Buhari @73: Constructing progressive Nigeria

IT was Rt. Hon. Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo of blessed memory, sometimes in 2002 who postulated or rather predicted President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as president and his arduous task of constructing progressive Nigeria.

It was in one of these night sessions that Oyi assert- ed that a great political event had happened. With eyes popped out we listened to his lecture type of sermon. He first asked us did any of you read today’s newspapers? Yes was the chorus, for most of the time we acted like students in a classroom to the great Oyi. Taking note sometimes.

We failed the question of pointing out the exact major news item of the day he was referring to. Some of us mentioned the GSM revolution which dominated the news then and the decamping of some Alliance for Democracy (AD) law makers to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) . No! No! Oyi maintained.

Oyi in his usual candour, graciously cleared his throat and started with his routine old thesis that the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, his Achilles Hill, was constructing a one party state, which he intoned was very dangerous, unconstitutional and might breed dictatorship. He said, ‘left for the Owu Chief he would want to amend the Constitution and extend his rule.’ This was before the 3rd Term imbroglio.

He narrated the major news which was that a decoder or if you like a saviour had emerged. ‘Am surprised that none of you took note of General Muhammadu Buhari’s entry into the murky waters of Nigerian politics’ he said. We claimed we read it but why is his entry a major news, in the musical chair of our brand of politics?

Oyi’s answer was very emphatic, ‘Buhari will define politics in the years ahead. Nigeria is lucky, quote me. We are lucky he didn’t join the PDP. The battle line is drawn. It’s going to be a marathon race’ he quipped. Buhari had joined the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) when Oyi stated what appeared to be prophetic. He went to celebrate that the stage was set for deconstructing the one party state being weaved by Obasanjo. Some of us who have elementary knowledge of Buhari’s financial war-chest challenged Oyi’s postulation, pointing out to him that Buhari was handicapped greatly in a scenario of money politics.

Oyi didn’t page with us, rather he said we are going to join Buhari in the ANPP. That the man is going to construct a progressive Nigeria and that Oyi’s intellectual acumen is highly needed in this direction. ‘He has the capacity, the discipline and courage to change the old order’ Oyi maintained.

We taunted him, saying that Oyi’s postulation was a fig- ment of sour grape. That he was castigating Obasanjo be- cause he was his traducer, having masterminded Oyi’s impeachment. Far from it he said. ‘Am just a patriot, pointing the way forward for our dear country. Buhari is incorrigible and Spartan, he has the capacity to battle an imperial dicta- tor that Obj is. It is not sour grape or retribution.’

Oyi went down memory lane and narrated how as Political Adviser to Shehu Shagari he was mandated with few others to covertly probe the so called missing N2.8billion, alleged to have been flown out of Nigeria from oil revenue, when Buhari was Minister of Petroleum. ‘It turned out to be hoax. Shagari was wise to admonish us to make the investigation secret.’

What one can dub the great debate lasted for over two weeks and some of us finally followed him to join Buhari in the ANPP. That’s the reason why when other contestants in the 2003 ANPP’s presidential primary worked out, when Buhari was nominated the presidential candidate without open direct or indirect primary, Oyi didn’t work out with them.

He was later nominated the vice presidential candidate in what became the Buhari/Okadigbo ticket. The outcome of the election is public knowledge and that President Buhari and Okadigbo filed petition at the election tribunal is also of public,where the majority judgment delivered by Honourable Justices of the Appeal Court – Umaru Abdullahi, Mahmud Mohemmed and Francis Tabai ruled in favour the election. While the minority’s judgment was delivered by Honourable Justice Slyvanus Nsofor, ‘My conclusion logically and naturally would be that there was a purported election on 19/04/2003. That was not what Nigerians want or deserve to have. No. All I am striving to say, perhaps imperfectly is that the non-compliance with Section 67(3) of the Electoral Act, 2002 rendered the presidential election on the 19/04/2003 a farce. Pure and simple! So, ‘Cadit queastio’. It was a non-election.’

It can be said that for President Buhari it was rough route to victory as 2007, and 2011 presidential elections ended in controversy. To the extent that the Honourable Justices of the Supreme Court were stretched to their limits ending with a 4-3 split votes in 2011 presidential election tribunal.

To God be the Glory that the 2015 presidential election, President Buhari won and the former president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonatlhan graciously conceded defeat and congratulated the winner, in which Mr President during the inaugural appreciated thus, ‘I would like to thank President Goodluck Jonatlhan for his display of statesmanship in setting a precedence for us that has now made our people proud to be Nigerians wherever they are. With the support and cooperation he has given to the transition process, he has made it possible for us to show the world that despite the perceived tension in the land we can be a united people capable of doing what is right for our nation. Together we co-operated to surprise the world that had come to expect only the worst from Nigerians. I hope this act of graciously accepting defeat by the outgoing President will become the standard of political conduct in the country.’

Since assumption of office on 29th May, 2015, President Buhari has in measured steps began the construction of a progressive and prosperous Nigeria. In this exercise some are skeptical for his pace. For them he is too slow. For this Mr President has said, slow and steady win the race. It is not peculiar to Nigerians, a lot of people assume that democracy must deliver quick results especially in political systems like ours where the people’s hope was dashed and the state atrophied.

We must, however, bear in mind that democracy is not a revolution; rather growth in democracy is better incremental and abrupt. Democracy is built around compromise, consultation and the grinding pace of the rule of law process.

Therefore in constructing a progressive country, Mr President is faced with an empty treasure, an outcome of the locust years, dwindling oil revenue and how best to harmonize the good, the bad and the ugly in our political landscape.