NASS: When Experience Wrecked Expectations

As written by Emeka Obasi

The drama that unfolded following the election of Dr. Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate and the emergence of Mr. Yakubu Dogara as Speaker House of Representatives was expected. I saw it coming. Those who went partying after the March/April polls forgot that such situation could throw itself up. I am not an admirer of Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, never met him all my life. However, the way he wriggled himself back to the Senate was of interest to me. He was ready to give Governor Sullivan Chime a fight. At the end, both men played politics like gentlemen. The governor had his say in Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the senator had his way and Enugu is better off today. When the All Progressives Congress[APC] Tsunami struck Nigeria, some Peoples Democratic Party[PDP] stalwarts lost their head and began to cross over. Ekweremadu did not mince words. ‘ I will not leave PDP’, he said. Then Senate President David Mark also vowed to remain loyal to his party.
  

That was instructive. The hype and hoopla was deafening. Even before the Presidential Inauguration, positions had been shared. The Spirit of One Nigeria did not factor into the arrangement. It reminded me of the Civil War when a section of Nigeria was ostracized for daring to pull out of the arrangement called Nigeria. At the end of that bloody war, those of us who survived, especially the adults faced another uncertain era. After escaping the bullets and hunger, it became even more difficult to survive the peace. In war, one could be pardoned if he failed to fend for his family. Not so when there are no more battle fields. Inability to cater for your own meant something unwholesome. However, those who survived the war had to survive the peace. They had to begin life anew.

Twenty pounds was what the Nigerian government offered to each Biafran who operated a bank account before the crisis. Even if you were an Aliko Dangote or a Femi Otedola before the mayhem, as long as you bore names that sounded Igbo, or maybe Ibibio in many cases, all your millions became worthless and you had to start from the scratch. You know what it means to impound all the billions belonging to Chief Mike Adenuga and ask him to start all over from poverty level. That was how so many people learnt to survive the peace. It is more than a miracle that less than five years after that war, so many Igbo became millionaires , from mere 20 Pounds while some of those who were supposed to benefit from their plight were still trying to handle their first millions effectively.

The point am trying to make is that a lot of the PDP politicians threw their electoral waterloo to the lagoon and began to strategise while so many in the APC went lunching alfresco. The booties of war were shared, it was a done deal. How wrong events have shown. PDP loyalists have shown that though they lost the war, they can survive the peace. With campaigns over and everyone expecting the much anticipated change and action, many APC stalwarts went to bed.


Some of us thought it was going to be a nap. It became a deep slumber. Thank God, the sleep is over. Now is time for everyone to shine their eyes. Experience, they always say, is the best of schoolmasters, only the school fees are heavy. What PDP tacticians taught their APC friends is enough to go back to the classroom. Change is a word you can use to advantage in any form you did fit. Change has taken place in the National Assembly and change will still take place even in government. I expect APC to change their game soonest. What came out clear is that those who have experience in government at the Federal level ,swept the rug off the feet of those who are coming with experience from the states and geo- political zones. Senators Mark and Ekweremadu understand how things work at the centre.

Dr. Saraki is also versed in Abuja politics. It was easier for them to map out a workable battle plan that made the locals look like real fringe politicians. Fringe in the sense that they did not know what hit them. In a football match, the term is walk over. It is more honourable to lose in the field of play than for your opponent to gain a walk over. APC could prove force majeure, the big wigs did not miss their flight, they did not miss their way. Simply put, in African traditional parlance it is like you are bathing in the river and your eyes go red with bath foam. The way the ruling party is going about their self inflicted embarrassment is even more laughable. President Muhammadu Buhari quickly accepted the outcome of the exercise. As the leader of the APC and President, that should have sent a signal to the party. And the show would have been forgotten. The party began to sing a different tune.

It was quite disrespectful. Even if Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Chief Odigie Oyegun were bitter, they should have held fire after President Buhari’s message. Eventually, the APC Chairman engaged reverse gear. For doing that, the former Edo state governor has fallen into the black book of the ACN part of the APC.

The Lagos group will not let Oyegun sleep. He may have to run back to ancient Benin city to be protected by the moats. The way they are going after this man’s jugular, I doubt if they will not kick him out like Felele just as he was brought in. The cracks are visible now, a situation that will give the more experienced PDP politicians more elbow room. This is just round One and it sounds like a Technical Knock Out[TKO]. What I expect APC to do is simple. Do not count your chicks before they are hatched. Electoral victory is ephemeral. We did not fight another Civil War. As long as those who want to descend on the South –East and South –South have failed to hearken to Turakin Abubakar Atiku’s wisdom, they will continue to cry buckets.