in this report, takes a look at how President Muhammadu Buhari was able to wriggle out of the gang up by some ex-Generals against his re-election bid. Despite series of attacks, name calling, intrigues and steps taken to frustrate his second term bid by some ex-Generals, President Muhammadu Buhari, on February 27th, 2019, was declared winner of the presidential election held on Saturday February 23.
He defeated his main rival, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with a margin of nearly four million votes.
Announcing the results of the poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said President Buhari, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) got 15.2 million votes while Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the PDP received 11.3 million. The analysis of the result clearly showed that the president swept the north, while his rival, Atiku Abubakar, did better in the South and Eastern parts of the country.
Since 1999, when the country ended decades of military rule that began in 1966 and had been interrupted only by a brief period of democracy from 1979 to 1983, the ex-Generals being seen as those determining who becomes what in the country’s political space. But, by scaling the hurdles placed on the way to his re-election, the president is seen as a special being by some political observers. They are of the opinion that “hardly can we find anybody, no matter how influential he may be, surviving the kind of the gang up against the president”.
According to analysts, these ex-Generals, led by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is fond of writing letters, are like a cabal that always dictate directions for the country. Pointedly, they are of the opinion that Obasanjo always takes the lead and is never afraid to operate even where the devil fear to tread.
Analysts believe that whenever Obasanjo speaks against a particular government, he has conveyed the mind of some of his colleagues to the public, like the way they ended the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The Owu born retired soldier always attacks every successive administration after him that may be perceived as not dancing to the instructions and interest of the ex-Generals.
For instance, in December 2013, few years after influencing Jonathan’s political rise as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, through Governor, Vice President, Acting President, substantive President and his election as president in the 2011 elections, Obasanjo wrote a letter to the then President Goodluck Jonathan, expressing concerns about the direction of the latter’s administration. In the 18-page letter, Obasanjo expressed irritation at the way the Jonathan-led administration was handling the affairs of the Nigerian state.
He even spoke of an alleged threat to national unity and complained about his alleged reneging on a promise he made in 2011, that he would spend only one term of four years in office. He lambasted the then administration over what he described as the increasing cases of corruption in government and the alleged training of snipers ahead of the 2015 general elections, among others and further rated Jonathan’s performance as “below average.”
Obasanjo, however, warned Jonathan not to run for re-election in 2015, a warning he ignored. He fought Jonathan and PDP to a standstill at that time and he openly declared his support for Buhari. After the election, Jonathan was defeated by Buhari with about three million votes. Some analysts posited that the former president was not left out among eminent Nigerians that congratulated President Buhari and set agenda for him. But the relationship between the two leaders began to turn sour shortly after Buhari announced his cabinet.
According to some political observers, Obasanjo parted ways with Buhari having understood that Buhari would be a hard nut to crack for him to achieve some of his personal gains. Precisely, in January 2018, Obasanjo, as usual, shook the whole country with another letter to President Muhammadu Buhari entitled: “The way out: A clarion call for the coalition for Nigeria movement.” Obasanjo, in the letter, condemned the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari by passing a damning vote of no confidence on him and equally advised him not to seek re-election in the just concluded presidential election.
Obasanjo listed what he termed result of Buhari’s poor performance to include poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condoning and encouraging misdeeds, lack of progress and hope for the future, as well as running the country without national cohesion. He said Buhari had surprised many that knew him in three areas.
He criticized him for “nepotic deployment bordering on clannishness and inability to bring discipline to bear on errant members of his nepotic court, which has grave consequences on the performance of his government to the detriment of the nation. It would appear that national interest was being sacrificed on the altar of nepotic interest…
” He also accused Buhari of “poor understanding of the dynamics of internal politics, which has led to wittingly or unwittingly making the nation more divided, while inequality has widened and become more pronounced. It also has an effect on general national security. “The third is passing the buck. For instance, blaming the Governor of Central Bank for the devaluation of the naira by 70 percent or so and blaming past governments for it…
Obasanjo ended his epistle by advocating a coalition movement because according to him, both the APC and PDP had failed the nation. Few weeks to the election, like the way he handled Jonathan’s re-election bid in 2015, Obasanjo issued another statement that portrayed Buhari as a desperate politician.
While likening the president to the late General Sani Abacha, the former president also accused Buhari of putting into practice the things he learned from the late former military head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, by “attacking the National Assembly and now unconstitutionally and recklessly attacking and intimidating the judiciary to cow them to submission”. “Criticism, choice and being different are an inherent trademark of democracy. If democracy is derailed or aborted, anarchy and authoritarianism will automatically follow, he stated.”
However, rather than being discouraged about the letters unlike Jonathan, President Buhari and his party continued mapping out various strategies to ensure the success of his campaign and the election.
When he got to know that President Buhari was not perturbed with all the measures he put in place as an obstacle to his re-election and the threat of forming and adoption of a political party, Obasanjo hurriedly adopted Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who he had a frosty relationship with. Again, President Buhari remained unperturbed. He carried on with the task of repositioning the nation including the diversification of the economy, fighting corruption, terrorism and other threats to national security; improving education, health, and providing infrastructure – roads, rail, airports and so forth.
President Buhari remained focus and proud of his record because his achievements are verifiable. His spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said at the heat of what looked like a distraction from Obasanjo, that the President will not relent in the war against corruption because the ordinary people are the ultimate victims “if we surrender to corruption and let its perpetrators go unpunished.”
According to Shehu, “abandoning the war against corruption is not an option. President Buhari is in this battle against graft because he cannot allow a few, rapacious, and selfish class of the elite to divert the resources meant for the well-being of the ordinary people to their private pockets.
“Nigerians trust President Buhari in this effort because they are convinced he is not in government for personal financial benefits, or for an ego trip. It is just eleven years ago that the former President and Vice President in their ugly fight for power accused each other of corruption. Nigerians are yet to forget all that.” Former military head of state Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) was reported to have denied ganging up against President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid.
Babangida was said to have queried: “Gang up? What gang-up? That is a media creation. It is media perception. It is easier for the media to add things up and conclude. I think what has happened is that after General Danjuma said what he said [about the alleged genocide in his home state of Taraba and the need for his people to defend themselves because the military had failed to protect them], after President Obasanjo released his letter, and perhaps, after my release too, the media simply added things up and came to the conclusion that there is a gang-up.
There is no gang-up. It is media perception.” But some people insist there is a gang up against the president and believed that the battle was between those who have the interest of the masses at heart and those who want to keep the wealth of the nation for themselves.
Some of them believed that among the past leaders of the country, President Buhari remained the most honest man. Some said, “It was a battle between those who want our country’s resources to be used for our country and her people and hose who want to privatise the commonwealth.”
A pundit who spoke to LEADERSHIP, on why they voted for the president said, ‘these retired Military Generals always think they own Nigeria, but the country is for all of us and we have to work towards our commonwealth. The president appears to be the only one at the top fighting corruption, instead of his military men supporting him, they are fighting him and this is why somebody like me voted for him. Nigerians are happy that we, the masses, are with him.”
Corroborating the development, Director (mobilisation), of the Buhari Campaign Organisation (BCO), Johnson Podar ,said that Nigeria’s masses were “crazy’’ about President Muhammadu Buhari because he was laying a solid foundation toward a glorious future for their children. Podar said, “So much propaganda has been packaged by the nation’s elites to make people hate Buhari. He has been vilified by people seeking to pit the masses against him.
But, the more they try to demonise him, the more he is loved by the poor and the oppressed, because they know that he is their servant and hero.” According to him, the masses like Buhari because he is a sincere leader that has shown absolute contentment. “As a leader, once you are contented, you can pass on that attribute to your followers which will ward off desperation that is usually responsible for most human vices,’’ he said.
Podar said that Nigerians were “impressed’’ that Buhari was still a poor man after serving as governor, minister, military head of state, PTF Chairman, and even now that he is President. “From what we have found out, the elites are jealous of Buhari because he has remained incorruptible.
They are jittery because he has remained on the side of the masses and has consistently identified with their yearnings.’’ “The masses are still ready for Buhari. The elites are fighting against that, but the masses have made up their minds because they know he cares for them.’’ The director said that Buhari had delivered on his three-point agenda of ensuring security, fighting corruption and improving the economy.
“On security, we have not attained 100 per cent, but Nigeria is far better off than when Buhari came in. “When we took over, Nigeria was like a country at war. Bomb blasts were common in markets, streets, Mosques and Churches. That situation has changed. In areas hit by violence, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), are returning to their homes. Buhari will do even more in his second term,’’ he said.
Podar said that fighting insecurity had been made even more by difficult by those benefiting from the conflicts. “There are conflict merchants who reap from the violence. There are contractors that supply food to IDPs camps. There are also people who sell arms to fighting groups.
“We also have people that reap bountifully from hate, rumour and fear mongering. A peaceful society will throw them out of business. So, you can see the dynamics and social contradictions in this fight.’’ On corruption, he said that the menace had never been confronted so aggressively. “Buhari has been very hard on all corrupt tendencies and elements. These days, people are afraid to collect bribes because there are consequences.
We have also had situations where people denied monies and properties acquired illegally. “It is also good to note that Buhari is being frustrated in the fight against corruption. You recall that his bid for a law to establish a special tribunal to handle corruption cases was frustrated by the National Assembly.
“He (Buhari), appears to be alone in the fight. The Legislature and Judiciary do not seem to support him. Even members of the executive arm do not seem to be comfortable with the anti-graft war. “The soothing truth, however, is that Buhari has remained committed to ridding Nigeria of corruption in spite of all odds. That is why the masses are behind him. That is why they are ready to make all necessary sacrifices to keep him in power.
“Worldwide, Buhari has stood out as a man respected for his integrity. He is recognised and adored as a credible leader. The only snag here is that many people are feeding fat on that good name and do not share his ideals. But time is running out on such elements.’’
On the economy, Podar said that Buhari had improved the agriculture and mining sectors and reduced the over-dependence on crude oil. “He has also entrenched a culture where Nigerians consume only the things they produce locally. That trend has minimised the tendency to import even tooth picks, as was the case in the past.
“Again, in the past, people used our taxes to service themselves. No more. Now, our resources are being sunk into positive projects like the Railways and the textile industries,’’ he said. On alleged nepotism in appointments, Podar blamed such allegations on mutual distrust among Nigerians.
“In leadership, you bring in people that will contribute to your ideology. People that are assets. Nigeria comes first, not where the appointee comes from. “As a nation seeking to grow, we must emphasise merit and avoid discrimination on the grounds of tribe, religion or other mundane considerations.
“Credibility and competence should be the priority. If one can deliver, where he or she comes from is immaterial. Generally, such sentiments are whipped up by elites to divide Nigerians. The masses must reject attempts to pit them against each other,’’ Podar said.
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