The politics of looters’ list
The political battle for next year’s general election has begun in a manner suggesting that the opposition party seem to have taken extra lessons in the art of propaganda, which was a major tool deployed to dethrone it in 2015. Buhari’s goodwill at that time, buoyed whatever the party in power today had in its arsenal. But Alhaji Lai Mohammed, current Minister of Information, who held the lever of dissemination of information as Publicity Secretary for All Progressives Congress [APC] at that time, was a pain in the neck of People’s Democratic Party[PDP].
He hit at the party with such target clinching blows that Former President Goodluck Jonathan, brought in more hands to his media campaign team. The likes of Doyin Okupe and Femi Fani-Kayode joined the train. They could not reverse that damage which rode on the back of the near cult following Mohammadu Buhari enjoyed at that point in time. The matter was not helped by the now recurring letter by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which tended to pull the rug off the feet of Jonathan, whom he helped bring to political lime light. The letter has come to light again from the same source suggesting that Obasanjo has, again lost faith the government. Let us stay on Obasanjo for a while and probe his constant vote of no confidence on people he marketed and virtually brought to power.
Does it imply that the man is deficient in rating people or is he the proverbial mother that feeds on her children? He would campaign with his last pint of blood and virtually foist political leaders on the nation only to turn his back on them few years down the line. He admitted singling out late President Umaru Yar’Adua as his worthy successor, only to engage in theatrical denial of knowing nothing about the man’s health status; a situation that came to the fore even during the campaign rounds. What manner of security information did he get as the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces? The man, who, for me, is one of the best things to happen to Nigeria’s presidency, became a meal upturned from the table just as the nation was getting set to get its feel. When the story is told, it will come to light that Yar’Adua was exceptional in his performance on that seat. But Obasanjo foisted a sick and dying man on the country. Goodluck Jonathan mounted the saddle providentially, but it will be noted that Obasanjo had a hand in his ascendancy as Vice-President. The cool-headed Jonathan never denied Obasanjo, nor took steps to undermine that man who paved the way for his rise on the political ladder. When he sought a second term, Obasanjo went to the opposite political direction and accused the man of incompetence and corruption. Again Obasanjo tended to offer another trite apology to a people he had begun to play chess with their political leadership. He began to host renegade Governors at his hill top home in Abeokuta. He made a show of tearing his People’s Democratic Party Membership card and publicly turned his back on Jonathan. The rest, as they say, is history.
Again, he has fired a letter to Buhari and followed up with verbal withdrawal of support from ‘a failed government’. Admittedly, hardship and job losses have not abated and may have worsened in some instances, but Obasanjo has a hand in bringing this regime to bear. Why does he support deficient people, by his later reading of their performance, only to turn round to cry over spilt milk? It would seem that he is uncharacteristically driven by sentiments in his initial support of candidates. It is said that the ultimate mark of success for a leader is to have a worthy successor in tow. Obasanjo seems to have a poor reading of people including his colleagues, which is why he would vigorously support Buhari and, as he did with Jonathan, realize that he backed the wrong horse.
To return to our discuss is to say that opposition party of today has learnt fast and now turns the table of propaganda against the ruling party on the heels of another Obasanjo letter. Reno Omokri, an aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan has sent panic waves in the ruling party’s camp. He has put a balloon in the bloated image of the ruling party’s relatively positive image of championing a crusade and fight against corruption. The aide said the APC was throwing stones from an all- glass house. He went to the basics and said President Buhari’s election was prosecuted with looted funds and gave further bite to his assertion by releasing names of those who volunteered their loot for the campaign. Those names serve no useful purpose here, especially given that the courts are sitting on top or sitting on the matter, depending on your perspective. The list sent tremors through the ruling party. Omokri has given it a dose of its own drug and made well the saying that no one or group of people hold monopoly of any act. Below that belt blow is an apt description of Omokri’s action. He hit at the heart of the matter, at the core of a cardinal corner stone on which the foundation of this regime is laid. For any one to say that the president is enjoying the proceeds of corruption and treasury looting is to deal a rather dangerous blow on a man said to be as straight as he stands in moral and financial rectitude. Those who funded Buhari’s election, Omokri said, where people standing trial or even convicted for treasury looting. No one can catch Lai Mohammed napping in his own game. He fired his own missive wherein he released a list of people in the opposition People’s Democratic Party, who are dons in the act of looting. One list has met another and the battle now rages. it is hoped that politics would not submerge the fight against corruption.
