AS THE GODS OF THE LAND DIRECT APC TODAY, CAN IT BE TRUE THAT BUHARI HAS NO CANDIDATE?

Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi, popularly known as Ola Rotimi; one of Nigeria’s leading playwrights and theatre directors – a man called “complete man of the theatre” [an actor, director, choreographer and designer] wrote the book; The gods are not to blame in 1971.

I am not too sure if Ola Rotimi previewed the Nigeria of today; with specific attention to the APC’s torturous-packaged Primaries – or so it is looking like, when he wrote his award winning book. But, a good writer; just like a good singer would do in the production of good music, writes for lifetime.

As such, Ola Rotimi’s book – the gods are not to blame, becomes very handy in the events that are taking place in Abuja today – at the camp of the APC; where a candidate, out of the 22 aspirants, to bear the Party’s flag in the 2023 presidential general election would emerged.

The confusion that has turned the APC Camp, for the selection of the candidate, to the soap opera show tagged “Fuji House of Commotion” was a video film script written by the leader of the Party [APC]; Muhammadu Buhari, who is the Nigerian President and Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces.

His written script for this exercise is split into 4 parts. Let us look and the 4 parts briefly and the intensity of how they are playing out.

1.     I have a preferred candidate

2.     The principle of reciprocity

3.     Governors, consult within yourselves and pick a consensus candidate

4.     I have no anointed candidate.

Let us identify each of this 4 parts of the script with evidences as such would make this work easier and simple.

[1]

About 3 months, or thereabout, ago, President Buhari, in an interview; one of three interviews he ever granted to any Nigerian Media outfit [because it is not his character to do so] the man admitted to the Channel Television that he had a preferred candidate in the incoming election.

Seun Akinbaloye; a very astute and excitingly enterprising Journalist, with the Channel Television did not missed on that revelation from the President. He asked a follow-up question on the President’s answer: “Would you tell us the name of this your preferred candidate?”

The President did not waste time in answering, by saying, “no, I cannot tell you his name because if l do, they will kill him”.

[2]

Then, days to the Primary, President Buhari brought all the governors of the APC together to lecture them on how they should cooperate with him in allowing him to pick the candidate of his choice to succeed him – he called it the principle of RECIPROCITY.

The President reminded his guests – the governors, softly that the practice in the States, ditto the Local Governments, is for the outgoing Governors or Chairmen to hand-pick their successors. He concluded affirmatively, that the governors, in the principle of reciprocity should allow him to pick his successor – fait accompli.

[3]

A few days after the doctrine of reciprocity, the same President Buhari, in introducing Part 3 of his script, invited the governors again, and some members of the National Working Committee, together in the Aso Rock Villa where he dropped his perfectly packaged bomb. He did not waste time with words as he told them to consult within themselves and produce a consensus candidate in the primary – straightforward of purpose and speech derailed hopelessly.

[4]

Last instruction from President Buhari to the APC governors and the leadership of his Party, in less than 48 hours to the exercise was as shocking as ever expected from any Fulani tactician. Let delegates chose the Candidate because l have no anointed candidate – end of film show.

And when the National Chairman of the Party; a man imposed on the Party a few months ago by President Buhari, and a man who came to the office with larger baggage of confusion than ever expected, added his branch of abnormal tonic to the whole confusion, the hostility that erupted between him, the governors and members of the National Working Committee became heavier than the scenario between Russia and Ukraine – confusion’s aluta continua.    

In conclusion, there are not too many Nigerians that would believe in President Buhari that he has no preferred and anointed candidate. But why the President would want to be economical with the truth shall remain an exercise The Guru is not willing to embark upon today – he who fights and run away will live to fight another day.

And the confusion, so it is looking, might just be President Buhari’s anointed way of doing his thing in his own way in blending the two different opposites to a meeting point – an astute political animal unveiling.

In any case and whatever is the result of today’s APC race in Abuja, Muhammadu Buhari is not to blame. Neither should any one of us attempt blaming the gods of the land.

The lesson of this abracadabra game of political titans, as playing out between Buhari and his cronies, is the fact that there shall always be a melting point in every political manipulations and permutations – the game of deceit remains the killing point of the trajetory.

Are we still flowing on the same page?

Godwin Etakibuebu; a veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos.

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