THE CHRISTIAN WALK

Friday, September 10, 2021
[email protected]
Cameron, Texas, USA
WHAT ELSE DOES ATIKU WANT? MUST ABUBAKAR BECOME PRESIDENT AT ALL COSTS?

e is a recurring decimal in Nigeria's discombobulated political system. He has been at it for more than three decades and by now I am sure my good friend, Chris Mammah must have been worn out in managing his fiasco serial presidential campaigns. How come the system-for want of no word-gives him such latitude that it has become a kismet post of entitlement? Diplomats, cognoscenti, apparatchiks, political watchers, and clerkish here in the United States often ask jocularly all the time: "Is he the only one that must govern your nation, and don't you guys have someone with fresh ideas and thoughts for the New Millennium to re-build your nation than this Rip van Winkle material?" Of course, these concerned minds about the future of Africa's stunted giant know the answer but prefer to coyly wait for it to come from the mouths of us here in the Nigerian American community. "It's because of money, his stolen money," is often the reply. "He's amassed so much money, mostly from the poor masses that he could buy the whole of Nigeria, if he wants to," has always been our reply when confronted here by these thinkers and avid political watchers of events in the Dark Continent. In every presidential primary, Mr. Atiku Abubakar will stuff envelopes with American Dollars instead of the nation's Naira having weighed the financial strengths of his competitors and opponents; then he would arrive at an amount the others cannot best thus ensuring he wins the nomination of the party. He has been at it since 1993- his first outing in presidential politics.

At the presidential primary contest of the defunct Social Democratic Party-SDP-in Jos, Plateau State in March 1993, he nearly won with money. We were all there and as a Cub Reporter in those days, we saw with our naked eyes how capital politics corrupt, absolute capital politics corrupts and absolutely. The late Chief Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and Atiku Abubakar were the three horses slugging it out for the soul of the party to square up with flagbearer of the defunct National Republican Convention-NCR-minted by the then Ibrahim Babangida military junta to, "sanitize the Nigerian political system" according to it through the creation of "a little to the right and a little to the left" political parties. The decision of the Ibrahim Babangida regime to create political parties for politicians ostensibly to "sanitize the system" was heavily criticized and for good measure, the criticisms were justified. As every student of Political Science 101 knows, in a real democracy of political competition for power, ideas and interests, political parties are formed by politicians and not the other way round. But unfortunately, the environment the Nigerian politicians found themselves in the 1990s was toxically awkward. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida didn't want to leave the stage which was apparent against the serial ban-unban and ban-unban of many classes of politicians till he outsmarted and boxed himself into a corner in early 1992 with his two-government created political parties. Nigerians were fed up with the wily general and wanted him to go at all costs; the manner of his exit immaterial as long as they saw his back. With the benefit of insight now, one may give credit to Mr. Ibrahim Babangida even making one to puke; nevertheless, aren't we back to the same a little-to-the-left versus a little-to-the-right political aisle now more than thirty years? It is amazing how Nigeria, a welter of variegated tribes, languages, and culture people with some of the most educated, brightest, smartest, and finest brains on earth constantly defies all known political gravities? What the Barracuda himself forced down the throats of Nigerians in 1992 known as SDP and NRC and we all vigorously rejected but swallowed like hemlock is what is with us in PDP and APC today? And the man seats atop his Hilltop Mansion supervising it all. Amazing, indeed! People often poke fun at us Nigerians here that, why are we aggressive abroad than way back home? Why do we allow our Worst Eleven to govern our nation back home while we send our First Eleven overseas?

*Atiku Abubakar has billions of unearned wealth in numerous denominations, local and foreign currencies; that he has serially bought the primaries of every political party he has serially contested in his storied political career. In 2007 he bought the presidential primary ticket of the Action Congress-AC-he personally paid his own delegates to the 2011 presidential primary contest of the PDP at Eagle Square and in 2014, he switched party not for political ideology, or his manifestoes and plans for Nigerians, but to go back to the seat of power for more pilfered funds. He lost on the platform of the PDP in 2014 after he again bought out the delegates American Dollars. In 2017, he returned to the PDP and bought again the presidential primary of the PDP only to lose the 2019 presidential election. The American Dollars he used to buy the delegates at Port Harcourt, Rivers State were brought from Dubai after the United States Government closed in on his through Jennifer, his American wife. Now he is back at it again, criss-crossing the states throwing stolen money here and there and asking political jobbers to name their price and he's ready to pay. For the next presidential election coming up in 2023, the serial loser is planning to buy the delegates of the PDP to contest and spoil it for the PDP, poor Nigerians and perpetuate the misery of the Nigerian masses. It appears no human being and no Nigerian can stop this Money-Miss-Road Nigerian but this time, there is a Divine Intervention from On High. Hear what the True Lord God Almighty Who reigns in the heavenlies and in the affairs of the human race and is totally in control and absolutely in charge with all sovereignties at His Command says: "How long shall this continue�" Says the Lord. �I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighing, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee�! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?" (Jeremiah 23:26; 13:27).

*

Back to Jos where the political epiphany of Mr. Atiku Abubakar began. Money, plenty of it, tons of kudi, owo, ego; bales of money are the staples of presidential politics, but in Nigeria, it is often insanely deployed. Much of the money stolen from the poor Nigerian masses of course who lives on average of less than $1 a day. MKO Abiola had plenty of such illicit funds and he deployed it to the fullest to have his way. His Concord Airlines which was the toast of the town was on standby at the Jos International Airport (now renamed Yakubu Gowon International Airport) at Heipang nearby and at night, the so-called delegates of the SDP helped themselves to the stuff. As the incumbent chairman of the defunct SDP, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe betrayed his political mentor and joined the presidential fray advancing the reason that since the political godfather was banned, he had to throw his hat into the race. He rejected the advice to leave the scene for Mr. Atiku Abubakar to slug it out with Cashimawo. Unbeknown to the political godfather, Kingibe had been plotting all along to go for the big job and using his privileged position as chairman had succeeded in installing many of the SDP governors. An example will suffice; about 18 months previous, 1991 to be precise, Babagana Kingibe had dispatched my good friend and coeval, Tokunboh Afikuyomi to Asaba, the administrative capital city of the newly-created Delta State with one mission; fix Olorogun Felix Ovudoroye Ibru as the defunct SDP party's governorship candidate at all costs and that was how late Ibru became the first civilian governor of the newly created Delta State between 1992 and 1993- Afikuyomi was nearly lynched, but a Peugeot 504 Station Wagon had been readied nearby for my friend to do the job and get out of Dodge. Afikuyomi told me when he was leaving for Asaba for his assignment and when he came back, I saw him riding a Honda Prelude Car. A very smart chap, he soon went further to become a senator, later a commissioner and as they say the rest is history. Other state governors installed by Ambassador Kingibe through manipulated state primary elections were Mr. Bamidele Isola Olumilua of Ikere-Ekiti who later became governor of defunct Ondo State, Kolapo Olawuyi Ishola, from Ibadan, who was civilian governor of Old Oyo State between 1992 and 1993, Fidelis Naanmiap Tapgun, who was governor of Old Plateau State, and many others.

In party politics in Nigeria, governors reward their principals during presidential primaries as permanent political interests weigh more heavily than political friendship, even outweigh national interests. All politicians are in politics for their personal selfish interests and national interests often come later after attaining power. There are few exceptions to this culture, and they are in the socialist-communist countries. The presidential primary of the defunct SDP at Jos, Plateau State as I have pointed out in many of my published books was not a contest of manifestoes, political speeches, ideas, ideology, eloquence, and the national interests; rather, it was a Cash-Cow event (See "Omoluabi: Biography of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor State of Osun, Nigeria" Link to the biography here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/omoluabi-moshood-ademola-fayemiwo/1129137466 ) and ("Tinubu: the Biography of Bolanle Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu" Links to both hardback and paperback editions and multiple editions here: https://www.amazon.com/Asiwaju-Biography-Bolanle-Adekunle-Tinubu/dp/1946539430 and https://www.abebooks.com/9781634924108/ASIWAJU-BIOGRAPHY-BOLANLE-AHMED-ADEKUNLE-163492410X/plp ). See other books here too: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/moshood-ademola-fayemiwo/2951256/ ).

While for instance, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe instructed his loyalists to offer each of the delegates N5,000 each and the Atiku Abubakar offered N6,000 per delegate, Chief MKO Abiola asked that each delegate should be paid N10,000 raw cash off-loaded from inside his Concord Airlines jet stationed nearby. The late Strongman of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu didn't conceal his excitement as leader of the defunct Oyo State delegates. Prior to arriving at Jos, he had pledged the state's delegates to the political godfather who made Atiku Abubakar and a sum of about N10m had been pledged. Upon arriving at Jos, MKO Abiola sent words to Papa Lamidi Ariyibu Adedibu inquiring the amount pledged to him for the state's delegates and he was told. MKO instructed his first son; Kola Lateef Abiola to double the amount and an elated Adedibu who knew that a bird in hand was worth millions in the bush as they say announced openly to his delegates: "Eyin ara Ibadan, owo Moshudi Abiola ti de o!" meaning; "You delegates of Ibadan-Oyo State-Abiola's money is here for sharing" and that was how all the defunct SDP delegates from defunct Oyo State crossed overwhelmingly from Atiku Abubakar to Chief MKO Abiola. What both Kingibe and Atiku offered to each of the delegates was doubled by Abiola 100 percent and end of story! Chief MKO Abiola didn't talk too much but allowed his billions to talk for him and he emerged as the presidential candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party-SDP and went ahead to contest against Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa of the defunct NRC and Abiola won overwhelmingly on June 12, 1993. Mr. Ibrahim Babangida went ahead to nullify the election and went back to archives to show the go-to-guys here in America and the intelligence community the charade that took place at Jos three months earlier as one of his reasons for voiding the June 12, 1993, Presidential Election. But that wasn't the real reason Gen. Ibrahim Bademosi Babangida nullified the electoral victory of his bosom friend, Chief MKO Abiola and I have authentically revealed it in many of my published books referenced above thus outside the purview of this piece. Yesterday history is germane for us in addressing the present as Nigeria's existential crisis dogs its immediate and long-term future as Africa's global giant. Atiku Abubakar should have been banned in participating in presidential politics in saner climes, but Nigeria is a nation anything goes. Much of his shenanigans have been exposed by his main principal, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, and Mr. Ibrahim Bademosi Babangida. Of course, the latter two are of the same ilk with Atiku by less than an inch in moral debasement and malfeasance.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR AND OLD LESSONS IN PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS: -

Nigeria, like the rest Third World nations, almost entirely copy everything willy-nilly from the West without investigating the origin of the lore. The founding fathers of America didn't adopt presidential political system and the organization of presidential primary contests as route for choosing presidential candidates. The whole idea was and still is to give equal representation to all the states that join the Union known as the United States of America. If this system was not adopted, a state such as California, the largest in the Union and the 5th largest economy in the world for instance, would dominate every affair in the union. A state like Wyoming for example, smaller than Chicago City would have no representative in national politics. Political parties are those responsible to either organize caucuses, primaries, or both for members as a way of deepening the democratic process through engaged citizenry and political participation. As an indirect way of ensuring transparent representation, and robust civic engagement all elected party members from the county-local government-to the national level must participate in political party presidential primaries, caucuses or both.

In Nigeria, most of the politicians aren't interested in representation, but their main interest as they say in local parlance is "capture" power at the center-referring to Abuja, it used to be Lagos. Consequently, there are only two routes to Aso Rock the seat of power in Nigeria: win the party presidential primary and the national election. Mr. Atiku Abubakar has come a long way and from his Jos experience, he knows that party primaries are not for elocution, charisma, ideas, brightness, and smartness but money, plenty of it and has succeeded in amassing plenty of it in many denominations which he regally and regularly deploys every four years since 2007. He knows how corrupt he is, and he equally knows how corruptly inclined his fellow politicians are and by vast extension the majority of Nigerian urban elites. To Atiku Ababakar, every Nigerian politician has a price. And the Turaki of Adamawa is ready, always ever ready like the ever-ready battery to pay the price. Every four years, he can pinch his tent with any political party; even if he doesn't agree with the party's ideology since Atiku Abubakar is ideologically bankrupt anyway-and can ask for the price of its presidential ticket, no matter how hefty and he would pay. He has done it five times and has failed woefully. In the forthcoming presidential primaries of the PDP for 2023, Atiku-which literally means we are dead in Yoruba Language-is oiling his crooked political machine with pilfered money squirreled away to further corrupt Nigeria's corrupt political system. But this time, it is not us that will die, but it is Atiku's political funeral that will end up in the morgue. How did this fantastically corrupt individual manage to steal such mouth-watering amounts estimated in the billions? Well, I will tell you!

While Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo was enmeshed in his personal issues and distracted by his libido satisfaction for eight years, Atiku Abubakar was silently "buying things up" and there is no area of Nigeria that he doesn't have putrefying pies today either directly or by proxies. He has accumulated so much that he has lost count of his worth, but he has one monomaniacal goal; to become the president of Nigeria, at all costs and no matter. The ambition is not altruistic but to be a part of his resume and curriculum vitae before he goes the way of all mortals. At 74, he has nothing new to give Nigerians and nothing will change in Nigeria under him, because he belongs to the Old School, a fast-disappearing generation, a "Wasted Generation" to borrow our own WS. Atiku Abaubakar will attempt to buy up the PDP Presidential Nomination for 2023, because he has done it several times and this time, it will be different. Of course, if the PDP falls into the Okiedokie stuff and gambles with Atiku Abubakar in 2023 as its presidential flagbearer, the PDP can kiss the Presidency goodbye! But who can and will stop Atiku Abuabakr from his perennial fouling of Nigeria's odorous political ambience at a time the nation is seriously hemorrhaging? As the Psalmist eloquently stated in Psalm 94:1-7: "How long, LORD, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. They crush your people, LORD; they oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice."

The cries and wailings of the oppressed, the disadvantaged, the fatherless, the widows, the orphans, the harmless children, the disabled and physically challenged, and the downtrodden hoi polloi whose commonwealth have been purloined by the likes of Mr. Atiku Abubakar joined the Psalmist in presenting their miseries and deprivations to the Sovereign Lord God Almighty. Because He is the God of Justice Who recompenses each and every one of us according to our deeds replied from His Majesty On High in the same Psalm 94: 14-23: "For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, "My foot is slipping," your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Can a corrupt throne be allied with you- a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them."

NEXT WEEK: FIND OUT HOW HE =THE SOVEREIGN LORD GOD ALMIGHTY-WILL ACCOMPLSIH THIS SO THAT ATIKU ABUBAKAR WILL GO AND REST POLITICALLY FOREVER!

WAR IS TERRIBLE! THINK AGAIN. BETTER TO TALK THAN WAR-WAR

The heart-wrenching stories and pictures that dot the global mediascape coming out of the South-Asian nation of Afghanistan are assaults on our collective consciousness as human beings. The precipitous withdrawal of the United States after two decades of occupation are eyesores to the rest of the world that, when the chips are down, no foreign power, outsiders and organizations or otherness will come to develop your nation. Between September 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush invaded that nation and last week when President Joseph R. Biden withdrew our troops, the United States spent $2 trillion on the war against the Taliban. That staggering amount translates to $300million per day. If you divide that amount by head for the poor people of Afghanistan, that translates to $50,000. In the war, 2,300 US soldiers perished, 75,000 Afghan soldiers were massacred while 71,334 civilians died with many unaccounted for. As a matter of fact, the true costs of the war may never be known.

Many people became millionaires, toads of war who cashed in bigly like the runaway Ashraf Ghani who helped himself to unknown amount of the Green Backs. The military industrial complex also helped themselves handsomely while the poor, the women, young girls, the marginalized and the vulnerable are on their own. That is war! For those who are beating the drumbeats of war elsewhere, they should look no further of what awaits them. War is terrible. It is not a dinner party. Why can't people of the world understand and get it? Satan and his demons love and crave blood of human beings and are behind all the major wars in human history. If you want to learn more, please visit this website http://www.monnac.club/?fbclid=IwAR0XT7442CqJafaHlovoXnuUTX-wkZqx0u3NGB6sujTUoZnKuGEe0OOMDYU

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