OBASANJO'S SATANIC VERSES 2.0: A LETTER TO BUHARI

ICHEOKU says in a scathing public letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, the man known for his hard charging tactic of take no prisoners, the brash and bold former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has warned the president not to stand for reelection in 2019. According to the letter, President Muhammadu Buhari has not performed creditably well enough to deserve a second term, hence he should do the honorable thing and bow out and not force Nigerians to disgrace him out of office. 

ICHEOKU says love him or hate him, one thing friends, admirers and critics alike all agree to is that Olusegun basanjo is a leader who knows how to truly drive the train of leadership,  decisively, doggedly and determinedly.  His overall understanding, command and control of the political structure of the society is legendary that were it not for the Constitution, many Nigerians would wish he could run again and continue as president; the bad experiences of the other three who happened since he left office, considered. 

But the former president certainly has his own flaws, including his often lack of good judgment; otherwise the question of Buhari running or not in 2019 would have been otherwise mute. It would not have arisen as there would have never been any Buhari in the first place to advise now not to run. The Ota Deity, alongside other accomplices, beguiled Nigerians into voting for the man who now turned out to be their worse nightmarish nemesis, since the inglorious days of the midget of Kano Sani Abacha. 'He was educated enough to be president' was a popular refrain of Obasanjo to the question of a certificate-less Buhari standing for office. 

Today, that singular lack of education proved to be the albatross of his governance. It shows in so many things which an ordinarily fertilized mind would have helped him so easily solve. But his lack of cerebral exposure made him a prisoner of self doubt and lack of trust in other people who are not of his stork; thus forcing him into a chronic cronyism, which saw him run an inept government with a pigeonholed outlook on the world and trapped in his own world where he is only comfortable among his Fulani kits and kins. It is a widely available knowledge that nomadic Fulani people, including those who call Nigeria home, are not reputed for their big academic credentials and resumes. This lack of qualified manpower from within their tribe, forced so many mediocre on present day governance of Nigeria as President Muhammadu Buhari would not trust any non Fulani to run certain vital departments of his government. and the result shows.

Anyway, Obasanjo's letter, although a welcome relief, is somewhat belated because so much damage has already been done by President Muhammadu Buhari. As a result, the blood of the thousands of innocent Nigerians slaughtered since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari's government, is technically, also on the head of the man who endorsed and helped make him president of Nigeria. Olusegun Obasanjo is therefore complicit in the Buhari's government of mediocrity, because had he not thrown his weight behind his candidacy, despite a well established pattern of his proven crass incompetence, Nigerians would not have purchased that dummy for a president and literally signed away their rights as well as in some cases, their life. 

Obasanjo was fully aware of the glaring shortfalls of the lanky man from Daura; beginning in their days as members of the Nigerian military to when Obasanjo as Head of State appointed Buhari the Petroleum Minister; continuing to Buhari's days as Head of State to his chairmanship of the PTF, which the same Obasanjo disbanded because of crass ineptitude and storied corruption. For three times did the same Buhari run for the same office of president of Nigeria, but Obasanjo severally on each occasion stopped him in his tract. Then suddenly 2015 came around and Obasanjo with boldfaced lied to Nigerians that the same man who he had previously prevented his ascendancy to Nigerian presidency, suddenly became qualified for the office? 

ICHEOKU says but as a hopeless optimist, who still holds out some hope for a Nigeria that will eventually come back to live, fully resuscitated, revived and re-energized, will grant Olusegun Obasanjo a benefit of doubt that his repentance over the mistake of 2015 is real and that he truly is remorseful of his imposition on Nigerians, of President Muhammadu Buhari. Therefore his call on the president not to present himself for reelection in 2019 is valid, meritorious and well founded and therefore should be supported by all Nigerians. It is not about any other thing or other extrinsic consideration; the fact of the matter is that President Muhammadu Buhari is not deserving of another term as Nigerians collective president, having not earned it. Another implicit fact is that President Muhammdu Buhari is incompetent, aged and infirm; and cannot perform above his drastically constrained abilities. The president is a comprehensive failure that if graded, would have scored straight F9 in practically every and all departments of governance. 

Domestically, he failed and internationally he bombed too. He is very divisive, parochial,  uninformed and micro manages everything. He is nearly completing his first term in office without ever traveling overseas on any working official trip except his visits to his Islamist agenda supporting countries of Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The president is on the third lap of his four laps term in government and he has never addressed a world press conference to actually be confronted with questions about his governance pattern and style, as well as render account on his productivity. The president is in the third quarter of his governance and he has never held a Council of State meeting and you wonder what is he afraid of, not allowing other former presidents and Heads of State as well as government officials to parley with him in Aso Rock. 

Then veer off to the economy and security in the country and his abject failure becomes brighter than a starry night. Buhari promised to fight corruption to a stand still but ended up being mired in more corruption and as Olusegun Obasanjo pointed out in his letter, the case of Pensions Board former Chairman Maina cries out to the high heavens. To date President Muhammadu Buhari is presiding over a government where a criminally corrupt and indicted Senate President is still presiding over the Senate and he is still fighting corruption? President Muhammadu Buhari promised to name and shame corrupt Nigerian former government officials but none has been named or jailed to date. 

The president promised Nigerians power supply but appointed a Minister of Darkness Fashola to oversee the effort. His ineffectiveness in revamping power supply is such that Nigerians are even begging to be left where they were with power supply before Fashola took over the Power Ministry. The president promised Nigerians security and more Nigerians have been slaughtered since he was sworn in. Unlike other presidents of other countries who are known as promise keepers, President Muhammadu Buhari, instead of fulfilling his campaign promises, has flat-out denied ever making any of them. How such man expect to run again or be reelected is beyond every known permutation where report-cards matter.

Anyway, ICHEOKU will not belabor self here enumerating the president's many failures and several made promises which were denied or recanted or left unfulfilled and not kept, as they are everywhere for anyone to see and tabulate. But ICHEOKU is emphatic that the call made by Olusegun Obasanjo to discourage President Muhammadu Buhari from running for reelection is well made and in good conscience; and demands every hand and mouth of Nigerians to be on board to actualize it. ICHEOKU says provided that Olusegun Obasanjo does not settle for the creepy and greedy polygamist Abubakar Atiku, as President Muhammadu Buhari's shoe-in and replacement, ICHEOKU is prepared to and will join the battle to evict President Muhammdu Buhari out of Aso Rock come 2019.  President Muhammadu Buhari is not a deserving Nigerian president, admitted that his Fulani folks will protest vehemently that he is the best thing to ever happen in their Nigeria since slice bread was invented. 

So without any further ado, ICHEOKU says thank you Dr Olusegun Obasanjo for providing the much needed leadership to drive the push to oust and replace President Muhammadu Buhari come 2019. Your Satanic Verses version 2.0 to President Muhammadu Buhari is well received and the content stellar. The gravity of the now has forced you out of your retirement to once again try and save Nigerians from themselves. This is a roll which Goodluck Jonathan ought and should have been playing as the immediate past president and the man who handed over Nigeria to Buhari. But unfortunately, his legendary cowardice was in the way and he couldn't man up and pay the leadership dues with courage and bravery and lead the flock. 

President Muhammdu Buhari, ICHEOKU says your time is about up and please get ready to handover. ICHEOKU hereby reechoes Olusegun Obasanjo's call that you please do not run for reelection in 2019; so do not even bother presenting yourself for nomination because only your Fulani folks will not be able to carry you across the finish line. Fortunately, your terrorist Fulani cattle herders have succeeded in scaring off the Middle Belt and winning the presidency as you have boasted with just the Northern votes will no longer be feasible nor possible; except of course you want to take down Nigeria with you. So long.