₦airaland Forum

All Good Things,
Let me start with an apology for the long silence since the last post on Friday last week. You would agree with me that the manner in which things took a different turn over the weekend calls for a lot of introspection. But know this, that on Friday morning I was optimistic about the successful eventuality of picking the PDP ticket for the presidential elections. However, by Friday evening, I was no longer a candidate. The gap in between is best left for the PDP hierarchy to give details.
A lot of mixed emotions have greeted me since last Friday since the announcement of my withdrawal from the race to pick the party’s nomination for presidential office. Some of you have expressed anger, some disgust while others have expressed empathy. I understand the different dispositions which I believe stem from the information made available to you all.
Let me emphasise that in party politics, the party to which one belongs takes pre-eminence in the deciding of who goes for what office. If you had read my previous notes on this presidential journey, I had stated that I was going before my party to seek their consent to contest for the post of President. When I made my declaration on November 7, it was under this purview that I indicated my interest in the candidacy for the post of President. By doing so, I subjected myself to the supremacy of the party, in this case the PDP. As a serving governor of a state, belonging to the National Executive Committee, and being a prospective presidential candidate to be sponsored by the party, I am thus bound by any decision that the party’s top echelon may take before or after the primaries. The party’s decision last Friday to zone the presidency to the North, hard as it may be to accept, must be respected.
Does this in any way diminish the ideals which I stand for? By no means. The election to presidential office would have accelerated the achievement of our paradigm for a great Nigeria. However, the fact that one is not able to attain that office, therefore, only slows down the accomplishment of that dream. But we must still pursue that dream slowly but surely. In this regard I implore you to remain steadfast in the continued pursuit of achieving the great Nigeria of our dreams. We must have it in mind that the attainment of our dreams can be achieved, not only by the attainment of political office, but through the collective will of all. We all must unite to develop that will, to make it stronger and surer.
As a committed member of the PDP, I must invite you to lend your support to our party’s flagbearer, my friend and colleague, Alhaji Umar Yar’Adua, Governor of Katsina State as he marches towards the presidency in 2007. Before and after the nomination on Saturday last week, he had shown me tremendous friendship. This I shall cherish for a long time. Please join me in congratulating him on this significant assignment.
In deference to the presidential campaign of my friend and in order not to constitute an alter ego to the main agenda of the party to which I belong I regret to say we can no longer continue interaction at the level which we have done in the past few days until such a time that it would be practical to do so. I am most grateful for your unalloyed support – the time you all have taken to make one or two contributions on this blog. The comments have, for most of it, been very pleasant and useful. The camaraderie has been unprecedented. I shall definitely miss the interface. Please let the communications which you have developed among you, individually, continue. It would definitely help in building the hope that was begun. Thank you dearly.
I remain yours truly, Donald Duke.

Well Yar'adua's presidency is a done deal. Better brace up for a Nigeria whose closest allies will be Syria, Iran and Lebanon. With our president romancing seriously with Mahmuud Amadenajad. If power must go back to the North and should be a governor why no Adamu Mauzu who is at least in terms with the pace at which the world is moving.
At least he got educated at University of Birmingham, only God knows what Yar'adua's foreign policy will be.

The truth is that people can only comprehend what OBJ is getting at when they realise the changes in PDP contitution which gives the BOT chairman powers over the president. Note that the contitution was also changed so that OBJ will be the next chairman BOT.

Easyy

What you are getting at looks like the truth but I beg to differ.

Suggesting that Nigerians should confront a few things with themselves before attacking their leaders is not very accurate. Please Nigerians are not inherently corrupt or lawless, people's actions are a product of the society we live in, then the sorry state of our society is as a result of the wickedness of our leaders.
A country where there is no public welfare or social security people will strive to survive by any means. The corrupt people on the streets are doing so because thats their only means of survival, but our corrupt leaders are being greedy and wicked otherwise why will a man amarse as much wealth as his great grand children can not finish.

Talking about turn by turn, when you got to london for the first time I am sure you were amazed at how every other person is trying to hold the door for the other person to pass. Compare that to our culture where you have to push others just to enter moluwe.

Do you think if there were adequate mass transit, big buses, train and people actually have option anybody will be pushing others? Are Nigerians in london not observing queues, why will you struggle when there are options.

Go to Nigeria, our health facilities are in shambles our leaders refuse to put them together when they fall ill they run abroad for treatment. Our schools are in shambles meanwhile all the kids of our leaders are studying in UK and US. How many people can afford to come abroad.

You know what? Easyy. People are wishing our leaders death because they have not realised the injustice being done to them because if they do realise Nigeria is supposed to witness sucide bombing. Especially during the last PDP convention someone should have blown that venue during the convention so that leaders will learn to take the people seriously.

Kituan the manner at which you abuse people just to put your IBB point through says it all about the class of people who are IBB fans these days.

People lets not give credence to this topic by arguing about it, lets all agree wih Kituan and Ignore the topic even if he tries to claim the New UN Secretary General Bankimoun was installed by IBB.

Kituan

Please spare us this suya-joint politics of yesteryears lets talk of something else.
I hope you know that when he picked up his form guys from Nothern Coalition for Democracy mobilised against him immediately a fact which accounted for his leaving the PDP secratariat through the back door.
Good old fear nothing else.

qblaze:
We need a frigging revolution. All this talk will get us nowhere.

who go kill them? Na you?

Baloni dont try to bully people when they are saying the truth, the old men are dragging us back. They need to be sorted out some how.

Thank you very much Kituan for your abuse, I will not go down that route with you.

But where was your IBB when Ribadu locked up his first son.

Have you not heard that El-Rufai siezed one of his undeveloped properties in Abuja IBB could not get it back in person. He had to get someone who stood as a front to buy it back from the FCT Minister.

So if you are taking the IBB issue personal, sorry probably he is your uncle but you guys should go and advice him he will be respected more if he learns to carry himself like Abdulsalami Abubakar than allowing small boys to have a field day on him in his quest to return to power.

He has stepped aside for the second time, the next time he will step into jail.

Kituan talking about script are you talking of the letter IBB wrote to OBJ requesting that he should be exempted from the PDP screening when he was refused to be exempted he now realized he had a moral burden contesting against Yar'adua?.

Kituan please look up the dictionary for the meaning of Ignorance and try to figure out between us who is being ignorant.

Kituan I totally agree with you that I may be ignorant but I do not think the editors of The News Magazine are that ignorant too, see excerpts from the first paragragh of there report

In a recent interview with ThisDay, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), former military president, painted himself in bright colours. With rumours of his presidential ambition flying around, Babangida was asked if there were certain conditions that could compel him to abandon his presidential ambition. The former president, ever willing to advertise himself as a man of valour, said: ‘‘Chicken out? No, it is not in my character. If anything, I like to be challenged.’’ Brave words from an aspiring braveheart. But last week, Babangida was forced to eat his words, when he limply withdrew from the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

You guys are just creating an un-existent aura of invincibility arround the man IBB, his days are gone simple. He is still looking for platform up till now.
You think he is a political bulldozer? I think he is a toothless bulldog who only benefits when he is favoured by the man in power. Wanna know what it means to be a political bulldozer? go and read the history of Ariel Sharon of Isreal who changed parties from Labour to Likud to Kadima yet winning all elections. When he left the ruling Labour party he formed the Likud party with which he ousted the govenment of Ehud Barack. When he fell out with his own party men like Benjamin Natanyahu over withdrawal from gaza he formed the Kadima party which won elections with Ariel Sharon in sick bed. That kadima party is responsible for the government of the present Ehud Olmert. That is what it means to be a political bulldozer.

Not an IBB claiming he is a political bulldozer when he can not use NDP to wrestle power from the PDP. Nigeria is a one party state OBJ is doing what he likes people can not simply decamp and give the PDP a good fight. They all want to die in PDP. They are all cowards.

IBB was bullied out of the race, he is a clown as far as am concerned. Sorry Kituan if you find it offensive

The choice of Jonathon wasn't so obvious but is understandable. If you have seen the transformation in Yenagoa in the little time he has been there you will start to understand. Though politically weak of base, Jonathon cultivates underestimation, very much like OBJ and Yar'Adua himself and it is very clear that Yar'Adua had him in mind from the outset.

Not sure what "transformation" mean these days can you explain please

Well even Odili is claiming to have transformed River State, just want to know whether you guys imply in the negative direction.

Someone said on another post that a Marwa/Duke ticket or an Atiku/Duke ticket will break the Yar'Adua/Jonathan campaign and bring PDP down. That is absolute true. Borrowing words from the great Chuba Okadigo, PDP has definately failed in this 'Political Arithmetic'. First of all Yar'Adua is not so popular but is viewed as incorruptible,humble and will be a good leader. But PDP should have paired him up with Duke. For God's sake, Duke has the capability of luring almost every Nigerian youth to his campaign train. Even the ladies will vote for this guy for his looks alone. I wonder why Obasanjo and the rest of the PDP stalwarts can be so stupid. Reasons like appeasing the Ijaws with the VP slot is nonsense. They will be no peace in the Niger-Delta if there is no justice. Nigeria is not only about the Ijaws, it is about 150million people. Yesterday i was for Yar'adua, today i doubt that ticket.
Hope Atiku picks up the AC ticket and invities Duke, they will get my support. Nigerian youths should end this charade please!

How on earth do you expect OBJ to consider Duke's looks. If you are not handsome will you risk living your girlfriend with a sweet guy? its jealousy

People dont seem to realise that IBB has gone into political oblivion. His media assistant Venatius Ikem contested guber primaries in Cross River state he polled 2 votes out of 5000 votes, his state Niger state guber primaries their is a bitter fight there. Even the man IBB himself was made to chiken out of PDP race and people are still talking about IBB writting script.

The guy is finished at least for now.

;DOBJ is a class act, why did he matriculate in Aso Rock like he is retiring when he knows he was not ready to trow in the towel. 2 lameducks in Aso Rock, makes himself chaiman BOT, people should find out the changes in PDP constitution who knows probably the PDP chairman BOT is now the no.1 citizen you never know. wonders shall never seize.

This looks like third term through the back door.

Where are those who call themselves Anti-Third term lawmakers, quote constitution lets see. Nigeria is doomed.
If our youths dont go out for an all out revolution this old men will not learn to take us seriously. They are toying with the lives of 160million Nigerians

All those that where ganging up against IBB should know that there is a bigger evil PDP and AC they are all the same.
Civil society and the masses have to repeat the french revolution in Nigeria. Otherwise we are heading no where.

Duke did not stand a chance amongst the PDP delegates who decide their vote based on how much you pay. But millions of Nigerians out there were hoping they will have a chance to vote the finest man our political history has known.

He would have been a great leader, there is no alternative for Donald at the moment.

Pls Andy Uba is not representing the Igbos or the South-East he is representing himself and Obj.
The south east candidate at the moment is Donald Duke, yes Cross River is in South East and not South-South forget that latter day geography of cold war they practice in naija.

How do you explain a situation where those on the far left (Delta and Edo) and far right (Akwa Ibom and Cross River) of Abia/Imo are all in South-South then Imo/Abia in the middle will now be in South East.

Where they separated based on language or based on cardinal points? we are decieving ourselves in that country.

One thing I have learnt in life is this: you can only have significant success in an endeavour you are passionate about. From all indications, Duke is not passionate about the presidency. He only entered the race to 'try his luck' which is not good enough. His withdrawal also shows he holds his party a greater loyalty than he does to the nation. This is indeed shameful.

TayoD that comment is not fair at all. The man Yaradua only started campaigning 3 weeks ago, Nobody has even heard his voice on National TV so Yaradua has not gotten better passion than anyone else. This is no failure on Duke's part, I think we should rather weep for our country for HOPE HAS BEEN DEFFERED.

Governor Donald Duke and his counterpart in Rivers state, Governor Peter Odili have bowed out of the presidential race in the Peoples Democratic Party, 24 hours to the national convention of the party. P.M. News learnt that the duo withdrew this afternoon, on the instruction of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Yesterday, another governor, Ahmed Makarfi of Kaduna state also pulled out of the race. The moves by all these contenders for the prized crown are believed to have been dictated by the awareness that the convention may just be a formality, as the party and the leadership appear to have conceded the post to Governor Umar Yar’Adua of Katsina State, the younger brother of General Shehu Yar’Adua, Obasanjo’s deputy in the military dispensation of 1976-1979.

Meanwhile, the widow of Shehu Yar’Adua, Hajiya Asabe has called on delegates to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention holding in Abuja tomorrow, to cast their votes for Governor Umar Shehu Yar’Adua. She said Yar’Adua has all the qualities needed to lead the country among all those aspiring to rule the country. According to Hajia Asabe, “Yar’Adua is a man of integrity, transparency and an incorruptible administrator and deserves the PDP presidential ticket for 2007.” P.M News also learnt that any moment from now, two of the nation’s mobile leading telecommunication networks will be relaying messages to delegates to the PDP presidential primaries in particular and the subscribers of the two networks in general on the need to support Yar’Adua in his presidential bid.

The message sponsored by the presidency is rallying support for Yar’Adua who is believed to be the anointed candidate of the presidency and possible successor to President Olusegun Obasanjo. A proposal was sent to President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo. The proposal specifically mentioned MTN and Celtel as the two networks that will relay the messages if approved. The message reads “support Mr. Integrity, Support Gov. Musa Yar’Adua for Presidency”. Another reads, “delegates, don’t sell your votes, don’t mortgage the future of Nigeria. Vote a man who would not corruptly deplete the resources of the nation”. The message was allegedly sponsored by Nigerian Youths for Integrity.

The proposal specifically said that over 10 million Nigerians would be receiving the message simultaneously and it will go a long way in creating enough awareness about the choice of Yar’adua as president. Though no cost was attached to the one page proposal, P.M.NEWS reliably gathered that the cost will be calculated after the approval by President Obasanjo. Ahead of tomorrow’s convention, Abuja the Federal Capital city and venue of the presidential primaries is aglow with activities as all the hotels are fully booked for delegates who have started arriving. Agents of the aspirants are also decorating the city with posters of assorted shapes and colours even though officials of Abuja Environmental Protection Board have warned that they will deal ruthlessly with anybody caught pasting posters in unauthorised places.

Nigerian Police spokesman, Haz Iwendi, has threatened that the police will not spare any trouble maker during the primaries. He said that the police have been trained to be civil to visiting delegates and residents of the city during the primaries. Iwendi, however, appealed to delegates and politicians to conduct themselves with a high sense of responsibility. He also appealed to the aspirants to educate their agents not to carry any weapon of any kind within and outside the venue of the primaries.

IS BEING ANTI THIRD TERM A CERTIFICATE OF CREDIBILITY?

Elections are around the corner; politicians are deploying all the arsenals available to them to actualize their ambition. Some are playing the game fairly using their wealth of knowledge, some are engaging in campaign of calumny blackmailing rivals and at extreme eliminating them. Some others are adopting all sorts of propaganda in their quest to achieve their aim. But experience should have taught us that politicians hardly ever believe in these sentiments they proclaim.

In 1999 and 2003 for example some Governors exploited pro-people slogans to rise to power, Sani Yerima of Zamfara State rose to power on a pro-sharia campaign, bringing some petty farm product thieves to brutal justice today he is renowned as a Governor who steals directly from the state allocation without any phoney projects as a smokescreen. Where has his preaching of sharia gone? yet all the people from Zamfara are his muslim brothers.

In the Niger-Delta area we saw the likes of Alams and Odili spearhead the struggle for local control of resources. Alams was deposed when he was caught in the act laundering money; Odili is recently being investigated for deploying state resources to the tune of N100b for Presidential campaign yet his people are living in abject poverty. Where has the entire struggle for the emancipation of Niger-Delta people gone?

Orji Kalu likes to be seen as the mouthpiece of Ndigbo. He has on many occasion voiced out concerns on the marginalization of Ndigbo yet how has he managed state resources to better the lives of Ndigbo in the state he governs? Aba is known as Nigeria’s garbage city; he is busy clamouring for Presidency while a state he has been governor for 8years is sinking in gabage.

And the list goes on; the case of Ayo Fayose is so pathetic.
In every case you will realize that politicians exploit popular sentiments to deceive the people while they pursue their personal clandestine motive.

On the National scale the latest smokescreen is Anti-third term. I like to state categorically that I am glad that third term was killed and OBJ did not have his way because that would have been a recipe to civilian dictatorship. But what I cannot understand is why some politicians want to see that as a boost to their CV. Hoping that they will make that a standard of measure in the next election.
Democracy however you want to describe it is meaningless if it does not create better opportunities for the people. In fact my online dictionary has one of the definition of democracy as “a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges”. Now I ask the question, how democratic is it to be a treasury looter? Why should a man known to have milked the Nation dry turn out to be a democrat merely because he fought third term.
We are running into the danger of people confusing the electorate with anti-third term slogans when they have in the past ruined all that democracy stand for. Well I am not surprised because that is all they got in their scorecard.  Yes thank you IBB, Atiku, Orji Kalu, Buhari, Chukwumerije etc. for fighting on our side during third term but don’t be too smart, you can’t ride on that platform to power. That singular act will not wipe of your name from the black book of history. We all know what you stand for and how you have destroyed this nation in the past.
Chukwumerije, we do remember your role during the IBB transition programme so don’t be too smart.

IBB, loot machine, you will have a lot to explain about your past so forget it.

Atiku, thanks a lot for fighting third term. But that will not qualify you as President because you have a history of abuse of public office. PTDF and 53 suitcases of 1984 prove this.

Orji Kalu, thanks for fighting third term but Nigeria does not deserve the kind of leadership seen in Abia State.

Buhari, thanks for fighting third term but you are a coupist who did not allow democracy to thrive, you ousted a democratically elected President. You cannot benefit from a system you don’t believe in. You will never be elected President sorry.

MY BROTHERS THIRD TERM OR NO THIRD TERM VOTE FOR CREDIBLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER THIS COUNTRY. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO EXPLOIT CHEAP PROPAGANDA TO RISE TO POWER.

Oh Thank God people also agree the talk of religion is nonsense, Sani Yerima of Zamfara state rose to power on a pro-sharia campaign.

Today, according to Ribadu, he is renowned to be stealing directly from the state coffas. No third party, no dodgy projects, he just collects his share as soon as allocation comes in.

People wake up, Religion, ethnicity, tribalism, geo-political zone, none of the politicians believe in those trash. They only use them to devide the masses while they exploit the situation to loot the treasury. I almost shed tears the day I realised Cross River is ranked 30th on monthly allocation and last in the NigerDelta.

Please lets rescue Nigeria with out votes, register and vote Donald Duke.

Christains and Muslim alike are expected to participate in the fast, besides that he has shown more love to his people more than all christains that have ruled put together.
We dont wanna know his religion, all we wanna see is progressive Nigeria. Everybody has a right to relate with their God as they so wish.

Odili is a knight of the church but has brought more destruction, terror and poverty to his people.

Nigerians open your eyes and forget some crazy sentiments.

This is more than a political campaign, this is a revolution for survival of our Great Nation.

We have started a campaign to reach as many people as possible via text messages to promote Duke’s candidacy. The text is:

"Determine ur destiny! If good pple refuse to vote, only votes bought with money will count. Register 2day; Vote 4 Donald Duke 2mrow. Pls pass on this message"

Guys ignore kaycee, his principal has been commisioning gas turbine since 2003 yet there is hardly any light in Port Harcourt.

Guys all lovers of Duke should visit his blog

http://donaldduke..com/

Kaycee why are are u even intruding? why is it that of all places it is here you want to campaign for Odili. Why not simply create a topic "Odlili for Presidency 2007" and tell us what he has achieved.

Have you wondered why OBJ of all places chose Odili's village to tell Nigerians to shun Ghana-Must-Go Politics. How does that statement relate to commisioning of Gas turbine, what is the motivation behind OBJ making that comment?

You know what? Kaycee, go and tell your principal that no matter how much he has he can not buy over the heart of the whole Nigeria. We will not mortgage our future.

Duke is the real deal.

Guys Kaycee is a clown, I personally think he is linked to that Fred Osari who posted that trash on the internet. Well you are waisting your time Kaycee. Go and tell your Oil sheik Odili that he will not buy his way to the presidency. It will not work.
Duke is the man.

Oh dear!!!!!!!!!! Abdulkadir Kure, governor of Niger State has enrolled too, Atiku has promised to lecture in the same University, who knows maybe IBB should join them too and bury his ambition.

Otokx

@McKren

PDP does not "select" candidates but "elects" them.

Remember the kind of election that NFA had that sidelined Odegbami? Thats what I mean by selection because the results are pre-determined during horse trading with the delegates obligated to vote in a paticular direction. "So Otokx is that election or selection"

qualifications discussed above, and tell me why someone like Donald Duke should not be our next President

Tell Prof. Akinnaso that Donald Duke may not be selected as President because he is not from the so-called ruling tribes (that have failed Nigeria for so long), it is as simple as that. When on December 16 after the PDP convention if he is not selected then I will put up a topic here probing if the word "One Nigeria" actually exists.

Tell me if we are a rational people a PDP that has got Donald Duke will still be searching for Presidential flag bearer. I wish he was my governor, I would have had a taste of his service not waiting for when hopeless Nigeria will elect credible people.

GUYS HERE GOES ANOTHER VERSION OF THE 53 SUITCASE SCANDAL OF 1984 TOLD BY ONE OF THE ACTORS AT THE TIME MUSTAPHA JOKOLO, THE THEN ADC TO BUHARI AND SON OF EMIR OF GWANDU, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SUN.

Here are the excerpts:

Let’s talk about the controversial 53 suit cases you claimed for your father, the then Emir of Gwandu, in 1984. What is your version of the story?
I have said several times in the last twenty something years that I was innocent of everything. Now, it has turned round that somebody like Prof. Wole Soyinka wrote a book saying that I was smarter than Vice President Atiku. It was wrong of Wole Soyinka to say it happened in Kano. Look, in 1984, my father traveled to London for medical check up. He had an entourage of about 13 people. After his operation, he moved to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, the lesser hajj. On his way back, he was on the same flight with Ambassador Dahiru Waziri who was the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia for six years.

He was appointed State Chief of Protocol and so, was moving back with his entire family. So, he decided to come with them on the same aircraft. Around that time, there was currency change because of the poor economy of the country and the naira was all over the place. We had no control over our economy. The government planned a secret operation to change the colour of the currency. All borders were closed and that was the time when this aircraft was landing. When it came in, I remember we were about to play squash with Buhari, Idiagbon and others.

Then Buhari asked me if my father was not coming back that day. I said ‘Yes sir, we have already sent people to bring him back’. He said ‘Are you not going to receive him?’ I said ‘No sir’ and he said I should go and receive him. He gave me orders to go and receive him.
So, I asked Captain Maitama who was the Commander of the Brigade of Guard to accompany me. So, two of us drove to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. While there, I saw some officers who were going on course to the United States. Colonel Walbe was the one who arranged that course.

While we were there, I was told that the aircraft had landed and was also told that they had some problems at the baggage area. When I went with Captain Maitama, I saw some Customs officers with some of our people and I asked what the problem was. They said that the Customs said that they were not allowed to check the luggage. I asked why, every luggage here should be checked. They said those ones on the ground had been checked, but that there were some that were taken away from the aircraft itself in a truck direct from the State House without coming through the customs area. I said whose luggage were they and they said it belong to State Protocol.

One ASP Saidu Gella who also was from Adamawa state like the Chief of Protocol was the Luggage officer in the State House. He was the one who went with Maigari to collect the luggage direct from the aircraft without coming through the Customs. I said ‘Is there anyway you can call them?’ Unfortunately, we do not have the mobile telephone at that time. I asked if they had walkie talkie and the said they had none.

So, I said I was not here for him and asked if they had cleared these ones and he said they had cleared them. ‘Can we go?’ and they said ‘You can go’. I swear to Almighty Allah, if there is anything other than this, may God strike me dead. May he not forgive me my sins. That was all that I knew about all that happened. The following day, we read in the newspapers that there were 35 suit cases that passed through Customs without clearance.

The Emir did not come with 35 suit cases. It was the Chief of Protocol, Dahiru Waziri, whose luggage were taken away from the aircraft straight to his house without going through customs. The Emir’s baggage were not more than 12. All of them had one piece each because they had landed them there. Whatever shopping they did before, they transported them from London in an aircraft and they received them. So, we had cleared their luggage before. At this time, they were in London when there was this ban. When they finished, before they left, there was this border closure.

They had nothing to do with the 35 suit cases. When we cleared their luggage, they had not closed the border and so, they came with single baggage of their dresses. We did not allow what was going on. Then, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the present Vice President was Area Administrator at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport. He was the one who came on air to say it was an Emir from the North who brought not 35, but 53 suit cases. Onalaope Soleye was the Finance Minister. To date that I am talking to you, nobody has asked me to answer anything.

I think there was power play at that time and there were many interest groups. There were people who were trying to bring Buhari down. Buhari’s half brother was on the Emir’s entourage who was father to Alhaji Mamman, same mother with Buhari. People knew about it. So, he was the target. Then, they started mentioning the Emir of Daura, but it was Buhari’s brother who was in the group. Now, Ambassador Dahiru Waziri was colleague to Ambassador Rafindadi who was the Director General of NSO. On their own part, they were trying to cover the Ambassador.

Another angle to it was that Atiku was aiming to be Director of Customs, while Abubakar Musa was Director of Customs. If he was painted in bad light, if Atiku presented himself as the champion of the discovery, Abubakar Musa being from Sokoto, would be painted black and possibly he would be removed and automatically, Atiku would be made Director of Customs. So, you see, there were three interest groups. One, people who are trying to paint Buhari black by referring to the Emir of Daura in the accusation. There was a mention of the Emir of Daura, but they knew it was Buhari’s brother, but they didn’t have the courage to mention Buhari’s brother, Alhaji Dauda. There are people like Atiku who were out to get the Director of Customs and there was Rafindadi, the Director General of NSO who was trying to protect his own friend, the State Chief of Protocol whom he brought to Buhari.

He never knew State Chief of Protocol and since I was there, my father was not the victim, but me. To get access to Buhari, they had to get me first. This is all part of power play and the whole thing was like that. It was being sponsored within the military itself. For example, when Chief Awolowo’s house was searched, Buhari never knew about it. He read it on the pages of newspapers. It was carried out by a group of military officers who arranged for Chief Awolowo’s house to be searched. They knew Buhari would not come out to say ‘I didn’t order it’. So, it was power play and I had no opportunity to defend myself because I was not allowed to speak.

OBJ himself has sometimes said he is a born again christain but whether it should be a topic of discussion in Nairalan is what am not sure about.

But guys leadership of a country is not white and black, no true born again christain can rule any country. Lets experiment with Chris Okotie who is already a pastor as president and lets see the amount of intrigues that will surround his government at the end of the day.

So the topic is useless, that question is between him and his God. However he remains one of Nigeria's finest Generals.

;d ;d ;d ;d