By Chuks Adiukwu
When in 2015 Nigerians went to the polls, they were high in optimism about the future of their beloved country. 7 years after, that optimism has since vanished; in its place is despair and crushing poverty. The man they elected whom everyone thought was a messiah turned out to be a nightmare. Before assumption of office, he said he “belonged to nobody”; that has since turned out to be a ruse…. plain deceit! Nigerians know better. He said he would leave a lasting legacy, but that again, has become as evident a mirage, just like what they call “posting” in the local parlance.
Nigerians have been left in the lurch—cold. If the much trumpeted “legacy” is about the man now parading himself as the party…. the All Progressive Congress presidential flagbearer, then Nigerians are in for trouble. A presidential flagbearer steeped in falsehood simply cannot fly at this time –no matter what they intend to do to get him there; Nigerians have had enough of these scammers. Yet the question remains: how did the APC with all the men of integrity in their midst, even Ph.D. holders end up with a character of this nature? this is the same man the APC has gone ahead to inaugurate what they call “Presidential Campaign Committee”.
If this is not galling enough, nothing else will. The most amusing is the choice of a certain Adams Oshiomole as one of the campaign directors; they know he is an orator but, of course, reasonable people are asking: “what is he coming to do? Oshiomole is adept and profligate when it comes to crude manipulations and hauling abuses at perceived enemies. With his oratory prowess, everyone knows that he swims better in controversial muddy waters. His counterpart who heads the Information ministry in this Establishment appears to have been played out in his own dirty game, hence the ominous silence around his camp.
The belief is that he is hopelessly awe struck by the sheer scale and magnitude of corruption ravaging his party and their administration. Well, if the APC is already enmeshed in quagmire, the People’s Democratic Party are no better. Theirs is even worse in the sense that, they have been previously tried for 16 years as ruling party, but ended up grounding the nation and eventually paved the way for the emergence of the APC. Now back on the throttle, they are mired in the crucible of distrust. A certain character called Iyorchia Ayu, who has helped himself to the national till since 1999 and has cashed in at every opportunity to install himself in lucrative government positions is now the center of the raging storm in their party—the same party that claim to have shown remorse.
Common sense ought to impress on him that you cannot have two Northerners occupying key positions in the same party; but all attempt to make him see reason has fallen on deaf ears! Incredibly, Ayu has supporters! They have said it that Nigeria’s politics lacks integrity, but that doesn’t mean there are no decent people left! As Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate is rapidly finding out, there is no peace for the “wicked” for it is sheer wickedness for their generation of old brigade politicians to think they can continue to “milk” the nation without any recompense.
They now see “elections” as conduit to “enrich” themselves. Only that governor Nyesom Wike is breathing fire and giving them no rest of mind. The question again is this: does anyone need to tell Ayu and Atiku that they cannot eat their cake and have it? Why would Ayu insist on remaining as chairman when the majority of party members want him out—if nothing else for peace to reign? This already shows where the PDP is heading—a government for themselves, not for the people! Right now, in the APC camp, Rotimi Amaechi, Osinbajo along with Ogbonnanya Onu, have suddenly gone AWOL.
Yes, they were in the primaries that brought out a school certificate holder as against a well-heeled professor. Who wouldn’t? As the story goes, they were all at one time “promised” the presidential ticket by the same man who said he belonged to nobody. oh well, they only knew the bitter truth when it was too late. Deceived, raped and dumped with a bleak future starring at them! Some die-in-the-wool supporters would tell you “that is the way we play politics”. But it is not; it is sheer greed and mischief; the nation cannot continue in this part; if it does, there is bound to be calamity—a disastrous end. Little surprise then to read of the deluge of litigations that has hit the Federal courts. The latest
is Emeka Nwajuiba, a chieftain of the ruling party who has gone to court insisting that the characters of those parading themselves as presidential candidates are unacceptable because they emerged through cheating—-bribed their way to reckoning. Of course everyone knew how private jets flew in bales of dollars on the night of the primary……what a damage self-appointed “leaders” are doing to the country!
