Obasanjo’s malleability in the hands of his northern handlers
during his first outing was one of the reasons why he was thought to
be the right man for the presidency in 1999. He demonstrated courage
in denying Awolowo the privilege of litigation on the contentious
result of the 1979 federal elections which gave Shagari 12 2/3 of a
state; not to talk of his demonstrable acts of favoritism to the interests of his northern
constituency. For this, they trusted him with the presidency a second
time around.
The Caging of Babangida
by Tunde Adenodi.
There is no question that IBB has been a formidable
power broker on Nigeria’s political theater for the past 30 years.
Until at least two weeks ago. He has been close to the seat of power
since perhaps the second coup of 1966. And each successful coup had
moved him one notch up the political hierarchy until 1985 when he got
the ultimate price and declared himself our president against
established tradition of coup plotters calling themselves Heads of
State.
Obasanjo has been a major beneficiary of
Babangida’s political machinations. First, he disarmed Buka Suka Dimka
at the NBC studios in Ikoyi thus foiling Dimka’s rebellion and
installing General Obasanjo as Head of State in 1976 after Dimka had
assassinated Murtala Muhammed. Then in 1993, he was the first to visit
Obasanjo in Otta to suggest that he run for the post of president
after Abacha had died suddenly. The convenience of Abacha’s unexpected
death made the manner of his death suspect till this day. And since no
one except Abacha’s immediate family and political hangers-on mourned
Abacha, the manner of his death is now part of history.
Babangida is one soldier who knew exactly what he
wanted and did his damnedest to work for it. He did not wake up on
August 17, 1985 to call himself President for nothing after ousting
Buhari. It is clear that he had given it a lot of thought prior to the
coup. So, he was the most prepared for the post.
Most importantly, Abacha’s death effectively
brought Babangida back to the fore by perhaps being remotely involved
in the installation of one of his most loyal comrades – General
Abdusalami Abubakar as the Head of State. Abubakar is IBB’s next door
neighbor on the Minna Hill. You don’t get to be that neighborly unless
you are close. In other words, IBB was back in power! So, Babangida
would not have suggested the presidency to Obasanjo had Abubakar not
sent him. Or, put in another way, had both of them not agreed that he
be offered the post! So, Babangida was president by proxy.
Then, Abacha dropped dead followed 30 days later by
the death of MKO Abiola who it was determined would not be allowed to
be president at all cost.
As president for 8 years, IBB had come to assume
that the post of president was his birth-right reserved for him and
his appointees only. This was why he said he was making a personal
sacrifice by “step(ping) aside” when he did! Even his wife had begun
to be so swollen headed that it was rumored that she had slapped a
federal minister. Babangida had been an ardent fan of Chile’s
Augustino Pinochet and even Indonesia’s Surhato, two of the world’s
brutal dictators. These two were his heroes.
So, he annulled Abiola.s election and plunged us
into the political abyss where we have been till date. No atonement of
any kind. No contrition. Indeed he said he had no regret whatsoever
implying that he would do it all over if given the chance! He rolled
back our political development by no less than 50 years and our
economic advancement by just as much. He, along with Abacha, brought out from us
all the primordial fears of old. He, even more than Abacha, brought to
the front burner issues thought to have been settled. He exacerbated
the problem of ethnic division in the society. In other words, he left
us worse of than he met us politically, economically, socially and
developmentally.
Babangida is a lucky man. In other climes, he would
be no more literally and politically speaking. To run for office, you
must at least be alive. President Chaucheski of Rumania was executed
along with his wife for no greater offense against his people. William
Tolbert of Liberia was disemboweled by Samuel Doe and his men after he
was toppled. And Doe’s ears were sliced off and he suffered castration
in the hands of Yomi Johnson. As for Ghana’s Rawlings, he
simply lined up all Ghana’s former leaders and executed them!
But tyrants never learn from others. It can never happen to us,
they allsay.
So, in spite of his record he wants to come to be
Nigeria’s president again. And he is not short of political hangers-on
who urge him on daring history to repeat itself.
Come to think of it, IBB can hardly be faulted for wanting to come
back to be president. Thirteen years after leaving office with
ignominy, he is regarded as messiah by a section of his people. The
current president conferred the land’s highest title of GCFR on him.
The party in power shows him off as a political asset worthy enough to
be paraded! One political party even reserved the presidential slot
for IBB! And in order to accede to their demand he formed an outfit
aptly called Operation Double O Seven: license to kill. And since he
had put in a lot of thought to this latest move, it is clear that he
means to kill us all if given another shot at leading the country
again.
But thank God for some of us that are still sane. Thank God for a
president like Obasanjo who does not like to share the honor of being
given such a unique opportunity of ruling his country twice in his
life. Thanks to the almighty, that we have a president who has no
qualms at “atikulising” any one. IBB is now check-mated. He is
caged at least for now. Since he is one type that pretends that
he did not understand OBJ’s body language, he had left Obasanjo no
other choice than to tell him in unambiguous language to back off from
the presidency.
For those who think IBB will heed Obasanjo’s admonitions and go to
Minna quietly to sulk, they do not yet know IBB. He will not back off
without a fight. He will not behave like Abiola who not only resigned
from NPN in 1982 but also from politics after Umaru Dikko told him the
presidency was not for his likes! IBB did not call himself the “evil
genius” for nothing. No one treats IBB like that and gets away with
it. The presidency is his birthright and no one, not even an OBJ can
deny him his right. So, he must go back to the drawing table.
Obasanjo’s malleability in the hands of his northern handlers
during his first outing was one of the reasons why he was thought to
be the right man for the presidency in 1999. He demonstrated courage
in denying Awolowo the privilege of litigation on the contentious
result of the 1979 federal elections which gave Shagari 12 2/3 of a
state; not to talk of his demonstrable acts of favoritism to the interests of his northern
constituency. For this, they trusted him with the presidency a second
time around.
He was acutely aware that his northern base, or what was left of
it, would evaporate overnight if he had done the politically correct;
hand over to a South/South candidate! IBB, Buhari and Atiku were on
hand to cash in on this. No amount of rigging would help his southern
candidate win! So, he decided to do the politically expedient by
grooming one of them by name Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
At the drawing table, IBB did not have to wait long. The first
person visited by Yar’Adua after his nomination was General Babangida!
It is not known whether the visit was to assure IBB that he was still
in good hands despite the rebuff OBJ gave him. Whatever the reason for
the visit, it is an ominous sign of things to come under Yar’Adua’s
presidency. So, he has to work on Yar’Adua. And if Yar’Adua is like
Shagari as I suspect he is, IBB does not have anything to worry about.
Yar’Adua will turn out to be IBB’s boy. So, OBJ did cage IBB. But he
has given the key to Yar’Adua for safe keeping.
In a way, IBB, the mentor of Obasanjo, has become his greatest (tor)mentor!
Obasanjo does not know how to deal with IBB just like he does not know
how to deal with Atiku. And IBB is enjoying Obasanjo’s dilemma.
IBB’s only worry is Buhari. The fear of Buhari is the beginning of
wisdom. Buhari does not forgive. He takes all infractions against his
government personally. IBB it was, who was rumored to have authorized
the raid on Awolowo’s residence when Buhari was in power. Buhari had
to pretend that he knew everything that was going on while he was in
power. Needless to mention that IBB was the one who toppled Buhari. If
Buhari is back in power, then IBB is in trouble. But Obasanjo is not
going to hand-over to Buhari even if he wins. Buhari is a lose cannon.
He is not going to pretend that he will honor any deal with OBJ and
therefore OBJ cannot trust him. But can he trust Yar’Adua to follow
through on any deal made with him?
So, to cage IBB and do a good job at that, Obasanjo has to do it
himself. Or allow Buhari to take over after him. There is no question
that Buhari will curb IBB’s excesses. If this is the only reason why I
must support Buhari, then I must. IBB must not be allowed to be
Nigeria’s president again. Not even in his dreams!
