WHAT you are about to read is an analogy emanating from the disquiets between Mr. President and the Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR) and Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi respectively on the one hand and the story of Julius Caesar of the Roman Empire on the other hand. Jonathan and Amaechi were citizens of the old Rivers State created by General Gowon on May 27, 1967; now separated by the creation of Bayelsa State by General Abacha in 1996, to which Mr. President is a native citizen. Both of them belong to the Nigerian ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which delineated Nigeria into six geo- political zones and both personalities fall under the South-South zone. Mr. President is the national leader of the PDP. Both of them are alumni of the University of Port Harcourt. Before we dig deep, let us briefly state the basic characters of both personalities. Mr. President is a kind, humble, caring and soft-hearted man. But he is an Ijawman and a Nigerian politician. Mr. Governor hails from Ikwerre and he is also a Nigerian politician, however he may be a direct opposite to the rest of the parameters. Let me give you an example: I wrote a book on Ikwerre development and sent a copy each to the President and Governor Amaechi. While the President acknowledged his copy and supported my effort, the Governor did nothing; despite that it was a book on how to develop his Ikwerre ethnic group. His answer would be that he is not tribalistic and he is governor of Rivers State not Ikwerre. How naïve! This could go a long way to assess these characters on how they relate with those other citizens under them they do not know. So what are the issues between them that could not be amicably resolved to the extent that the President is being accused of killing democracy in his former state and the Governor accused of disrespecting the President? It had been alleged in the media that Amaechi disrespected the President by nursing Vice Presidential ambition (under Alh. Sule Lamido, governor of Jigawa State who would be expected to contest as the Presidential candidate come 2015 elections) without consulting the President who may have presidential ambition come 2015. But I also heard that Amaechi had refuted the newspaper claim even though I have not read it. Nigerian politics is still very undemocratic and immature and that is why some people may ask: why should Amaechi be available to those who do not want the President in 2015? In any case, it would have been nice if Amaechi had first consulted the President on his VP ambition knowing that consultation and lobbying are political strategies. President’s Jonathan’s anger is understandable since PDP’s zoning principle would not allow them contest in those capacities at the same time. This was my understanding that made me to write a personal letter to Amaechi advising him to quickly personally go and reconcile with the President for not consulting him on his (Amaechi) purported ambition or deny it. If he had done this at that initial time when the rumour was fresh and new, Nigeria and indeed Rivers State would have been saved from all these anti- democratic actions being unleashed. In politics, at times you must stoop to conquer. I know that some people would argue that Amaechi has every right to aspire for any political position in Nigeria. But given the pseudo-nature of Nigerian politics today, how many of us in the President’s position would easily or happily accept Amaechi’s opposition? Nigerian politics since 1960 has never been about issues or ideas which Amaechi is playing to represent; it has been about personal interest in the core but hidden under regional or sectional interest. Prior to this issue of political ambition and immediately thereafter, Amaechi has been suffering some indignities as a governor. First, his “official” aircraft was suddenly grounded by the Nigerian airport authorities. Next, the PDP Rivers State executive under Amaechi as state party leader was sacked by a court of law. The sacking was believed to have been master- minded by the central leadership of the PDP. In retaliation, the Rivers State House of Assembly under Amaechi sacked the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council for purported corruption. This was a case of the pot calling the kettle black: because over 98% of Nigerian politicians are very corrupt. The central leadership of the PDP responded by suspending the 22 Rivers State House of Assembly members who are loyal to Amaechi for sacking the Obio/Akpor Council. Later, Amaechi himself was suspended from the PDP. As if these were not enough, the PDP formed the PDP Governors Forum (PDP-GF) probably to reduce the political importance of Amaechi among the governors as Amaechi was the Chairman of the original and authentic Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF): a nebulous forum unrecognised by the Nigerian Constitution, but which provided a clearing house of ideas on common issues. After all, they have the right of association. Still not satisfied to have frustrated Amaechi well enough, the PDP recognised and supported governor Jang’s aberrational caricature NGF, formed by the anti-Amaechi governors who in June 2013 lost to Amaechi during the elections in the original forum. While Amaechi got 19 votes, Jang got 16 votes. Today, and within the PDP circle, the minority 16 votes now rule majority 19 votes! Thoroughly undemocratic indeed! So, the PDP is now well pleased to be in control of two governor’s forums: PDP Governor’s Forum led by Governor Akpabio and the aberrational right-wing NGF led by Governor David Jang, all loyalists to the central leadership of the PDP. As the national leader of the PDP, it remains extremely hard to be convinced that in all of these, the President has nothing to do with them and therefore does not know they happened. Back in Rivers State, early in June 2013, the President’s wife visited Rivers State and went round soliciting for electoral support for her hubby’s 2015 presidential ambition thus further making Amaechi anti-Jonathan and heating up the Rivers State polity the more. Next, the security personnel attached to Amaechi and the Speaker of the House of Assembly were withdrawn. The five anti-Amaechi members of the Rivers State House of Assembly (made up of 32 members) and tacitly supported by PDP’s central leadership attempted to impeach the Speaker on July 9, 2013 but 22 pro- Amaechi members refused. On July 16, 2013, four governors (Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Kwankwaso of Kano State, Nyako of Adamawa State and Aliyu of Niger State) from the North went to Rivers State on a solidarity visit to their fellow governor Amaechi and they were embarrassed by the presence of Rivers youths demonstrating at the Port Harcourt airport against their visit. Is the PDP central leadership not killing the fly with a sledgehammer? I think these are getting extremely too far, aren’t they? Quickly, may I ask: was Amaechi’s only sin that of his vice presidential ambition under Sule Lamido? In any matured and progressive politics, this may not be a sin against the President’s 2015 presidential ambition, just like the late Abubakar Rimi contested for the presidency in 2007 against late President Umaru Yar’ Adua, all of the same PDP. This is why the alleged sins had become more worrisome. Moreover, some say Amaechi had sufficiently refuted it. I think the rebuttal was not well publicised; I am yet to find a national newspaper where this rebuttal was published. Notwithstanding, for the umpteenth time, Amaechi needs a world press conference on this matter at least to reiterate emphatically that he did not have such ambition or that he has, so that the public can sufficiently know the bases of his travails. This would reduce the speculations, insinuations and dangerous sentiments built around the issue. On the other hand, the President also needs to tell the world what exactly had Amaechi done to him to deserve all the embarrassments the PDP is causing Amaechi, so that the whole world can understand the basis of his anger against Amaechi. PDP central leadership could not have been acting out on Amaechi without the President’s knowledge and approval. Impossible! • To be continued. • Dibia wrote from Abuja.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:41:34 +0000
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