For me, 2010 remained a year of anticipation, of hope and yet of deep skepticism in personal affairs but most importantly in the affairs of my country Nigeria. You see, Nigeria is a country of kaleidoscopic tendencies. A country where anything remains possible yet matched by a people who remain unfazed by the occurrence of the impossible. In 2009 through a network of conspiracy theorists who I remain attached to by an ever growing addiction, it was rumored Nigeria was going to break up in 2011. Now, although I was not a great fan of ‘Biafra’ or ‘deadly wars’, I have accrued a deep yearning for separation from a barbaric Islamic North who over the years have refused to imbibe the spirit of togetherness and have clinged to power for decades with an unjustifiable greed despite their recurring failure to add value to their own lives not to talk of the life of Nigerians from other parts of the country. By the end of 2009, Late Musa Yar’Adua, the then President of Nigeria took ill, and the events that unfolded over the next couple of months revealed the desperation of the North to hold on to power irrespective of its effects on the nation so long as their interests were protected. Some details of the events that occurred still remain shrouded in mystery. Yet still, the ascendance of the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, in the stead of Musa Yar’Adua after his unfortunate demise clearly did not go down well with the North who persistently offered unholy deals to Goodluck Jonathan to ensure a return of the Presidency to the North with the forthcoming elections a year later. To cut the story short, the young and inexperienced new president from the marginalized South-south part of Nigeria clearly had his own agenda and he cannot be blamed, for he surely was learning from one of the intelligent politicians Nigeria has ever witnessed in the person of Olusegun Obasanjo (It is a personal perception which you are free to vehemently disagree with).
Much to the appreciation of Nigerians and the international community (amid deep skepticism towards the reality of its occurrence), Goodluck Jonathan went ahead to make the conduct of free and fair elections his priority followed by other minor objectives. The appointment of Prof. Attahiru Jega (a northerner) as the Chairman of INEC followed by reforms in the electoral act as well as the provision of funds and the promise of independence to the electoral body (INEC), set the stage for the realization of a utopian dream deeply desired by true Nigerians.
At this point, Goodluck Jonathan declared his desire to run for President in 2011 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which was met with disdain by the North especially Northwest who have come to believe without any doubt that they were indeed ‘born to rule’. They described Jonathan’s declaration as immoral and a breach of a gentleman’s agreement in the PDP that the Presidency would be zoned to the North till 2015. Then came the declaration of Ibrahim Babangida and Atiku Abubakar to run for President all under the umbrella of the PDP, setting the perfect stage for yet another drama of amusing proportions for the masses.
The declaration of Babangida stung like a slap in the face and a return of the reality that in Nigeria, anything was possible. The ex-military ruler disrupted democratic proceedings in 1993 that largely unsettled the nation and threw her back into dark days of military rule, ripped the country of billions of naira during his days in power and largely infringed on the rights of journalists with the popular assassination of Dele Giwa refusing to fade in the hearts of Nigerians, old and the newly born. His declaration to run for president with such an outstanding portfolio and the unforgettable rant on the media about the inadequacy and inexperience of the Nigeria youth to hold positions of power in the country remains one the boldest insults on Nigerians by our ever decadent politicians who have clearly turned Nigeria into an animal farm which they run and the masses serve as a constant supply of meat and milk for their tables.
Clearly at the time, there seemed to be a unified desire for Goodluck Jonathan to win the PDP primaries with a faction of the North clamoring for either Babaginda or Atiku while subtly threatening to cause havoc in the nation should Jonathan win the Presidential race with isolated shows of barbarism by their largely uneducated populace which they use to pursue political goals. Much to the relief of many Nigerians, including me, Babangida backed out of the primaries and channeled his machinery towards supporting Atiku after a consensus was reached between the two towards maximizing votes in the PDP to defeat Goodluck Jonathan. Then, my admiration for Olusegun Obasanjo seems justified again at this point for his behind the stage overtures and coordination geared towards preparing his apprentice for his first official victory in politics. His popular chant “I dey laugh” was believed to be targeted initially at Atiku who remained unpopular (with his stint as vice president under Obasanjo and his return to PDP after a much paraded break up that seemed to offer him some credence) and clearly did not have the political initiative to unsettle Goodluck Jonathan.
The conduct of the PDP primaries was inevitably shrouded in drama with the removal of the PDP Chairman shortly before the primaries. Atiku experienced a clear defeat which some tagged as embarrassing with a clear majority choosing Goodluck Jonathan. The poor initiative of Atiku became apparent when he decried the use of funds to buy over governors and delegates by Goodluck Jonathan. He accused his opposition of raising the stakes pretty high while dishing out monetary incentives to delegates to win their votes which surpassed the amount he offered the same delegates as well! What a joke! Clearly, the mechanism of the PDP was paraded again and this was clearly noted by Nigerians who apparently were sheathing their swords in preparation for the 2011 general elections where they hoped to effect change in their nation! However, they remained light hearted at the results of the PDP primaries for Goodluck Jonathan and his camp remained the heroes while Atiku Abubakar and his band of supporters (including Ibrahim Babangida) were the villains. The results assured Nigerians that a return to continual daylight rapes of their rights and democracy was unlikely. Also, it meant that for the presidential elections, a relatively desired candidate would be showcased by the PDP who at the time were in the habit of stealing the mandate of the people!
Nd Obi
(Coming next, part II: Mind games and illusions)
