ERA OF STEALING ELECTIONS IN AFRICA IS OVER - JOHNNIE CARSON

According to the United States assistant secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, the United States will together with African Union resist any attempt by African sit-tight leaders to steal or manipulate election results. While speaking in the matter of the political impasse in Ivory Coast, Carson said "America thinks that the era of stealing African elections is over and this should be an example for all Africa that this can no longer be tolerated. Theft of elections should not be a part of the democratic process." Icheoku says better late than never and had this position come alive earlier, maybe Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Kibaki of Kenya would have been former presidents; but hey, at least it will stop others including President Jonathan of Nigeria should he attempt the expected in 2011

MADDOFF HANGS HIMSELF, THE WORTH OF LIFE?

 

Tired of carrying the burden of a tainted family name described by some as "toxic" and which meant fraud to the world, the eldest son of convicted jailbird Bernard Maddoff, Mark Maddoff, hung himself in his multi-million dollar SoHo Manhattan New York City condo. Mark who was 46 and a father of four, now becomes the latest casualty in the saga that sent his father to prison for 150 years for swindling thousands of their life savings. Mark was found hanging on a dog leash while his 2-year-old son slept nearby.The wife who has since jettisoned their last name was vacationing when she received a distressed text from husband Mark urging that someone check on their 2year son. The rest as they say is now history and Icheoku asks, what is life's real worth?

IBRAHIM BADAMOSI BABANGIDA, TOLD TO TAKE A HIKE

“IBB should learn to live with his changing political fortune and not further diminish himself by playing games which only political novices should play. If he wants to go to another party, he does not need to blackmail anyone to do so. He should just go. The PDP has taken a decision on zoning and rotation; IBB can either live with it or leave the party”. - Sully Abu, director media & Publicity Jonathan/Sambo campaign 2011.Icheoku says that is what happens to a person when he or she makes him/herself a rat, the cat disrespectfully snatches him/her up. So has Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida made himself so hated in Nigeria that his threat to leave the PDP if zoning was not respected, is taken as a welcome relief and has been brushed aside as a none issue

BILL CLINTON'S TAKE-OVER OF PODIUM, OBAMA'S ABDICATION OF OFFICE OR WHAT?

Icheoku says irrespective of the reason or the political mileage to be mined from the Bill Clinton's take-over of the White House podium today, President Barack Obama shouldn't have conceded that bully-pulpit to the former president. It appears to show that President Obama is no longer totally in charge and is no longer confidence enough that he deservedly earned the right to own that pulpit to himself and should not in any way seem to be uncomfortable owning it. The president is in addition to being the commander in chief also the communicator in chief of America and should not only do this job effectively and authoritatively, but also be seen to be doing it; so the weird idea that former President Bill Clinton should be brought to the high pedestal to help President Obama sell or attempt to sell a tax-break deal, considered to be an anti-thesis to all that he stood for through-out his presidential campaign as well as during the last November 2 midterm election, makes no sense at all. The derivative imperative is that President Obama could not communicate his position across to the American people and the master communicator former President Bill Clinton has to be called in to do the job. It portrays weakness, incompetence, inability, lack of confidence and above all it is uninspiring; and should never happen again.

Moreso, many Democrats who lost their mid term elections last November 2, 2010 possibly may not have lost their re-elections had this tax-break matter been brought up and rested prior to that election. Instead they were pigeon-holed into a "no tax-cut for the rich" position and mantra of the administration during their campaigns, which in a way cost them the election. Now less than one month after the disastrous mid-term elections, the Obama administration seem to have made a complete 180 degree somersault in its position with the infamous deal he struck with the republicans; which matter was not helped by the administrations exclusion of key Democrats as he negotiated his deal with those hostage-taking Republicans. Icheoku says it is impetous of the administration to expect Democrats to just swallow his deal with the Republicans hook, line and sinker without question or protestation; and accept same as the deal made in heaven. Icheoku wants President Barack Obama to remember who elected him into office and peradventure wherein lies his primary constituency and the people he should try to placate with his policy initiatives and decisions and not the Republicans who are bent on making him a one-term president.

So for the administration to so so soon after the disastrous mid-term election to simply cave in with its about-turn on the tax-cut question shows a White House that is deaf-toned and not apace with the political trajectory of Americans, especially the progressive left. Icheoku asks, why now President Obama? Why should you because of few hundred dollars to be saved in taxes by the middle class give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to the urbane-rich? The proper and correct thing to do is to let the entire tax-cut plan to expire if the Republicans will not go with the fair tax-cut plans alternative which would have seen the super-rich pay their fair-share; thereafter you can then use your executive powers to instruct the IRS on a huge tax-returns to middle-class American taxpayers who need the money most. If your executive powers does not extend to such disbursal, then some programs could be instituted geared towards putting some dollars back in the pockets of the middle class; instead of this peanuts for champaign deal reached with the Republicans.

Icheoku also rejects the Clintonistic argument that "there's never a perfect bipartisan bill in the eyes of a partisan, and that he really believe this will be a significant net-plus for the country" as not assuring enough. You correctly pointed out that the Republicans are hostage-takers and that was enough for the American people to figure out who their nemesis is and then device a plan of action to extricate themselves from their clutches. A few hundreds of dollars in lost revenue for the American people would have hurt but not unbearably so much, the long term income derivable from correctly and adequately taxing the rich considered. Icheoku is convinced that all the options were not exhausted before the throwing of the towel of your administration accepting the Republicans on their terms; and it is not giving us, your supporters the necessary confidence to continue to march in lockstep with you as you fight your political battles. Anyway, Icheoku have strong reservation that not all those people you surrounded yourself with actually have the best interest of your governing at heart, hence some anti-progressive left policy-initiatives coming out of your supposed White House.

Now back to your seeming abdication of office today; please dear President Obama, next time do not do it as that podium belongs to you exclusively for the remainder of your term of office. If there is something Bill Clinton or any other person wants to say to the American people on behalf of your administration, let them use other forums including press conferences, interviews, press releases as well as other available communicative apparatus but certainly not the White House press conference podium. Any appearance of weakness or not being fully in charge or in complete control of the government should be avoided by you at all times and by al and every means necessary. You know what the perception had always been - that you are a knee-jerk 'man-child' president who cannot stand-up to certain heavy issues on your own. A president of America should not be running to a daddy-figure each time he is at a cross-road with some difficult policy issues; not even the last President W ran to H each time he reached a fork on the road; and the last time Icheoku checked, Bill Clinton is not your daddy!

PRINCE CHARLES ATTACKED, A FUTURE KING BY HIS FUTURE SUBJECTS!

 

Icheoku says that is the stuff revolutions are made of, the attack in London by protesting students of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. A Rolls-Royce limousine carrying them to an event was attacked and its rear window smashed; it was also splattered with paint. This was indeed a very close call on the Prince and his wife since the British mob could have easily got hold of them, taken them hostage for ransom or even killed their future King in waiting with such an ease. These students were protesting parliament's increase of tuition fees in UK college from £3,290 ($5,200) to £9,000 ($14,000) per year as being excessive. In the photograph above, an obviously spooked and startled Camilla seems to be in disbelief that 'the revolution has begun without a notice.

ARETHA FRANKLIN SLOWLY DYING, AS CANCER REFUSES TO "SHOW A LITTLE R.E.S.P.E.C.T."

 

Just as the dreaded "C" word claimed the life of Elizabeth Edwards, words got out that the self acclaimed queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, got it too; and the cancer is not taking any prisoner this time? Her cancer is of the pancreas for which she was recently operated upon but there is no word whether it has metastasized. Our heart goes out to the queen in her fight with cancer and we wish her all the best. Icheoku says, cancer should just take a break and leave humanity alone.

THERE IS NO VACANCY AT ASO ROCK - PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN?

 

"We know that there is the Adamu Ciroma consensus candidate. We also know that there is a Nigerian consensus candidate and for that reason, there is no vacancy in Aso Rock. I don't waste my words, but we should prepare not only for the primaries, but for the general election to elect Goodluck Jonathan as president and Namadi Sambo as vice president of Nigeria." - Tony Anenih. 

"It is evident that there is no vacancy in every state we have visited. This is because we trying to sell a national product (Jonathan) and not a local product." - Dahlatu Tafida. Icheoku says whether Pesident Jonathan is 'Nigeria's consensus candidate or a marketable national product' is irrelevant to the issue of the forthcoming general election 2011. The election has to first hold and the winner thereafter fill the vacancy that shall exist by then notwithstanding the wishes of Anenih and Tafida or even Jonathan. As the Ivory Coast example has shown majority of African leaders most always do not want to leave office voluntarily as they prefer to rather die in office than to concede power. Anyway something must give way come 2011 - either Jonathan defiantly runs against standing gentleman's agreement of the PDP which will help unify Nigeria in a way, provided those northern mallams accepts his victory; or Atiku is elected to satisfy those northern hegemony who do not want to let go of the cash-cow of Nigeria.

But to just foreclose the election by these arrogant utterances is anathema to the current effort by Nigerians and INEC's Jega to entrench elected democracy in Nigeria. But were Icheoku to advise President Jonathan, he should be smart enough to read the handwriting on the wall and wait for South-south turn when the presidency will be handed over to him on a platter. But mistaking the opportunity as God-sent will boomerang on the minorities of Nigeria and by extension affect the chances Igbo southeast might have securing an Igbo presidency of Nigeria in 2015. But is anyone looking at the big picture or just the myopic opportunity presented to Jonathan through Umaru Yar'Adua's demise. Lastly, Icheoku debunks both Anthony Anenih and Dahlatu Tafida for speaking above their pay-grade and hereby reinstate that Aso Rock shall be vacant by the scheduled election 2011 and insha allah, a northern shall be elected to fulfill and complete the northern term and thereafter Igbos will get their shot at the presidency come 2015.

$50,000 WAS TRANSPORT MONEY NOT BRIBE - TUNDE BAKARE OF SNG?

The $50,000 President Goodluck Jonathan's attempted bribery of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) saga is still making rounds. This time the facilitator of the SNG and the person who doubles as pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, has debunked the bribery allegation. According to the holier than thou impostor, the $50,000 offered to the group for their 'understanding and support' by President Goodluck Jonathan was a 'transport money' which they rejected based on integrity', but certainly not bribe'! Icheoku asks Mr. Tunde Bakare which part of the globe does it cost $50,000 to travel to or was he planning to visit God in heaven to require such a huge sum of transport money? What a collaborator and accessory after the fact to bribery, this Tunde Bakare is; a pitiable and pitiful soul.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, DIES BROKENHEARTED AND OF CANCER!

She was a typical southern loving wife, who adored to an almost worshipping state of her former husband of 31 years, former presidential aspirant and former Senator, John Edwards; until his lecherous ways took the light out of their blissful long marriage. John Edward disgracefully tried to deny an affair with a conniving marriage-wrecker mistress and video-grapher, Rielle Hunter, who was spread-eagling herself for the presidential aspirant while his ill-fated campaign for Democratic Party's presidential flag-bearer position lasted. Meanwhile this was as his loving wife was installmentally being wasted away by a debilitating terminal cancer of the breast which later metathesized; but she still stood by her man in defense of his honor and the marital vows of fidelity made to her? 

An ever trusting wife, she strongly rose in defence of her husband believing they were so much invested in one another for him to do what was being alleged and emphatic that her 'Dear John' can do no wrong with her emotional well-being. Boy was she very much disappointed and totally devastated as the contriving  John Edwards later swallowed his vomit and finally admitted to the alleged affair with his campaign video-grapher; admitting to a bamboozled world and dumbfounded Elizabeth that he had been guilty of marital infidelity and taken several chunks of the home-wrecker's forbidden apple. To say that the heart-wrenching news of her philandering husband did not help her with her battle with cancer is to say the least, both gratuitous and repetitious.  She was completely gutted from the inside out and the cancer which she has been battling gallantly for several years started gaining an upper hand; and her effort remained downhill primed until the sad news that was her final breath. 

Ecclesiastes 1:3 harps 'vanity of all vanities, all is vanity; and today the former attorney, wife of a senator, wife of a presidential aspirant, an author, a millionaire, mother and home-maker of a multi-million dollar family mansion who was the air in the lungs her husband breathed, is no more; dead at 61 of cancer and a broken-heart related complications. They had nothing much when they met and marked their first date at a McDonald's; but Elizabeth died well healed together with her former husband John. Icheoku says, but for her husband John Edwards cheating on her and fathering a child outside wedlock, may be Elizabeth would have lasted a little longer than the six-years preceding her today's death. She would have remained buoyed by the knowledge of an undying and undivided love and support of her husband in throwing at least few more days of punches at the invading cancer. But a distraught and emotionally ravaged woman faced with monstrosity of a terminal condition might have been praying silently for the good Lord to call her home sooner, to an eternal rest both from the cancer and from being constantly reminded by her brain that her husband John Edwards cheated on her and fathered a baby outside their marriage. Icheoku contends that ironically, Elizabeth would be happier in death; especially since her afflicting form of cancer was incurable and no amount of therapy could wash away the hurt-feeling caused by John's untamed animal, resident of his unzipped fly. 

Their marriage did not survive his cheating and both parties consented to a divorce; so Elizabeth Edwards died an unhappy, sick and in-pain divorcee, a cheated-on ex-wife. Icheoku says, may her hurting soul hurt no more and now rest in the Lord's peace; where no cheating husband can ever cause her any more sorrows or heart-thumping. To the mourner in chief John Edwards, Icheoku asks, how do you feel with your Elizabeth now gone forever; and knowing that she died partly of a broken-heart, caused by your amorous ways and an unforgiven adultery. Anyway, accept Icheoku's condolences. Elizabeth Edwards is survived by her three children Cate, Emma-Claire and Jack Edwards and also her estranged husband John Edwards. 

FYI:- President Obama's condolence message said of late Elizabeth Edwards, "In her life, Elizabeth Edwards knew tragedy and pain, many others would have turned inward; many others in the face of such adversity would have given up. But through all that she endured, Elizabeth revealed a kind of fortitude and grace that will long remain a source of inspiration. Our country has benefited from the voice she gave to the cause of building a society that lifts up all those left behind."  Also permit Icheoku to republish here as addendum, Elizabeth's own final goodbye message to the world upon learning that her final hour is near:- "The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered, we know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful."  So on both remarkable and well-appropriated commentaries, Icheoku wish to conclude our obituary on the late Elizabeth Edwards, adieu Madame Elizabeth Edwards!

DICK CHENEY'S INDICTMENT, NIGERIA MAKES EXPECTED ABOUT TURN!

 

“Yes, we are investigating the Halliburton bribery scandal and I told some foreign media so. But so far we have not uncovered any evidence of Dick Cheney’s complicity to warrant bringing charges. In fact, there is a remote chance that we will charge him.” - Femi Babafemi, EFCC spokesman. With those words, President Goodluck Jonathan's EFCC turned tail and tucked in between their legs, scurried away from its vomit. Icheoku says faced with American pressure and the threat not to support his 2011 opportunistic run for the presidency; and also realizing that there is no way in hell America will give up her former vice president to be tried in a banana republic third world country, President Jonathan made a sudden u-turn, a complete 180 degree about turn just to save face. Little ant dabbling in the game of giants; what a pity!

IVORY COAST PEOPLE READY TO KILL EACH OTHER AGAIN!?

 

Soon their machetes and AK-47s will be drawn out and Africans will once again begin another bloody slaughter of their own kind; while the people that instigated it will remain unperturbed as they lushly quaff down very expensive French Cognacs in the safe confines of their gated high walled communities. They do not really care about the people otherwise why would anyone of them string-out on a lost election; fully aware of the inevitable resulting dire consequences? Icheoku says, if only these usurpers are aware of the ferocity of the fire they set by their obstinacy and insistence not to relinquish power; maybe they will rather honorably relinquish power at the end of their term of office. This stupidity must not be allowed again in Ivory Coast; the defeated President Laurent Gbagbo must make way for the victorious Alassane Quattara to step in or be forced to do so through an internal military putsch or invasion by a foreign country or a super-power. No excuses or conditions should be good enough in this case and if it means cutting off the snake's head to stabilize the polity, oh well and dandy, so be it. Bloody African leaders who always put their selfish interest to remain in power far and above all other considerations including if it boils down to having no country left anymore for their grand-children and great grand children to enjoy or call their own?

IVORY COAST ON EDGE, AS DEFEATED PRESIDENT REFUSES TO YIELD POWER?

Icheoku calls on the world to take action and very fast too, and take out the defeated former President Gbagbo of Ivory Coast before he takes the whole country down with him into the abyss; an infamous Somali-like ungovernable entity. There was an election which he lost, but the bug of perpetuity in office which usually bites Africa leaders haven bitten him, he now refuses to let go of the political power lever in Abidjan. Icheoku says probably he is calculating that when the push comes to shove, Ivory Coast will be forced to settle for a unity government like in Zimbabwe and Kenya; with him as president while the person who rightfully won the election will become the prime minister. But when will enough be enough for these African leaders so called, who usually cling to power at all cost and without deference to the will of the people as expressed by their votes or the fate of their country which could be drastically altered as a consequence of their action. Stopping defiant Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast may be a good start and a message-sender to all other intending African leaders that their penchant for perpetuating themselves in office will no longer be tolerated.

The thing bad with setting a bad precedent is that no one knows when it will develop into a hydra-headed monstrosity, with a spread, reach and consequences which are both unimaginable and unintended. The world acquiesced Robert Mugabe to have his way when he refused to cede power following his defeat in a general election in Zimbabwe and as a compromise, a unity government was instituted with him as still the president while the man who rightfully won the election was relegated to the office of a prime minister. In Kenya, Mwai Kibaki  upon losing his election looked west at the Robert Mugabe's example and concluded that if it could be possible in Zimbabwe why not in Kenya and decided to resist the will of the Kenyan people as expressed in their polls. He succeeded and today the constitution of Kenya went under surgical knife to enthrone a parliamentary form of unity government with Kibaki as president and the man who rightfully won the election, Odinga, was made the prime minister. This is the precedent Laurent Gbagbo is eying to replicate in Ivory Coast and Icheoku is afraid that the world might eventually indulge him; it being a lesser evil and the least costly arrangement in the circumstance, an all out atrocious war between both candidates supporters and tribesmen considered. It happened before in Harare, and once again in Nairobi; so the likelihood of it repeating itself in Abidjan is very high and this is exactly what the latest sit-tight wanna be African leader Gbagbo of Ivory Coast is banking on with his refusal to relinquish power.

Unfortunately Africans and their leaders have failed and/or refused to learn from past experiences that such obstinacy by a defeated president in refusing to concede defeat can only lead to one pitiful end - restiveness of the polity and possible unraveling of the country including devastating wars. The biggest threat to political development and democracy in Africa is the lack of smooth transfer of power from a losing incumbent to his successor; and until Africans learn to be magnanimous in defeat,  regrettably, it will continue to be the same cycle of vicious cantankerous struggle for power. Icheoku says as Ivory Coast tethers on the edge of the cliff, precariously dangling over the precipice, with two candidates proclaiming themselves victorious as president of the country respectively, the time is now for the intervention of ECOWAS, African Union and the United Nations led by Ivory Coast's former colonial master France and supported fully by America, and forcibly remove this intending sit-tight, defeated former president of Ivory Coast. Laurent Gbagbo should be stopped by all and any means necessary now and taken into prison custody, exiled or even killed if that is what it will take to avert another potential upheaval in another African country with its attendant heavy cost both in materials and human lives. Icheoku believes that Ivory Coast will not become despondent with a dead Gbagbo as there will be so many qualified people to successfully take over the mantle of governance including the man who defeated him at the polls, Quattara. Enough should now be enough; it is about time to teach these Africa leaders how to take an electoral defeat with equanimity and that presidency of a country should not become a do or die affair for them or converted into their private and personal property right. As president, Gbagbo succeeded someone who previously occupied that office; so it defies every logic that he now does not want any person else to succeed him and this is the fork on the road leading to the latest inching towards an anarchical upheaval in Ivory Coast. 

So with two pejorative presidents respectively sworn in for the same country, Icheoku asks, in whom shall the authority of commander in chief of the Ivoriean armed forces reside? Who shall appoint and receive members of the diplomatic corp and manage the affairs of the Ivoriean people? One civil war is more than enough for the country as no country usually survives two civil wars easily; and now is time for the world to come off its fence-seating and unanimously condemn and reject Gbadabo's current attempt to steal an election which he lost. There must be no room for negotiation with him for an interim government or a unity government arrangement to accommodate his ego; such concessions help to perpetuate Gbadabo-type misbehavior, as no leader or head of government in Africa wants or is willing to voluntarily yield power and its associated perks of office. Gbadabo must not be allowed to thumb his nose at the world without dire consequence; so the United Nations, America, France, Africa Union and ECOWAS must now give Gbadabo a fixed ultimatum to comply with the election result and quit office or be forcibly removed from office. Regrettably, the armed forces of Ivory Coast are not neutral in this imbroglio, otherwise they would have served Gandabo with a deservedly red card and order him to concede defeat immediately or be overthrown; taking cognizance of the 2002-2003 Ivoriean civil war which the country is yet to fully recover from.

It is good that United States President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have already said that opposition candidate Ouattara rightful won the election and that his victory must be acknowledged by the Gbadabo pretender-government and quit. These world leaders should take a step further and give Gbadabo a fixed time within which to do the right thing at the pain of unleashing their military best to smoke him out of the government house in Abidjan. That is the only language despots and despots-apprentice understand; and an example must be set of Gbadabo to send a clear message to other African wanna-be dictators that the world would not let them have their ways anymore. With the development in Abijan, Icheoku asks who knows what will become of the forth-coming general elections in Nigeria and whether President Goodluck Jonathan will peacefully concede power should he be defeated or even lose in the primaries to the northern consensus candidate Atiku Abubakar. Should Gbadabo be tolerated by the world in any form and allowed to stay in office, it will only serve as an impetus for his likes and so many elections are coming up in Africa. The  Ivory Coast election is significantly important because an electoral commission appointed by the defeated President Gbadabo conducted an election and announced a result which the appointor-government was not satisfied with, hence their decision not to comply with the electorates decision. Icheoku asks, is there a possibility that Nigeria's INEC Jega could toil all in vain with President Jonathan insisting that a particular election outcome trumps any other, including that certified by the Jega INEC.

The die seem to have been cast for a shooting war in Ivory Coast as each self-sworn president is said to have their own army, support network and legal framework for governing. Defeated President Gbagbo allegedly has the support of the regular army, while Ouattara is supported by the New Forces rebels of northern Ivory Coast. Gbagbo is also supported by many of the country's most important institutions including the constitutional council and the state media, while Ouattara is backed by several foreign powers; admitted African Union and ECOWAS is yet to take a stand. It should also be noted that Gbadabo is a hold-over president since 2005 when his first five-year mandate expired. After several delays, the election finally went ahead in October but then headed to a runoff vote in November when the country's election commission announced that Ouattara had won the run-off. However, new results released later on national television by Gbagbo loyalist, who heads the constitutional council, said that the incumbent president Gbadabo had in fact been re-elected. Icheoku says, only African-Africans understands what is really going down in Abidjan with paid pipers singing the varying tunes of their paying masters. Finally, Laurent Gbadabo must quit power and respect the wish of the Ivoriean people who with their ballot decided that Quattara should be their next president.

ICHEOKU SALUTES GOVERNOR BUKOLA SARAKI FOR HIS COURAGE.

Governor Bukola Saraki displayed a great courage and high moral rectitude by standing up to his father and not joining the conspiracy of his father, the elder Olusola Saraki, to convert Kwara State into a Saraki private estate; a somewhat Saraki State or their private fiefdom. 

The elder Saraki wants to have his daughter Senator Gbemisola Saraki succeed his son Bukola Saraki as governor of Kwara State, but the junior Saraki will not have any of that; he thinks such contemporaneous succession by a sister of a brother, as governor of the same state, smacks of undue abuse of power and influence. 

To him, it is morally wrong for his sister to succeed him as governor since the state does not belong to the Sarakis but to whole Kwarans, whose magnanimity the family have enjoyed all these years and which should not now be abused. This disagreement have now pitched father and son in a battle because of an over-ambitious sister who wants to be governor at all and whatever cost including instigating a family feud. Icheoku agrees with the reasoning of Bukola and applauds his standing on principle despite the odds of challenging an all powerful father and power broker in Kwara State. Icheoku therefore recognizes Governor Bukola Saraki as a true conscientious democrat of and in Nigeria. Way to go Bukky!

ATIKU'S CONSENSUS CHOICE IS AREWA-AGENDA DRIVEN, NOT ZONAL CONCERNS!

Icheoku says former Anambra State Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife properly and rightly articulated the underpinning reason behind the Mallam Adamu Ciroma's Northern Elders Forum (NEF) choice of Abuabakar Atiku as their nothern consensus presidential candidate. The former governor correctly distinguished the north's crave for 'regional hegemony' as opposed to zoning as the guiding factor that trusted Atiku Abubakar on the stage as the north's consensus candidate. 

According to the traditionalist former governor, who prides himself with his signature goatee, the NEF by choosing Atiku Abubakar as their consensus candidate, proved themselves to be the real anti-zoning partisans in Nigeria. Chukwuemeka Ezeife posited that if the underlying principle behind zoning is to ensure that every zone within Nigeria's six-zonal political arrangement gets a shot at certain offices in the country such as the presidency; it naturally should follow therefore that the same zone that produced the late former president Umaru Yar'Adua should also produce the consensus candidate. Each zone by practice is entitled to a two-term of four years each in office and the late president's zone should have been allowed to complete their total term of eight years with a second term before taking it elsewhere or the present Atiku's northeast zone. But if the logic of eight years is to be strictly adhered to, then it means that Nigeria still owes the northwest the nearly two years late President Umaru Yar'Adua was incapacitated including the period President Jonathan was acting president as well as his present completion of late Umaru YarAdua first term of office. 

The former governor argued that since a supposedly existing 'zonal agreement' was the basis for  the NEF agitation and their riason d`tre for insistence that the north should produce the next president, it therefore follows that the Forum should have insisted that the very zone which produced the deceased former president, whose demise in office led to the present zonal restiveness in the polity, should have been allowed to fill out their zonal vacancy and not otherwise. The settling of the NEF on Atiku as consensus candidate principally negates the foundational argument of zoning and therefore operates to tactically defeat any moral grounds that may have existed to otherwise back their position. Their Atiku's choice is a self-inflicted injury as well as a self-defeating move which essentially rubbished their very argument that zoning should be respected. 

According to Ezeife's logic, which Icheoku considers very far-reaching and sound, these supposed disciples of zoning, the Northern Elders Forum, totally veered off course and completely overreached themselves by subverting their own zonal argument with their choice of Atiku. They disregarded the entitled zone, the northwest, and went to a completely different zone, the northeast, to pick their so called "zonal consensus candidate". In the process they deployed selective amnesia and forgot their prior motivating argument of 'zoning' and instead settled for an 'Arewa regional candidate' paraded as north's consensus candidate? Icheoku asks but whose zone is it anyway to produce a replacement presidential candidate of late Umaru Yar'Adua who should be serving his second term if not his northwest;  but now a northeastern Atiku Abubakar is being forced on the entire north including the deprived northwest as the north's consensus candidate. Icheoku would prefer Atiku is correctly and properly referenced for what he truly is and represents - 'The Northern Elders Forum's Preferred Presidential Candidate;' and not the present north's consensus candidate. 

The term 'Northern Consensus Candidate' is very self arrogating of the NEF and quite insulting for the rest of the diverse peoples of the northern region of Nigeria, whose input were never solicited nor sought for by the nine wise and near senile northern elders; who factually speaking do not even represent the entire north:- not the respective nineteen states nor the hundreds of tribal affinities in the north. Icheoku asks Mallam Adamu Ciroma to tell the north who made him a northern leader or organizer in chief or using biblical connotation, 'who made Ciroma a judge over the north?' Who in Mallam Adamu Ciroma's Northern Elders Forum represented the divergent northern Nigeria nationalities including Hausa, Fulani, Gwari, Tiv, Junkun, Igalla, Igbira, Yoruba, Birom, Kanuri, Chamba, Idoma, Nupe, Kamberi, Margi, Mumuye, Warkum etc and they were only nine elderly men in the forum? The forum definitely was not representative of the north or its peoples; and therefore their decision settling down for Atiku as a consensus candidate might as well be interpreted as not binding on the north, being not the north's. 

The NEF was very arrogant in appointing and constituting themselves as the sole northern representatives in making decision as to a northern consensus candidate; and expecting their decision to be binding on the entire peoples of northern Nigeria. A more people orientated forum would have sought authority from the governors or emirs of the north,  the true representatives of the north; who would have appointed them and given them terms of reference to work with. But no, as far as Mallam Adamu Ciroma was concerned, the north constitutes of a bunch of almajiris and he is their wise man, to will tell them who their consensus candidate should be. Anyway, Icheoku has no dog in the fight and the mallams could as well have brought forth a goat as their consensus candidate for all we care; but the good news is that Atiku Abubakar is only their northern consensus candidate and not Nigeria's consensus candidate. It is also worth a mention that Mallam Adamu Ciroma successfully and deftly solved the Babangida problem by cleverly scheming him out of contention through a mock consensus and for this Icheoku remains eternally grateful. 

Peradventure, an Arewa regional agenda most importantly drove Mallam Adamu Ciroma's forum into making the Atiku decision, since the mere fact of his choice is zoning-defeating by itself without more. The choice of Atiku cannot be any other thing but a power struggle by a fast-fading northern elders group bent on forestalling a real integration of Nigeria through a minority presidency; using the ruse of a zonal imperative and need to maintain the gentleman's zoning agreement of the PDP. According to Ezeife, 'Atiku's choice is a definition of a non-belief in zoning and rotation principle. The Ciroma committee displayed crass ignorance and a disdainful disregard for the principles of zoning which they were agitating for.' Icheoku agrees completely and aligns itself with the conclusion Ezeife reached as being a derivative of a logical clear thought. If the motive of the NEF was truly to find a replacement for the northwest and late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, a northwesterner or even a member of the late president's family would have been the most appropriate choice; but certainly not Atiku, who is from an entirely different northeastern zone. Say for the sake of discussion that Atiku magically wins the primaries and goes on to win the election, Icheoku asks, will he be serving his northeastern zone's term or filling out northwest's remainder second term. If his zone's term, would it mean that he will serve for eight years of two four year terms; and if not would it mean that northwest has lost their right to the remainder of their second term bringing their total to full eight years; or that the northeast would then serve twelve years - four on behalf of northwest and then their own two terms of four years each? 

Like one commentator Tunde Falola asked, is Atiku Abubakar really the best the North has to offer, his huge baggage of negative perception considered. May be once again the 'goodluck' following President Goodluck Jonathan has thrown the lesser of two formidable opponents for him to cake-walk over. The primaries have been scheduled and very soon Nigerians will know who their next president would be since PDP is still the party to beat in Nigeria. One thing Icheoku would like to solicit of President Jonathan is to also like Atiku did, pledge to accept the outcome of the primaries and not to in anyway try to circumvent or thwart it but abide by the result. So come January 1st, when the PDP goes to their convention to chose a presidential candidate, would they settle for a candidate who touts the entire country as his constituency or one who was chosen for them by nine old and probably senile men with no real political relevance other than that they once served Nigeria in somewhat minimal capacities. The jury is still out and its verdict securely tucked in the womb of time, a very short time indeed within the beginning of the new year 2011 when the decision will be made as to who flies the flag. Only then would Icheoku and the rest of the curious world know what really drives an average Nigerian PDP delegate - hope for the future or their private pockets. 

DICK CHENEY'S NIGERIA INDICTMENT, A HUGE COMICAL GRANDSTANDING?

 

The news making the rounds in the world of energy and oil is the latest intent by the Nigerian government to indict former United States of America's vice president Dick Cheney; for his actions while chairman of Halliburton in bribing some Nigerian government officials. Icheoku says this smells like an attempt by the uninspiring Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to score cheap mention in the world press as being serious with his 'Jonathan's war against corruption' in Nigeria. 

It is all a gimmick; scripted for a show as President Jonathan is overlooking corruption-instigator-in-chief, Olusegun Obasanjo, who is there within his government's jurisdictional authority and is rather stretching his 'goodluck' too far trying to indict an American former vice president. Icheoku says, without a bribe-demander and taker who demanded and received the bribe, there would never be a bribe-giver in the first place; so it makes absolutely no sense at all that Olusegun Obasanjo who demanded and received the Halliburton's $180million bribe will be walking the grounds of Nigeria a freeman while the person who was compelled at the risk of losing a lucrative $6billion gas contract is now being indicted for bribing the bribe-demander/taker. It is akin to the sharia law in Iran wherein a woman is condemned for having sex while the man she had sex with is free of all crime and both parties were in adulterous relationship. 

Some things do not seem right with this latest development and its timing; especially with the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) recent allegation that the same President Jonathan attempted to bribe them with $50,000. But hey, at least the indictment will collaborate what WikiLeaks accused the Americans of:- saying one thing and doing another! Icheoku asks, is there anything endemically wrong with everyone doing what they ask others to do - just practice what you preach and it will be honky-dory the world over. Pharisee! Pharisee! Pharisee!

ABUBAKAR ATIKU, A POTENTIAL REGIONAL LEADER - OMERI

"President Jonathan offers a breath of flesh air, a new dawn and a complete break from the past which will ultimately transform Nigeria. What the country needs now is not need a regional president but a nationalist president who has a mission and purpose to transform the entire country; unlike the northern consensus candidate, Abubakar Atiku, who might be inclined to pursue only a northern regional agenda." - Mike Omeri, Director General (Research and Strategy), Jonathan/Sambo 2011 Campaign Organisation.

LEAKED EMBASSY CABLES, WIKILEAKS NOT THE REALLY CULPRIT?

WikiLeaks, a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing news and information to the public; and which provides a portal for sources around the world to leak information to the world audience, has recently been in the cross-hairs of America, for leaking some vital diplomatic cables. They published the said cables, convinced that it is their ethical responsibility to reveal to the world some hitherto suppressed and censored American government materials which WikiLeaks termed injustices.With just a strike of the enter-key on their computer's keyboard, a total of 251,287 documents, comprising of 261,276,536 words, dating from 28th December 1966 to 28th February 2010 and originated from 274 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions world-wide, was released to the world for their consumption. Government officials from Washington to Moscow to London to Kabul to Riyadh are crying foul that Wiki-Leakers have done them irreparable damage and governments confidences severely harmed.Icheoku says the indignation and antagonism  expressed and directed against WikiLeaks over this leak may however be misplaced as the real leaker here, the real culprits deserving of  condemnation, is not Wiki-Leaks themselves but all those government officials with access, who were privy to these documents, and who actually leaked them to the leaker-in-chief, WikiLeaks.  WikiLeaks is just a vehicle with which those in government spilled the beans which they wanted the world audience to see for whatever purpose they may have in mind. Had these government officials not sabotaged their government's diplomatic efforts by leaking those documents to WikiLeaks, possibly to undermine the government and ridicule it, Icheoku says there is no way in hell Wiki-Leaks could have had access to those documents; talk-less of publishing them. So the government through the FBI should refocus their effort at the whodunit and investigate those officials who came in contact with the published cables, to unravel who actually poured the water into a basket expecting it to stay put and not leak out. Someone or some people in government circle handed these documents to Wiki-Leaks and these are the real culprits here and not a website that exists to leak things and reveal hidden facts. Icheoku says the American government has the wrong guy in their cross-hairs as  WikiLeaks is not the provocateur/suspect; but those involved government officials!Icheoku is not in anyway justifying or condoning putting the government in Washington DC or elsewhere in any unsavory position by disclosing the processes involved in their diplomatic equivalent of making the hamburger. But if according to these Wiki-Leakers, "the cables show the extent of US spying on its allies and the UN; turning a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuse in "client states"; backroom deals with supposedly neutral countries; lobbying for US corporations; and the measures US diplomats take to advance those who have access to them", then it may be worthy an effort to draw the attention of the tax-payers of America, whose money bankrolls these alleged, to these happenings through their disclosure. However, provided their purpose is to inform the public but not to unduly embarrass the government; it may be in order to somewhat put paid to these double-standards government practices and force the government to practice what it preaches and in the open.According to WikiLeaks, "these document reveals the contradictions between the US’s public persona and what it says behind closed doors and shows that if citizens in a democracy want their governments to reflect their wishes, they should ask to see what’s going on behind the scenes." This looks like plausible argument to make but in the wildlife-world that we live in, it is easier said than done as without all these intriguing happenstances, possibly our standard of living in America would have been akin to those in third world countries. But through all these twists and turns and arm-twisting, Washington has been able to maintain an America that is the envy of the whole world in terms of quality of life. Simple economics teaches that a loss somewhere is a gain somewhere else; and for everything we have some one somewhere was deprived. However long or manner it takes to plug the leaking diplomatic cables, admitted the genie has been let out of the bottle; one thing sprouts out from the incident - the fine-line between right to speech First Amendment constitutional freedom and the need to protect a state from such heinous embarrassment, must be balanced and weighted against the state's overriding security interest and ensure it is maintained without let; and anyone breaching that, including Wiki-Leaks, should be severely dealt with.

What WikiLeaks did by these published documents was to pitch nations against nations and one country against another. Now it is suspicion galore amongst countries and who knows who shall ever trust one another anymore or even enough to disclose their truthful opinion on any given world-issues again. WikiLeaks has driven a knife into world diplomatic fiber and their center of trust can no longer hold. Most countries will henceforth be very reluctant to trust another with very sensitive information, doubtful that it will not be kept with the utmost secrecy governing its disclosure.


The United States government especially, shall feel the most heat as many countries would henceforth be very reluctant to disclose to them what they are really thinking or feeling towards some burning world issues. But who knows where WikiLeaks sourced their information from; whether it is from outside sources other than Washington DC, bent on embarrassing President Obama and his team. But hey, until full disclosure through forensic investigation, Icheoku and the rest of the world would just wait and see where the trail will tail off. In the interim, we urge Julian Assange, the face of WikiLeaks, to turn himself in and answer for his alleged sexual-crimes with which he is charged and for which he remains on the run; and cease from remaining a fugitive on the run having been placed by Interpol on its red notice of wanted persons.