Many residents of Abuja jubilated on Monday when they heard that a former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), was not picked by the Northern Political Leaders’ Forum as the consensus aspirant of the North. It is doubtful whether their joy emanated from their admiration of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, who was chosen by the committee. The former military dictator was not the only person that lost out of the consensus arrangement.
The NPLF had, more than six months ago, begun the campaign for the North to produce a president in 2011. It hinged its campaign on the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party, which it said recognised rotation of the presidency between the North and South. It argued that the North should be allowed to complete the tenure of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. The group had thought that only northerners should be allowed by the PDP to contest the presidential election.
The hope of the NPLF, was, however, dashed when the PDP, at its National Executive Council meeting said that although it recognised zoning, it would not disallow Nigerians from other parts of the country from contesting the presidential poll. The party, through the declaration, indirectly gave President Goodluck Jonathan, the go-ahead to contest the presidential poll.
Since the battle for the PDP’s presidential ticket started, the polity has been heated by the zoning debate between pro-Jonathan groups and the NPLF. Issues relating to welfare of Nigerians have been relegated to the background.
In a desperate move to present a common aspirant that would contest the PDP’s presidential primaries with Jonathan, the NPLF had in September set up a 17-man committee that would produce a consensus aspirant for the North. Many members of the committee are familiar faces in Nigerian politics. They are people, whose names will be mentioned, if the Nigerian project fails as predicted by a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell, in his book, “Nigeria: Dancing on the brink.”
For example, the leader of the NPLF, 76-year-old Mallam Adamu Ciroma, was a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Between 1979 and 1983, under former president Sheu Shagari, Ciroma headed three different ministries—Finance, Agriculture and Industries—at various times.
In fact, Ciroma was one of the brains behind Shagari’s agricultural programme, the Green Revolution, which, rather than achieve massive food production for the county, succeeded in encouraging unrestricted importation of rice. Under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, he was also the minister of finance between 1999 and 2003. In 2005, his wife, Maryam, was appointed Minister of Women Affairs.
Jonathan’s camp has said that the President is ready for the any aspirant picked by the NPLF. The Director of Media and Publicity, Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Mr. Sully Abu, stated, “The very fact that there is a gang-up against the President presupposes that those who are doing the gang-up have something to fear. They are intimidated by the President’s potential to win. We have never been in doubt about the outcome.”
Undaunted by the PDP’s stand on zoning, the committee in September began the process of picking a consensus aspirant. Ciroma has constituently threatened that the PDP will lose 2011 presidential election if the NPLF’s appointed aspirant is not picked by the party.
Northern aspirants on the platform of the PDP that were screened included Babangida; Abubakar, former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusua and the Kwara State, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
In 1993, Abubakar made his first attempt to contest the presidency on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party. At the Jos convention of the party, the former vice-president was said to have stepped down for the eventual winner of the June 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola. In 1999, after being elected as the Governor of Adamawa State, he was picked by the PDP presidential candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as his running mate. Between 1999 and 2003, the relationship between Abubakar and his boss which was cordial was torn apart by seemingly irreconcilable political interest. The former number two citizen was said to have indicated interest in the presidential ticket in spite of the fact that Obasanjo was also running for his second term. A desperate Obasanjo was said to have prostrated before the younger Abubakar to step down, which is widely blamed for the deepened political animosity between Obasanjo and Abubakar.
The former vice-president, who once presided over Obasanjo’s privatisation programme, was not without his trying moments. He was alleged to have received a bribe from a United States congressman, Williams Jefferson. An allegation, he had denied. He made a futile attempt to be president of the country on the platform of the Action Congress in 2007. When he realised that he had lost relevance in the AC, he went back to the PDP.
Also screened by the committee was Gusau, a retired general, who until a few months ago, was wining and dining with Jonathan. After the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, Jonathan appointed Gusau as the NSA. In 2007, his attempts to contest the presidency on the platform of the PDP failed as he was defeated by Yar’Adua.
Of the aspirants screened by the NPLF, Saraki is the youngest. As the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Saraki, whose father was the leader of the Senate in the Second Republic, has become powerful. He has been to many parts of the country to sell his candidacy.
Babangida, a strange convert to democracy, also appeared before the NPLF’s committee. To the retired general, who is used to having his way, the event of Monday must have been his first taste of defeat.
Investigations by THE PUNCH showed that while other aspirants visited many parts of the country, Babangida, in his characteristic arrogance, thought the committee could not have the courage to reject him.
The man, who refused to appear before the Justice Oputa panel to prove his innocence on the assassination of a prominent journalist, Dele Giwa, thinks that he owes Nigerians no explanation. He also has not given any plausible reason why he annulled the June 12, 1993 election and set up the illegal interim government headed by Chief Earnest Shonekan. One of Babangida’s stooges, the late Gen. Sani Abacha, kicked Shonekan out of office and plunged Nigeria into an era of tyranny.
Before Monday, the former dictator had said that he was not desperate to become president. Babangida said that his present presidential bid was not a do-or-die affair. He said even if he did not get the ticket of his party ”life continues” after the primaries.
But contrary to his bravado, there were indications on Monday that Babangida was hard hit by the decision of the committee. His campaign office in Abuja wore a mournful look. As Nigerians await Babangida’s next moves, the general at once has bitten the dust. For the man that annulled the freest and fairest election in the country, the verdict of history is here.
For the anointed aspirant, there are many battles ahead. On Monday, there was a report that northern governors might pick the governor of Abubakar’s state, Adamawa, Muritala Nyanko as their aspirant. The relationship between the governor and the former vice-president is anything but smooth.
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