Icheoku says on July 3, 2011, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai was arrested at Nnamdi Azikwe airport Abuja, returning from London where he had delivered a speech about alleged fraud of the then President Goodluck Jonathan's government. Less than twenty four hours following his arrest, then CPC presidential candidate and now President Muhammadu Buhari issued a fierce warning to the president and demanded the immediate release of el-Rufai. The squirm and ever fidgeting Jonathan trembled and buckled under the weight of Buhari's threat and quiveringly, immediately released the mallam. According to the SSS, el-Rufai's act constituted a threat to national security and disturbance of public peace and inciting disorder and subverting the government. The SSS said "Nigeria belongs to all of us and no one should take laws into their hands as no one is above the law."
But Buhari thundered that in a democracy issues must be resolved through the courts and not through the arbitrariness of just one man. That the main reason for el-Rufai's arrest was his disclosure that the government allocated N208 billion in the 2011 budget just to the office of the NSA alone. That free speech is a constitutional right and implies the obligation by the state to defend even those whose views are not congruent with it or the powers that be. In a statement signed by his spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, Muhammadu Buhari said "He condemns this brazen act of intimidation, harassment and flagrant violation of citizens right to free speech in a democratic atmosphere." Even Femi Fani Kayode quipped in that "those that speak out are not the ones to be worried about; that the president should stop "this display of shameless paranoia; that the president cannot silence dissent and opposition by brazen display of brute force and intimidation because when he do that, he only makes it grow; and finally that if it is el-Rufai today, who will it be tomorrow?'
This was a few short three years ago in 2011 and now in 2015, the two have traded positions, Muhammadu Buhari is now the president and Goodluck Jonathan is now a citizen. President Muhammad Buhari is the one now intimidating, harassing and flagrantly violating a citizen's right to free speech and in a supposedly democratic atmosphere. Meanwhile Goodluck Jonathan is no where to be seen now reminding President Muhammadu Buhari of his statement and position then, in the matter of Nnamdi Kanu? Icheoku says what is the problem here Jonathan of Otuoke, is it that you cannot man up and demand that President Muhammadu Buhari does not abuse a citizen's right to free speech in the matter of Nnamdi Kanu as he demanded of you in the then matter of el-Rufai? If Jonathan could sheepishly cave in to the threat of Muhammadu Buhari and released a man his SSS accused of inciting public unrest, why could Jonathan not demand that President Muhammadu Buhari equally cave in now and release a man whom the court granted unconditional bail?
Conclusion, former President Goodluck Jonathan of Otuoke is a pinhead weakling who is timidly too afraid to be gutsy. Icheoku says he lost his presidency because of fear and now is on the edge of also losing his freedom because of fear. So Jonathan of Otuoke, Icheoku asks, when are you going to start being assertive in Nigeria and in the affairs of Nigeria? When are you going to start acting as a leader whom so many people look unto? When are you going to speak up and speak out in the matter of Nnamdi Kanu, who is being illegally detained by President Muhammadu Buhari in a democratic atmosphere? If Muhammadu Buhari could demand of you and secure the release of el-Rufai from you, why can't you do the same and demand and secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu from him too? Nigeria is supposedly in a democratic government and a president is refusing to obey courts' orders and release a person being illegally detained and Jonathan of Otuoke is quaking and shivering in a corner, maintaining deathly silence? What a huge joke, little wonder he was so easily swept out of the presidency and out of Aso Rock without ever breaking a sweat.
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