and propagate, which he captioned "Coalition for Nigeria Movement."

Such critique, if properly done, will throw up some salient questions that beg for honest answers. One, is the letter of OBJ ill-conceived and aimed at promoting sectional or personal interest or is it a product of patriotic effort aimed at promoting National interest? Two, why did OBJ move to setup another political party all by himself to stop Buhari in 2019: is there no genuine political party in Nigeria he can align with to oppose re-election of President Buhari in 2019 which is the wish of many Nigerians after all? Three, OBJ has since the civilian dispensation of 1979 directly installed successive Presidents in Nigeria, why have all of them shared a track record of awful and woeful failure in governance?

Attempts at answering these questions will be saved from this article till a later date. Meanwhile, this expose will try to call our mind to the history of OBJ's godfather role in the successive civilian governments in Nigeria, a seeming repetition of which, is imminent in his letter to Buhari.

1. In 1979, as a Head of State, who had succeeded his assassinated head, Murtala Mohammed, and carried on with the plan of the administration to hand over power to a civilian government, Obasanjo "conspicuously" hoisted the government of Shehu Shaghari, one adjudged the most corrupt government in Nigeria (though, now, second after the APC government). It is believed, two major factors determined the choice of Shaghari as the President. One, the North needed to consolidate power after the civil war. Shaghari was one of the few candidates the North trusted to carry out their agenda. Two, Obasanjo needed a a loyalist who wouldn't betray his interest, someone he could manipulate, and Shaghari was the best option. What happened? That government birthed this cancer that's eating up the liver of the Nigerian system today we call corruption. Its performance was marred by unprecedented level of corruption and it was not too long before Buhari and co struck in a military junta.

2. In 2007, just as he was denied the "third term" bid and was about losing power, Obasanjo packaged Yaradua, a sickening President, whose medical condition and fate, many analysts believed, Obasanjo knew quite well. He used him to both pacify and manipulate the North especially, the North West who were desperately seeking to wrestle power from the South, and it worked. He found Jonathan a very loyal fellow indued with unprecedented showing of loyalty virtue, to whom fate had presented a huge opportunity to usurp the seat of his master, Alamiesigha, who at the time, was being drilled in a scandalous case of Money Laundry. Obasanjo strongly trusted Jonathan would be a pushover he would use to complete his third agenda. Yaradua's performance was marred by the intractable ailment he suffered, hence, his government was hijacked by unseen forces politically termed "the cabal." Corruption was further entrenched in the Nigerian political system.
3. In 2011, Obasanjo played a prominent role in ensuring Jonathan returned to the seat of power. He had baptised Jonathan as his political godson. That government grew and was so enmeshed in corruption that the general public found so disgusting. The virus festered to all facets of our society.

Down to 2014, Interests criss-crossed and Jonathan played out of OBJ political calculation and favour. The North also, aggressively bent on recovering power from the South joined forces with Obasanjo in a front championed by Tinubu and a new dawn of political alignment was birthed. In 2014, year to the end of Jonathan's first term, OBJ capitalised on the massive looting and corruption in Jonathan's government which at the time, majority of Nigerians were protesting against, wrote similar letter and we all know what happened to Jonathan.
4. In 2015, it was a matter of "anyone else but Jonathan." Buhari, a man with unrivalled history of acute nepotism and tribalism, lacklustre performance in government, wanton ineptitude and master of "blame-game" politics was the available option. Heavy propaganda the Nigerian history had never recorded was the only means to unsit the far better option, Jonathan. Obasanjo, Tinubu and the North took their pound of flesh on Jonathan and the poor man took the peaceful and honourable bow (out of power).

5. Ahead of 2019: Now that "breeze has blown and we have seen the buttocks of the fowl", the grand tactician himself is shifting the post once again. The APC government and President Buhari who have been incapacitated to translate the propaganda and lies that stole power for them into actual governance, and under whose watch and leadership, Nigeria has further deeply fallen into the hands of rogues and charlatans, into lawlessness, economic woes and shambles, has been unanimously called on by Nigerians to hit the exit door. Obasanjo who had completely and openly rejected the PDP in 2015, now seeing a possible power drift in 2019 especially as bigwigs of the APC like Atiku and co who are also, desperate to taste the number one seat are returning to the PDP, has taken a twist to forestall eventualities. Just like he did in 2007 and 2014, he has gone ahead to exonerate himself from blames heeped on the forebears of this administration by visibly dissatisfied Nigerians, by writing an open letter to add his voice to the chorus virtually all Nigerians had, since the first half of this administration, been singing, which is to collectively bring to an end, this failed regime of APC and president Buhari in 2019. But, most importantly, to as usual, convert the very gullible and pitiable souls and lead the directionless sheep that form the majority in Nigeria, who are still trapped in this burning furnace we call the APC administration, which Obasanjo himself, was one of the undisputed masterminds, into his political fold he called CNM for the 2019 general elections.

In conclusion, while we all work collectively towards flushing out this APC government that has done nothing but destroy our political and economic systems, embarrass us before the international community and strengthen the embers of division, we should also ask ourselves, should we again give a nod to the direction Obasanjo is pointing with his letter or should we give it a knock considering his history of imposition in Nigeria, and shift our focus to a platform that presents us with a very credible personality that can create the real change we all yearn for? It's our collective choice.

Brilliant!

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