Entries Tagged 'Politics' ↓

It seems that the rumor published by AFP (Agence France Presse), quoting NAN (News Agency of Nigeria), mirrored by Channels TV, that President Yar’Adua plans to resign after changing his cabinet weekend, is false.

The axe has fallen.  The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has revoked the operating license of Channels TV and the station is off the air.  The State Security Service (SSS) has arrested principal officials and the station is under lock and key.

Here we are “back to where we were before”.  No difference it seems being under a supposed democracy.  Back to the days of the Khaki boys before whom we all tremble.

Anyhow, I see the rush to closures and arrests more as a confirmation that resignation was indeed in the air.  It was already rumored more than two weeks ago, when the president returned from his medical hajj, but reports were that he was dissuaded from resigning by his northern brothers who were afraid that the north did not yet have a backup plan.

I rather think that Channels was closed down by the president’s boys in order to force the president’s hand.  Now that the NBC has publicly intervened to close down a TV station, the president (who I believe would like to resign) cannot now turn back and say, “Oh, my boys were wrong, Channels was right.  I was going to resign”.  The poor sick man will now be forced to stay on in power…

Yar’Adua will not live forever, neither will I… and by the way, neither will you.

So why all the hush-hush about his state of health? We all fear (and he must too) that telling how sick he is perhaps, he stands to lose the political power, and its attendant privileges. Alas, this is only possible in a clime where indicted government officials do not find honor in resigning. Power, once gotten, must be kept at all costs. Continue reading →

Another friend sent me this —- This Election Cannot Stand

During one of his media briefings while the elections lasted, Prof. Maurice Iwu the INEC chairman embarrassed me with the combative reply he gave to one foreign observer who queried the absence of serial numbers on the presidential ballot papers. Among other things he told the lady who asked the question that his duty was only to Nigerians! I felt pity for the woman whose only offence was that she like others had come here to help us conduct credible elections. Iwu beat his chest, rejoicing at how we have broken the jinx€ of civilian-civilian transition, etc, not realizing how ridiculous it all looked in the face of such blatant irregularities.
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So my friend Muyiwa Enuaye is not done yet. He sent me this piece yesterday from Benin City. — Last week I wrote to inform you about my attempts to vote during the gubernatorial elections. The story is already known to you and I believe a lot of Nigerians now know how the PDP has imposed its will on the rest of us in Edo State. On Monday, INEC declared Professor Osunbor the Governor. Surprisingly, I am yet to see anyone celebrating the result. Even the governor-elect is holed up in his home and has been issuing declarations. On the contrary, Adams Oshiomole’s protest rally was like a carnival and was probably attended by more than the one hundred and ninety thousand voters he got in the result sheet.
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Nigerians have been robbed. I just cannot fathom from where Umaru Yar’Adua got the 24million votes ascribed to him! And then when he comes on air to thank Nigerians for putting faith in him, I cannot help feeling insulted. What effrontery! NTA news (as the government mouthpiece it is) is full of acclamations of how peaceful, how successful and how transparent the elections were, until you change channel to AIT, to hear the woes of all Nigerians interviewed. Everybody feels short-changed by the electoral process. Everybody is convinced that the elections were rigged by the ruling PDP (People’s Democratic Party) under Olusegun Obasanjo, with the connivance of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) under Professor Maurice Iwu.
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