Opinion
I dare to say that APC must be cautious as their steps could deny us of the so loudly promised change. I write as a keen observer of what is going on within in the realms of the Nigerian political sphere.
It was not what most of us Nigerians expected, though we knew that APC was bound to some storm in the middle but not this kind of confusion especially in less than one month of entering the Center of leadership in Nigeria; an opportunity so desired for some sixteen years.
One thing that was obvious in their predecessors’ moves was indiscipline, wastefulness (this included the waste time), shamelessness, looting, and impunity and so on. The PDP government was said to have been self-seeking, clueless and corrupt. There was long list of accusations and among the party members and to the party and the government. Outside the party circle people were disenchanted and the call for “Change” was seemingly very timely even among non-political individuals like some clergy in some quotas.
Now that the time to change is here, it is Barely 30 days after the Hallelujah shout, some of the ugly scenes are resurfacing again. When President Muhammadu Buhari delivered his inaugural speech he was praised by some of us for showering promises but others thought there was aptly no specific issue tackled by his address. I think he did address the issue of insecurity by ordering the move of armed forces headquarters to Maiduguri. He also took a position of neutrality of sort when he said he belongs to nobody, and he belongs to everybody.Pressident Buhari has his focus on a new Nigeria where it will be home for all when he said he was not going to sideline any part of Nigeria.
I will give credit to him to have been the first since 1999 that became president because he desired, planned and seek tenaciously to be. It is in record the way and manner former President Olusegun Obansanjo emerged in the Jos PDP Convention was miraculous, he was just out of prison learning to reacclimatize with the outside world, he suddently emerged a flagbearer and subsequently a president. It was the same thing in 2007 late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was not in the ranks of contestants until at the mid of contest he emerged a candidate. Others belive it was a deliberate effort by the then president to break his vice who was becoming the likely candidate. We all know how former president Goodluck Jonathan became president. Now the man who planned and worked to be has become.
I believe Buhari is headed for “CHANGE” But my fears are the same. Could it be that many of those who chanted change along with Buhari never had the same ideology with him? Or is just that Buhari never knew that he needed a real team of like-minds to succeed? You see the dilemma is that APC has won an election they were haphazardly prepared to win. Believe me APC was slapdash in formation. The general formation could now be seen that it was about interest - which is always the case - of individuals or groups not the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. Imagine the pulling together of the CPC and ANPP which was actually the same party which at some point parted ways because of what was seen to be ideological impasse. To come and be fused with a faction of APGA and the Yoruba centeredness ACN; worst was the assimilation of the New PDP where great political gladiators, and some movers and shakers of Nigerian contemporary politics abounded. How can one accept that wahala no dey?
If you think all these personas came to pursue a common cause, then you would have repudiated to accept the fact of this African adage which says two lions cannot dwell in the same den. Now the lions want to rule and have control both at each end of the cave they are roaring and each want to show forth. Thank God they are not “two elephants” that are fighting if not the grass is in trouble. But alas the grass is not even safe yet.
Many saw it was going to come. The struggle was evident during the primaries’ of the presidential in Lagos and even in some states where APC members pitched divergent tents. The support for Buhari by the ACN camp of APC was seen to be a deliberate plan to take over the front seat in the political affairs of the founded APC. This obviously could not go down well with the New PDP group which parades itself as the active engine of APC having entered the party with five sitting governors, about 20 senators and 80 members of the Reps including the speaker their claim of relevance is not a mere bluffing.
When General Muhammadu Buhari emerged the flag bearer with Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate it was clear that the ACN group was making headway. But it became a torn in the flesh to some when the same ACN group desired to sideline the almighty New-PDP group by supporting the candidature of Senator Lawan of the ANPP group to be the senate president and Senator Akume of the ACN group to be the deputy senate president. Similar parley was arrived for the arrangement in the House of Representatives; Honorable Gbajabiamila of the ACN group was fronted to be speaker and Honorable Mungono of the ANPP group to assist. It was a bad game for the New-PDP group if they could let that be. That would have meant that despite their stronger-than-all credentials with which they entered the APC they were no-where-to-be-found.
Senator Saraki and Hon Dogara push was a poll for check of supremacy and relevance as to who-is-who in the “Change” train. They have support of their cousins in the newly found opposition PDP who seemingly are more commandeering when it comes to power gimmicks. They played their cards well, and now they have entered history; an opposition with portfolio. Though, some have argued that PDP should not have been privy to the leadership of the senate since they did not form the majority and when they had it, they had it all but the line of difference shows that PDP in the two houses are not underdogs. Simply put, most of those who left PDP for APC did not do it because they did not believe in the ideology of their former home but were disenchanted and probably denied personal privileges which they saw an opportunity to grab in the APC. It couldn’t have been about Nigeria, it was about persons. They went and now they have gotten there who will take what is what their contention is all about.
APGA group will rise to bark. If they did not then I will call them the saints. One party man said politics is about interest but where the interest lies is what makes the difference. The CPC/ANPP group has the presidency, the ACN group has the Vice president and now the New-PDP group has Senate President and the Speaker.
Nigerians again have begun to take sides; they are getting apprehensive as the rivalries in the houses are heated. The talks of “change” are dwindling and arguments are increasing. Our fear was, would a house belt on faulty foundation stand? NO! But Nigerians must not give up on this CHANGE. Buhari saw himself as a Messiah that was why he wept in 2011 when his opponent was declared winner. He said he wept for the suffering that Nigerians were to undergo. I like his empathy and his relentless effort to save Nigeria from the quagmire that has lingered for generations. Mr. President must be very determine to be for “Everybody and for nobody” if not some guys onboard are ready to sink the ship if they can’t be made to burn the coal.
The month long closure of the both houses was not unplanned or unpremeditated as far as it seems. But what is the use of this time wasting? Is it necessary that the two houses close till July 21st? If Nigeria must go forward the politicians or whoever wants to be leader must accede to moderation. Power at all cost is not good for anything. And personal interest should not be fronted to detriment of public interest.
Nigerians voted for Change and let there be change in the system, let political leaders accept that change is sacrifice and that the best of Nigeria and Nigerians must prevail in all circumstances. The President said he has mess to clean up, he should also remember that as he cleans the mess those who must come to the inn must off their sullied shoes.
Thank God he is not new to this. One other thing is that while we wait for him to clean up the mess he should know that one month is gone out of his 48months of governing Nigeria. Let there be change.
By: *Felix Samari*
June 29, 2015
Felix Samari: Blogger and Creative writer
I dare to say that APC must be cautious as their steps could deny us of the so loudly promised change. I write as a keen observer of what is going on within in the realms of the Nigerian political sphere.
It was not what most of us Nigerians expected, though we knew that APC was bound to some storm in the middle but not this kind of confusion especially in less than one month of entering the Center of leadership in Nigeria; an opportunity so desired for some sixteen years.
One thing that was obvious in their predecessors’ moves was indiscipline, wastefulness (this included the waste time), shamelessness, looting, and impunity and so on. The PDP government was said to have been self-seeking, clueless and corrupt. There was long list of accusations and among the party members and to the party and the government. Outside the party circle people were disenchanted and the call for “Change” was seemingly very timely even among non-political individuals like some clergy in some quotas.
Now that the time to change is here, it is Barely 30 days after the Hallelujah shout, some of the ugly scenes are resurfacing again. When President Muhammadu Buhari delivered his inaugural speech he was praised by some of us for showering promises but others thought there was aptly no specific issue tackled by his address. I think he did address the issue of insecurity by ordering the move of armed forces headquarters to Maiduguri. He also took a position of neutrality of sort when he said he belongs to nobody, and he belongs to everybody.Pressident Buhari has his focus on a new Nigeria where it will be home for all when he said he was not going to sideline any part of Nigeria.
I will give credit to him to have been the first since 1999 that became president because he desired, planned and seek tenaciously to be. It is in record the way and manner former President Olusegun Obansanjo emerged in the Jos PDP Convention was miraculous, he was just out of prison learning to reacclimatize with the outside world, he suddently emerged a flagbearer and subsequently a president. It was the same thing in 2007 late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was not in the ranks of contestants until at the mid of contest he emerged a candidate. Others belive it was a deliberate effort by the then president to break his vice who was becoming the likely candidate. We all know how former president Goodluck Jonathan became president. Now the man who planned and worked to be has become.
I believe Buhari is headed for “CHANGE” But my fears are the same. Could it be that many of those who chanted change along with Buhari never had the same ideology with him? Or is just that Buhari never knew that he needed a real team of like-minds to succeed? You see the dilemma is that APC has won an election they were haphazardly prepared to win. Believe me APC was slapdash in formation. The general formation could now be seen that it was about interest - which is always the case - of individuals or groups not the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. Imagine the pulling together of the CPC and ANPP which was actually the same party which at some point parted ways because of what was seen to be ideological impasse. To come and be fused with a faction of APGA and the Yoruba centeredness ACN; worst was the assimilation of the New PDP where great political gladiators, and some movers and shakers of Nigerian contemporary politics abounded. How can one accept that wahala no dey?
If you think all these personas came to pursue a common cause, then you would have repudiated to accept the fact of this African adage which says two lions cannot dwell in the same den. Now the lions want to rule and have control both at each end of the cave they are roaring and each want to show forth. Thank God they are not “two elephants” that are fighting if not the grass is in trouble. But alas the grass is not even safe yet.
Many saw it was going to come. The struggle was evident during the primaries’ of the presidential in Lagos and even in some states where APC members pitched divergent tents. The support for Buhari by the ACN camp of APC was seen to be a deliberate plan to take over the front seat in the political affairs of the founded APC. This obviously could not go down well with the New PDP group which parades itself as the active engine of APC having entered the party with five sitting governors, about 20 senators and 80 members of the Reps including the speaker their claim of relevance is not a mere bluffing.
When General Muhammadu Buhari emerged the flag bearer with Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate it was clear that the ACN group was making headway. But it became a torn in the flesh to some when the same ACN group desired to sideline the almighty New-PDP group by supporting the candidature of Senator Lawan of the ANPP group to be the senate president and Senator Akume of the ACN group to be the deputy senate president. Similar parley was arrived for the arrangement in the House of Representatives; Honorable Gbajabiamila of the ACN group was fronted to be speaker and Honorable Mungono of the ANPP group to assist. It was a bad game for the New-PDP group if they could let that be. That would have meant that despite their stronger-than-all credentials with which they entered the APC they were no-where-to-be-found.
Senator Saraki and Hon Dogara push was a poll for check of supremacy and relevance as to who-is-who in the “Change” train. They have support of their cousins in the newly found opposition PDP who seemingly are more commandeering when it comes to power gimmicks. They played their cards well, and now they have entered history; an opposition with portfolio. Though, some have argued that PDP should not have been privy to the leadership of the senate since they did not form the majority and when they had it, they had it all but the line of difference shows that PDP in the two houses are not underdogs. Simply put, most of those who left PDP for APC did not do it because they did not believe in the ideology of their former home but were disenchanted and probably denied personal privileges which they saw an opportunity to grab in the APC. It couldn’t have been about Nigeria, it was about persons. They went and now they have gotten there who will take what is what their contention is all about.
APGA group will rise to bark. If they did not then I will call them the saints. One party man said politics is about interest but where the interest lies is what makes the difference. The CPC/ANPP group has the presidency, the ACN group has the Vice president and now the New-PDP group has Senate President and the Speaker.
Nigerians again have begun to take sides; they are getting apprehensive as the rivalries in the houses are heated. The talks of “change” are dwindling and arguments are increasing. Our fear was, would a house belt on faulty foundation stand? NO! But Nigerians must not give up on this CHANGE. Buhari saw himself as a Messiah that was why he wept in 2011 when his opponent was declared winner. He said he wept for the suffering that Nigerians were to undergo. I like his empathy and his relentless effort to save Nigeria from the quagmire that has lingered for generations. Mr. President must be very determine to be for “Everybody and for nobody” if not some guys onboard are ready to sink the ship if they can’t be made to burn the coal.
The month long closure of the both houses was not unplanned or unpremeditated as far as it seems. But what is the use of this time wasting? Is it necessary that the two houses close till July 21st? If Nigeria must go forward the politicians or whoever wants to be leader must accede to moderation. Power at all cost is not good for anything. And personal interest should not be fronted to detriment of public interest.
Nigerians voted for Change and let there be change in the system, let political leaders accept that change is sacrifice and that the best of Nigeria and Nigerians must prevail in all circumstances. The President said he has mess to clean up, he should also remember that as he cleans the mess those who must come to the inn must off their sullied shoes.
Thank God he is not new to this. One other thing is that while we wait for him to clean up the mess he should know that one month is gone out of his 48months of governing Nigeria. Let there be change.
By: *Felix Samari*
June 29, 2015
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