By Peter Omonua; Sahara
Reporters, January 6, 2023.
Sometime in early 2021, news filtered out that Bola Ahmed Tinubu had assured the northern APC leaders that he would sell a Muslim/Muslim ticket to the Southwest and they would buy it. The report has it that at the meeting where the commitment was made, they asked him how he was going to convince the Southeast to vote for the same ticket. He was alleged to have responded that the Southeast did not really matter in the calculation, that as long as he could convince his people in Yoruba land and they (northerners) could get the northern support, they would cruise to victory (without the votes of the southeast).
We later got to know that the
original idea behind the Muslim/Muslim ticket was an attempt to frustrate his
presidential ambition. Their thought was that he would object to a
Muslim/Muslim pair and that they would insist it was the only option they had
for him. How do you tell a man whose wife is not only a Christian but a pastor
in one of the biggest Christian denominations in the country, that his presidential
running mate would be a Muslim when he himself is a Muslim in a secular country
like Nigeria? He knew the game plan, refused to allow it to deter him and
assured them he would run with it. The culmination of such several attempts to
dissuade and frustrate him out of the race led to his now viral outburst at
Abeokuta - “EMILOKAN”.
As one group was scheming to get
Tinubu off the race in APC, another group was stationed in the PDP to ensure
one of their own emerges as the flag bearer of that party, (in case the
recalcitrance of this “Emilokan” denies them of that party’s ticket).
The emergence of Peter Obi in the
Labour Party was an aftermath of his experience in the PDP. Though he has not
disclosed what he encountered on his journey, Obi’s body language, despite his
taciturn nature spoke volume.
Does southern Nigeria really
think that a Northerner overseeing the election of Nigeria’s presidency will
award the winning to a southerner? Whoever thinks that has obviously not
followed the history of leadership races in Nigeria. It is for this general
naivety and ignorance that I keep encouraging anyone who cares to, to get
copies of the following books and read; Just Before Dawn by Prof Kole Omotoso
AND The Tale of June 12 by Prof Omo Omoruyi.
Make no mistake, there would be
ongoing nocturnal meetings between Atiku, El-Rufai, Garba Shehu’s presidency,
INEC’s Mahmoud and possibly Lamido Sanusi. There would be ongoing scheming on
how to retain power in the hands of the Fulani. How does Tinubu think an EL-Rufai
will support him over Atiku? Has he forgotten that Atiku is not only EL-Rufai’s
‘brother’, but his benefactor, who more or less made El-Rufai?
Some of us are genuinely
frustrated by the outright stupidity and gullibility of Southerners. When I see
the sort of discussions going on on some social media pages, I can’t help but
imagine how truly clueless most southerners are about the true state of the
Nigerian project.
The Fulani does not want the
power shift to the south. Hear it again: THE NORTH WILL DO ANYTHING TO
FRUSTRATE A POWER SHIFT TO THE SOUTH. They do not care about any party. They
want to see that it is transferred to another Fulani, not even to a Hausa or a
Kanuri. It was for that reason Peter Obi was frustrated out of the PDP. It was
for the same reason Tinubu was saddled with the baggage of a Muslim/Muslim
ticket. The backlash was anticipated and they had calculated it would be a
suicidal mission for him. The popularity and blossom of the Labour Party under
Peter Obi were never in their calculation.
What the north has succeeded in
doing is dragging Yoruba and Igbo out into an election cycle, side-stepping the
making of a new constitution that should have preceded any elections. They need
the overwhelming participation of the Yoruba and the Igbos, the 2 other
majorities by which they can then give a semblance of fair representation in
the process. They would then be able to say to the international community,
“See, it was a widely and keenly contested election (may even get to a
run-off). At the end, one person won, and that person happens to be a Fulani
man”.
If that happens, now what? How can the southern leadership live with a
reality of a back-to-back Fulani rulership of Nigeria given the experience of
the south and the middle belt in the hands of the Fulani over the last 7+
years? Are we not thereby helping to promote a Fulani to complete what Buhari
started i.e., the domination and enslavement of the country by the Fulani?
And to think that the chief
promoters of a back-to-back Fulani headship of the country are mostly
southerners is mind-boggling. It is unconscionable, unbelievably shocking to
see some southerners actually drumming support for an Atiku Abubakar
presidency. So, Dele Momodu, Reno Omokri, the Obasekis, Dino Melaye (a Yoruba Okun
from Kogi) and most disappointingly, Ifeanyi Okowa, (a supposed frontliner of
the Southern Governors forum), would face their constituencies and be proud to
inform them they are part of an agenda to use one Fulani to replace another
Fulani? Unbelievable!!!
What would these southerners tell
their future generations about their roles in the vanquish of the south;
political expediency? Do people not have shame? Do they not think of posterity
and what history will write about them? Afonja and his betrayal which gave
birth to an Ilorin Emirate over a century ago is still in our political
discourse and will continue to be. Is that how these people want to be
remembered?
I must appreciate Governor Wike
and his G-5 governors for their tenacity and daring to stand up for what is
right. It is not even enough for the G-5 governors to insist on Ayu’s
resignation; it should be an insistence that Atiku himself, being a northerner
cannot stand for election to replace another northerner. Na so dem just see us
finish? Can you imagine Atiku telling us that because Buhari is in APC, then it
should not affect the chances of PDP producing another northern president! What
an infantilely puerile argument; is that how stupid these people think we have
all become? So, is he telling us Obasanjo could have handed over to another
Yoruba or Ibo person or that Jonathan could have handed to another Southerner
and it will be fine with the North; what shameless effrontery and daylight
robbery is that?
It amazes me how the south is so
gullible to think the north will actually organize a free and fair election,
then hand over power if the winner is from the south? Has that ever happened?
When has a northern president or Head of State ever handed power to a southern
successor? The transition of power has always been from a southern leader to a
northern leader i.e., Obasanjo to Shagari, Obasanjo to Yardua, and Jonathan to
Buhari. The Sultan will not even allow it, not to talk of now that they “have a
dog in the fight” and are the referee at the same time. For them, "kaka ki
eku ma je sese, afi she awada danu ni" MEANING *"if I can't have it,
NOBODY will have it so let us scatter it"*.
Do people even realize the
resistance from the highest level of the northern power block against handing
over to Abiola? People just think it was IBB that was power drunk and wanted to
cling on to power? Forces much stronger than IBB were at play at that time and
those powers are still there. They have an uncanny fear of losing power. They
also have a deep fear of Ibo-Yoruba coalescence; the reason the current
‘rivalry’ between “Obidients” and “Batified” is a game for them. They do not
want any of these 2 tribes to lead Nigeria; neither do they want a coalition of
the two.
If all attempts to replace one
Fulani with another Fulani fail through the ballot, they are ready to have
their military boys roll out the tanks and take over with the barrels of the
gun. The populace and the international community will call it a “Military
Takeover” but it is essentially an elongation of Fulani rule.
Most southerners do not
understand the desperation of the people they are dealing with. They would kill
anyone standing on their path to perpetuate their rulership. It has already
started. Some seemingly inexplicable demises have an explanation.
Unfortunately, they have
succeeded, yet again, in dividing the south along ethnic and religious lines.
You would think that lessons have been learned but no. They are playing us
against each other, and to reference Fela, that is *“their regular trade
mark”*. It would be a total disgrace to the entire south if they allow Fulani
to get away with this deception. My fear is that we are once again heading to
the path of Azikiwe and Awolowo in the first republic. Those who don’t learn
from history are bound to repeat it. We were told one of the 2 refused to step
down for the other, which enabled the Fulani to capitalize on their disunity.
Each had a personal ambition to lead and none wanted to subordinate to the
other. The Ibo and the Yoruba narrate it such that each vindicates his own
tribe. Some of us were not old enough to know which version to believe but at
least we are witness to this current one. That is why we are writing about it
now so posterity will know exactly what happened. This should have been a time
for the 2 tribes to unite against their common adversary. It should be a time
when they present a common and unified front. Our people say when 2 brothers
fight to the death, it is the stranger that will inherit their father’s
property. Let the Ibo and the Yoruba kill themselves over a non-existent 2023
presidency. The Fulani is waiting in the wings to inherit your ancestral lands
when you are all ‘dead’.
The political leadership of the
country or the lack of it poses an existential threat to them. They know what
they have done (i.e., killings and destruction of lives and properties in
various southern and middle belt communities). They fear a repercussion. I tell
you, as soon as Buhari leaves and a southerner takes over, there could be a
backlash on all the criminals hibernating and committing atrocities in southern
forests. Throughout Buhari’s tenor, they have used the military to cover their
flanks, the reason why T.Y. Danjuma said “THEY COLLUDE”. Yoruba will say:
"apani ki fe ki ida koja lori oun" which means that a killer does not
want a sword to be swung around his head. They fear reprisal and are scared
of the shadow of their past deeds. It is the reason one of their patrons, Gumi
can publicly advise them not to vote for a president who will prosecute them.
They know what they have done, and that only one of their own, Atiku will
protect them after Buhari.
One fact the southern electorate
knows but pretends will not play out is the interest of the electoral umpire. The
last time I checked, he is an Arewa man. Do southerners believe in their hearts
that this man will be an unbiased umpire in this tournament, given the huge
price at stakes?
While the South is busy
‘Buga-ing’, the north’s minute-by-minute planning is “how can we distract them
(the south) and ensure power remains with the north?” They are thinking, “Who
and who among their traitorous leaders can we buy over that will speak against
them in support of the North retaining power”? They have unleashed Fulani
terrorists into your farms to systematically intimidate and create scarcity of
food in your lands. At the official level, they have deployed the military into
your states in the south, as if there is a war already going on. For every
military checkpoint you see in the north, you have roughly 8 within the same
radius in the south. The ratio is worse in the South East, under the pretext of
fighting IPOB members. It’s all part of the game of psychological warfare and
defeat.
My postulation: they will declare
Atiku the winner of the election, irrespective of what the real voting numbers
are. They will anticipate an uproar. To assuage the south, they penciled
down some names to appoint into key positions as soon as they declared Atiku
winner. They will tell you to go to court and challenge the result. If your
uproar spirals to a riotous tumult, they will deploy their military, kill a few
and take some perceived frontline leaders of the protest into detention,
reminiscent of June 12. They will direct the CBN to release any required amount
of money to buy out leaders of the major tribal groups. For the candidates
i.e., Tinubu, Peter Obi, etc., they will tell them to name their price and
promise to pay them any amount of money they want, to assuage and/or compensate
them. Did I hear you say “it can never happen; this is not 1993”; wait for it.
I will remind you.
As it was in 2015 and 2019, a dog
that will get lost does not hear the whistle of its owner. They call us
“Wailers” and “Political Neophytes”. Atiku is coming to finalize the Fulani
agenda started by Buhari. Buhari spent the last 8 years ‘restructuring’ the
country to their preferred structure. He only needs Atiku to consolidate on
that ‘restructuring’. Do people think he will hand over to a southerner who
will deconstruct all that he has put in place for the benefit of his clan and
their long-held belief that they own Nigeria? Atiku, I am told is deadlier,
more virulent and will exercise a vice-grip hold of the south. Just as Tinubu
fed a lion that has almost now consumed him, those promoting Atiku now will be
the first casualty. That is why he has never condemned Fulani atrocities. That
was why he deleted that twit about the murderous killing of Deborah by some
terrorist in Sokoto. Southern Nigeria has suffered enough under the yoke of
this marriage. When is enough really enough? If Chief Obasanjo, with all of his
‘stubbornness’ and deep understanding of Nigeria’s social-political history, could not salvage it, believe me, no one can. Not Peter Obi and not Tinubu.
From the onset, two countries
that did not have anything in common were merged into a single entity. Nigeria
has been a “state held together at gunpoint” since then.
It has been over a hundred years
and everyone can see that it has not worked. Anyone adamant about keeping it
so, no doubt, reaps from the agony and frustration of the people of a
failed state. They do not care about the well-being of the citizens or the
development of the country. Chief Richard Akinjide, a one-time staunch
supporter of the north, who went to the extent of betraying his kinsman, Chief
Obafemi Awolowo, for the benefit of the north; before he died, said the North
believes they can use the military to rule the country in a form of internal
colonialism. He further said and I quote: “these are people who do not make a
distinction between public treasury and private treasury”. Basic economics tells
us Savings and Investments are the engines for the growth of any economy. How
can you ever hope to save and invest with such people? As far back as 1962,
Chief Obafemi Awolowo had referred to them as the “autocratic ruling caste” during
his treason trial.
Before any progress can be made
in southern Nigeria, we have to go back to the “2 state solution”; northern
Nigeria and southern Nigeria. Take it back to where it was before the British
disingenuously merged them.
Southern Nigeria Delineation
Already we are running 2 countries as it were
anyways. The water resource bill is clear evidence. Those in southern Nigeria
don’t want it while those in northern Nigeria welcome it and in fact, anticipate
it. The introduction of Sharia with its associated Hisbah police is another.
The states in the middle belt will
be given the choice to decide if they prefer a country of their own or vote for
a choice between becoming part of southern Nigeria or part of northern Nigeria.
Thank God for the discovery of oil wells and other minerals in the north.
Southern Nigeria will decide
after this first level of separation if they will continue as a unit or create
new countries of Biafra, Oduduwa, and Niger Delta thereafter. A president of
Southern Nigeria extraction, (even if it were to happen), with the current
structure of the country is window dressing; the sore would only fester. Like a
friend of mine said, “if perchance they give you the presidency now, the
Fulani, like a hawk, will patiently wait for when they return to power to
finish their project. Why to postpone the evil days”.
Some would say, why now, when the
presidential election is less than 2 months to take place? It is because we
know the election is a distraction. It is a destination to nowhere; to a darker
wilderness. It is being used to renew the life of a slavish Constitution, the
same reason our revered elder statesman, Chief Ayo Adebanjo had said there
should not be any elections before a new Constitution. Pastor Chris Okotie also
said just recently that there should be no election but that a transition
government is put in place. Against all voices of wisdom, they are rail-roading
us into an election because they need it as a vehicle to perpetuate their overlordship and finalize their evil agenda.
Peter Omonua, an Officer of the
Canadian Armed Forces lives in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached at
pomonua@yahoo.com
