EDO STATE ELECTIONS AND THE GIFT OF DEATH FOR THE PEOPLE. - by SHABA Mafu.

 

Picture:courtesy of Vectoral graphics

No matter how hotly contested an election is, it will certainly come and go. The most ideal and important thing in all such situations is that the players at any levels outlive the electoral processes so as to enjoy the expected dividends of democracy. Many elections have been conducted in Nigeria. Some people who wanted to die for their country in the most dishonourable manner have gone with the elections while those who were wise and desired to live have stayed alive. Nigeria, as a country, and the component states will always outlive any elections. This should be the pivot on which all issues revolve, particularly to those who are courting violence in the forthcoming Edo elections.

Barely three weeks from now, Edo people will be filing out to choose who will lead them in the next four years as the Governor of the State. Precisely on the 19^th of September, Edo people will surely decide between the top contestants of the race. These are Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Peoples Congress (APC) and the incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). On the 31^st August, 2020, The PUNCH newspaper (online platform) authoritatively reported an arms build-up in Edo state as the gubernatorial election gathers momentum. The Newspaper under the caption, “POLLS: Parties clash as IG fingers politicians in arms build-up”, reported that “the IG stated that the Election Security Threat Assessment Report submitted by the Commissioners of Police from both states in a meeting held on August 25 also revealed the use of inciting statements during political campaigns and a high likelihood of violence and possible cross-attack by political opponents.

First, I would like to submit that whoever agrees to collect a gun from any politician for the purpose of perpetrating mischief is the greatest fool ever living on the soil of this great country, Nigeria. The question is how many of the politicians’ children carry guns for the elections for their fathers? How many commoners do you see being chauffeured away in Armoured Personnel Carriers or a standing helicopter in the face of violence, being ignited by same fleeing politicians? Come to think of it, who Is actually your political opponent? Your kinsman? Your next-door neighbor who have lived peacefully with you at least for the past four years, who belonged to another political party of his choice. This person was your neighbor until campaign started, and a ‘stranger’ came and talked ill about someone who ordinarily had not personally offended you. With his oratory power like Lucifer deceived you to the extent of such hatred that you agreed to collect a gun to terminate the life of your neighbor or at least a human being. Sadly, after the killings, these deceiving politicians never fulfilled their electoral promises. Once elected into that office, the same politician becomes invincible. Whilst they campaigned, the door of access was thrown open to them by the so-called commoners in every community or town they chose to enter. He is accompanied to campaign grounds with drums and dances with special songs composed in his name, but once elected and becomes an ‘Excellency’, you need to write series of letters begging him, praising him in order to fulfill his electoral promises he freely gave during campaigns. Kings and high personalities have to pay courtesy calls to pamper this political colossus striding the political heath of the state, an individual who someone was murdered for his sake. You become more a commoner to this exalted principality. When he is asked to give account of his stewardship, he turns around to brand you an enemy, and deploys all his executive might to finish you up. This was the same person someone was gunned down for. None of the candidates is worth the blood of ordinary goats, not to talk more of a whole human being created in the image of the Almighty God, a member of the human race. Which politician is worth even the stale blood of an animal? Who?

History has proved that most politicians do not love his people (his constituency). They only flash their teeth like a British harlot, during their campaigns. They satisfy your IMMEDIATE needs like food, drinks and go ahead to hatch personal agenda hidden in the basket of flavoured lies. Having shown you a fading and fake love, you will be recruited to their assassin squad. No human life can be quantified in monetary terms. The prospective hoodlums to be recruited must know this clearly. If the lives of these hoodlums have been made worthless by the same politicians they want to kill for, the lives of other people remain very sacrosanct and very useful to the owners.

The security operatives must be up and doing to nip any criminal intent on the buds. The Police have already taken a proactive step by virtue of the information flowing to their domain on the possible violence and “cross-attacks of political opponents”. They should ensure that they are not compromised by financial inducements. Any compromise could be very suicidal.

Regarding the use of violent speeches during campaigns, politicians should be mindful of what they say. Apart from the fact they are capable of inciting damning violence, they are character-assassinations and hate speeches which this present government has seriously frowned at. No matter the violence by the politicians, we still have a common irretrievable denominator, an indisputable oneness; we are still from the same State, Edo State. If not for the left-handed politics of Nigerians, brilliant and productive individuals from other political parties could be invited to form a government to give the best for a people. Unfortunately, the systems of rewards have always beclouded the political system.

In my conclusion, it is very possible to conduct the elections in Edo State with all civility and decorum without any threats to public peace, not to talk more of threats to the lives and properties of the people of Edo State. All the stakeholders, the politicians and their followers, the Police, the electoral umpire, the traditional rulers, the media, etc should join their hands together to ensure a peaceful election in Edo State. The National Orientation Agency should also wake up to her responsibilities during this volatile period.  Edo people must deliberately reject the gift of death by self-serving politicians. They are humans like you, and in no way better save just the privileges they are exposed to, which privileges you may be favoured with, sooner or later.

BETWEEN THE GULLIBILITY OF THE NIGERIAN ELECTORATES AND THE SUBTERFUGE OF THE NIGERIAN POLITICIANS - by SHABA Mafu.

 “The rain that beat Africa began four to five hundred years ago, from ‘the discovery’ of Africa by Europe, through the trans-Atlantic Slave trade to the Berlin Conference of 1885. That controversial gathering of the World’s leading European powers precipitated what we now call the Scramble for Africa, which created new boundaries that did violence to Africa’s ancient societies and resulted in tension-prone modern states. It took place without Africa’s consultation, to say the least. Great Britain was handed the area of West Africa that would later become Nigeria, like a piece of chocolate cake at a birthday party”.  (Achebe C: 2012, There Was A Country.).

The above assertion about the enduring pains caused by the European enslavement of Africa through their many programmes of underdevelopment has stood the test of time, as Africa, Nigeria in particular, has not recovered from the devastating effect of the European’s manifest atrocities. The violence and lack of proper thinking bequeathed on the Nigerian society have also stood out as one of the heritages of the properly orchestrated evil of the serial oppressors. This ‘legacy’ has birthed untold hardships on the citizens’ psyche in nearly all the endeavours of life till date. Prior to the needless incursion of the European explorers and exploiters, Africans lived in communalism, in peace and harmony fostered by nature and ageless tradition. But since the ‘discovery’, yes the “discovery” of what had even transcended the existence of Europe, by the Europeans themselves, most of the atrocious legacies bequeathed by the usurpers may have been eroded with time save that of gullibility by the impoverished governed and by the subterfuge of those who govern. This is now the replica and the elongated indigenous faction of the European system that trended in the era of serial iniquities of the European overlords, targeted against the “Black, uncivilized and uncultured Africans living in a dark continent”, in their own definition. Nigeria was carved out as a principal victim of this continental absurdity.

The typical Nigerian politician is as crafty as those who brought modern politics to bear on the African soil. Their subterfuge has advanced to the level that they now tutor those with the patent right of this deadly machination. A Nigerian politician cannot be termed as a true politician if he does not apply a sophisticated level of deception on those he is craftily looking for their support in the bid to gain power to steal from the public coffers. Those who, like the devil had craftily employed this whim have been applauded for years for their ‘political dexterity’ because they could successfully swindle the impoverished minds of the electorates. A typical Nigerian politician is as slippery as the eel. There was a popular man in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria, who was very good in this artistry. He was highly manipulative and talked with the two sides of his mouth almost simultaneously. Despite the demise of this man, his name and fame remain unequalled to this date when it comes to manipulative expertise in the political space. Despite the fact that he was semi-literate in Western education, his manipulations brought him enormous wealth. His name has become a proverb in the political parlance in the country. Whoever can successfully swindle others to get a particular political advantage (obviously to the detriment of the voting public) was usually called that name. More unfortunately so, crafty souls in Nigeria’s political world are also revered and called Maradona. It is a common knowledge that the legendary Argentine Diego Maradona, one of the world’s finest footballers, scored a football into a goal post during the 1986 FIFA World Cup competition in the most cunning way, that it took the deployment and application of highly sophisticated scientific gadget to unveil his “divine” craftiness. When he was eventually caught, he defended his action and ultimately branded his ill-gotten popularity by craftiness, as the “Hand of God”, that is, it was the Hand of God that scored the goal. This is comparatively the level of decadence the politicians have grown into in Nigeria. They mystify, glorify and deify their evil deeds.

On the other hand, the Nigerian electorates have been so pauperized that the only option left for them to survive is to be dragged by the nose by the politicians to do the latter’s bidding. The pauperism of the voting populace has become a deliberate policy of those who rule so as to whittle down any possible revolution or to prevent a dire quest for accountability of their stewardship. Close to election periods, candidates of political positions, particularly those who seek a second term in office deliberately (but tacitly) commit abominations to those they intended to imprison further if elected for the second term. One of the atrocities usually committed against the populace is that, besides placing an embargo on employment upon assuming their positions after winning the elections on their first term, they would wittingly stop paying the salaries of those who were ‘lucky’ to be in their employ. When another round of elections is drawing near, and particularly during their campaigns, they climb the podium and tell their employees who are part of the voting populace that they (the contestants) have directed the Ministry of Finance to release three months salary arrears which is part of the twelve months salaries owed the workers, to be paid with immediate effect.  The immediacy applied in the circumstance would appear if they had the best interest of the electorates at heart. But it is actually grand deceit from their twisted minds and consciences. Regrettably, the spontaneous claps that will rent the air and the ovation that would greet these deceivers by the electorates will beat the imagination of a normal discerning heart … but this has become the avoidable fate of an emasculated populace, dejected employees, and ravaged victims of political rapists. This has also further revealed how hollow and empty the citizenry have been left to be. The politician will continue by making empty promises of what he would do when he is again elected. He then goes on to emphasize his seriousness on this by raining thunderous abuses on his opponents to score cheap political points. After the noises, he directs those with the official parcels brought to the campaign ground to dole out some packaged grains of rice, and possibly some few Naira notes to his castrated victims in order to seal up their present and continuous doom.

The electorates go back home chanting and deifying the rogues who have stolen their future in advance. The insults hurled on the opponents would be turned to a melodious song composed by an Artiste, a member of the voting population and would be sung throughout the campaign period.. This is where we have found ourselves in Nigeria and in our politics.

Until the electorates consciously demand serious and periodic accountability from these politicians who hold public offices, who carry about the emblem of public trust, Nigeria will continue to be in disarray, and in the dismal bliss of underdevelopment. Until the electorates refused to be fooled by the studied subterfuges of these crafty elements, reject their policies of deliberate pauperism, and their Greek gifts to soil their consciences, public funds will be siphoned by this few who deceive the masses. Until sentiments and emotionalism are reduced on the side of the electorates and thorough comparisms of candidates done irrespective of political affiliations, they will continue to fall into the hands of these sworn swindlers.

The bulk of this kind of political revolution lies squarely in the shoulders of the electorates. They must use their voting rights and powers to determine their future and those of their children. The electorates must be wiser this time around and refuse the temptation of being bribed. They are to determine the political climate and the tempo, and block the possibility of sharing the commonwealth among only the politicians, like the British who shared Africa like “the chocolate cake on a birthday party”. The electorates must bear in mind that a bribed man is a weakened man. Bribery blunts a hitherto sharp conscience. Let us rise up and enjoy the commonwealth together. The wealth does not belong to only the politicians whose main methodology of doing things is through their subterfuges. Take responsibility!

NIGERIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM AND GODFATHERISM by SHABA Mafu

The concept of godfatherism is morally regarded as a misnomer in the public sphere. But looking closely, the concept assumes another nomenclature in other areas of life. For instance, godfatherism is in the issues of admission into higher institutions of learning. Godfatherism is also noticed in the areas of employment in the name of nepotism. On a milder and more subtle masquerading of the concept, a godfather may also be called a mentor. In the academics or social life, the word mentor could objectively mean well because the mentee may never have seen or benefited directly from his mentor. He only aspires to share the same qualities of his mentor. For instance, many would love to speak and write like the literary icon, Professor Wole Soyinka while having nothing to benefit directly from the academic guru. This is the semantic difference between a mentor and a godfather.

On the political scene, a godfather is the one whose ‘offspring’ is tutored, held by the nose, and led around to tacitly do his bidding while the offspring pretends to serve the generality of the people when elected into an office. Godfatherism is one of the indispensable factors in Nigerian politics.  It is a deliberate sign-up to the slavery of the beneficiary of this ill-driven concept. The offspring of a godfather is most times an unqualified candidate by the normal standard, picked up from nowhere to stand for an election in the midst of other qualified contestants. This beneficiary is usually someone who is adjudged to be pliable in the hands of their slave-masters. He is pulled out of the blues and initiated into the ‘cult of the elites’ and meant to possibly undertake a secret oath of loyalty - first, to the godfather and his cronies, then subsidiary loyalty to the electorates. The beneficiary is made to basically implement only the policies and programmes approved by the godfathers, therefore perforating his independent mind and thinking of this victim of imperialism. Like a typical new recruit to a secret cult or a new student of an institution, the beneficiary may not know the long-term implications of the oath of secrecy and loyalty he is entering into, by agreeing with the deal of the political ‘imperialists’. If I may quote Pastor W.F. Kumuyi in one of his messages, he said that “most people do not know the future consequences of their present actions” – this is the lot of the slaves of godfatherism. On the other hand, like the typical fetish African priests, the godfathers see the political end from the beginning and therefore craft their ways to arrive at such ends, with surreptitiously deadly dispositions.

When the political offspring is padded like a tubeless tyre into the political office, he is expected to begin to majorly execute the policies and programmes of the godfather in the course of governance. The beneficiary is usually treated to a dilemma when, having inaugurated an Executive Committee, dances between humans and the gods to fulfill expectations. While the Executive Committee might be bamboozled to adopt some unpopular policies crafted for the ultimate benefits of the godfather, some may not be comfortable with them because the policies may not be tailored or wired according to democratic dividends. The ruler blinks fast every time he attempts to convince his colleagues. When under pressure, he runs to the godfather for palliatives/ameliorations. He is usually under pressure from the both Executive Committee, Legislative Council, and his godfather himself. When he can no longer endure the pressure from the Executives or the legislature, there will be threats of resignations from the Executives or even outright impeachment threats from the sides of the legislature. The product of godfatherism especially in the political space of Nigeria is usually an unhappy leader. The problem of such an individual is when his shock absorbers are faulty or become weak enough to accommodate the travails associated with signing a deal with taskmasters. At the end of the day, the electorates brand such as an under-performing leader who needs a replacement. While that may be true to some extent, the leader was actually dancing to the music of a secret drum played by these ferocious godfathers.

The greatest undoing of beneficiaries of godfatherism is when they become naïve and amateurish enough to confront their godfathers maybe simply because they are opportune to access the fortunes and powers of the office. Such “ingrates” would unknowingly have been treading on self-planted landmines. For instance, in the current imbroglio between the embattled Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, it is common knowledge that he is a product of godfatherism. His political godfather is Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. In the process of time, the Governor fell off with his benefactor. He raged and did all he could do to rubbish his godfather. From a wise perspective, he would have treaded cautiously.  Suspicion is rife here that he may have bad advisers who propped him on for a very futile battle.

Fast-forward, he faced a Screening Committee of his political party for nomination into primary elections coming up on the 22^nd of June, 2020, with the same certificates that ‘qualified’ him in 2016 gubernatorial elections in Edo State. While his godfather who would give him the greatest political blow in his life was smiling at his amateurish foe, Obaseki in his childish innocence or ignorance rushed to the Screening Committee with his controversial certificates. He was woefully disqualified. Obaseki laid landmines for himself. He was blown off irredeemably with his wings of self-delusion. His predicaments could have been salvaged if he had not fallen off with, not only his godfather, but other critical stakeholders of his political party, the All Progressives Congress, the APC.

Ordinarily, there could have been two options fashioned out for Obaseki, by his political party if all was well with him and his godfather from time immemorial. These were: first, the All Progressives Congress, his political party could have asked him to keep his controversial certificates and presented only his Ordinary Level Certificate which would constitutionally qualify him as a gubernatorial candidate, scaling the primaries effortlessly. This they knew quite well, but Obaseki had to pay for his atrocities. He fought the gods and the godfather. On the other hand, if the APC as party would want to avoid the embarrassment they were treated to in the Bayelsa State elections where the Supreme Court nullified the results of the party’s candidate twenty-four hours to the inauguration, Obaseki would have been made to reach a gentleman deal with his party -  to step down for a more qualified candidate,  and then rewarded with a juicy political appointment afterward, either at the State or national level. But that cannot be in the present circumstance! He fought with the gods. He must pay for it.

The challenges of godfatherism in Nigerian politics are enormous. It cages the beneficiary, brings underdevelopment to the affected constituency and to the country at large. It encourages corruption and ineptitude in governance. While godfatherism cannot easily be expunged from Nigerian politics, it behooves the beneficiary to be highly diplomatic; an astute player of politics, and a “balancer” between his benefactor, the government, and the electorates. It takes a man who is humble or seen to be humble by his “employer”, to avoid playing into the hands of these taskmasters. Whoever benefits from godfatherism should learn to touch the two ends of the pendulum; if not simultaneously, then at least very close to it.

CORONAVIRUS SPREAD AND SOCIAL DISTANCING IN NIGERIA, by Mafu SHABA.

As at now, the novel global pandemic known as coronavirus or COVID-19, holds a popular name like the “OMO DETERGENT” (a household name) which is used to call every detergent in the past, before some could actually identify that name as just one of the brands of detergents. I was discussing with a little child in our neighbourhood some days ago, and jocularly I asked her why she has not been going to school for some time now. She replied that coronavirus is staying in her school, and waiting to catch her. And that she will not step into her school until her parents told her that it is safe to go there. Meanwhile, she decked her face with a face-mask, befitting her size and age; and she dubbed it that everyone has become “lagbaja”, a popular musician known for covering his identity by wearing a facemask, in Nigeria. I laughed and when I was about to end the conversation, she advised me not to shake hands with anybody and that  I should make sure that I don’t get too close to anybody. I was genuinely shocked by her ingenuity. I still marveled at the intelligence of the little girl up till this time I am writing this piece.

The above background goes to prove that of a truth, wisdom is not by the number of years already spent on earth here. Some people have grey hair practically representing a good experience of absolute foolishness, arguing against what is glaringly and genuinely real. Grey hair on some peoples’ heads represents only a fool’s cap. The federal government in the bid to partially relax the lockdown as announced by the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on the 27^th April, 2020, specifically mentioned social distancing and the use of face masks as part of the measures to curtail or reduce the spread of the deadly and infectious virus.

The lockdown expired at 11:59 pm on Sunday, 3^rd May, 2020. The following day, Monday, 4^th may, 2020, was to witness the people actually going on with their businesses and expectedly following the directives of the federal government. Contrary to wisdom and simple logic, many people across the areas hitherto on lockdown, specifically Lagos State, Ogun State, and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), aborted their maturity and carefulness, and did the unimaginable. They failed woefully to adhere to the simple directives of the federal government.

To start with, the commercial vehicles who were instructed to carry 60% capacity of the passengers, loaded their buses to full capacity, even with the Conductors hanging loosely on the buses like a stranded monkey in an abandoned zoo. More so, at various Banks across the areas, particularly in Lagos State and the FCT, there were thick crowd of people, typical of a Crusade programme, gathered at the premises of some of the Banks. Humanly speaking, this misbehavior might be expected. It is a spontaneous reaction of people who believed that they have been “caged” for a long period of five weeks. On the other hand, this reaction can’t be devoid of deliberate foolishness and recklessness on the part of the citizens. Not only was the social distance rule flouted, many did not even use their face masks. When some people speak, they naturally pour out some particles of thick saliva (though as involuntary action), a social problem that could precipitate the spread of this virus. This is one of the essences of face masking. The following day, being the 5^th of May, 2020, also witnessed the same level of carelessness and recklessness on the part of the citizens as well.  One would have expected that there would be some sense of decency and sanity than the previous day. But it baffles one that the people were steadily increasing in their folly.

I shared my observations with a neighbour and consciously probed why a child, sometimes, could be more reasonable than some adults. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had issued a medical directive on social distancing but the adults who ought to have a complete understanding of the concept flout it with reckless abandon. I also queried, on the Bank issue how much someone could withdraw at the deliberate peril of his own personal health and safety? She answered that many of the people who flooded the Banks do not have the Debit cards popularly called the ATM cards. I did not fully subscribe to the assertion, anyway. Those who had ATM cards complained of service-charges when they withdrew through the POS, she further opined. I simply told her that the people are thinking from an anti-clockwise position, which is basically compounded foolishness because even banks deduct various service charges from customers' accounts. 

I want to submit without any intent at all, to be pessimistic or sinister, that if social distancing is actually one of the potent ways of curbing the spread of COVID-19, which is been ruthlessly flouted by most Nigerians, the federal government may have lots of issues to grabble with in terms of infection, and possibly high rate of casualties in the coming weeks. It is more circumspect to adhere to the counsel of the Federal and State Medical Personnel than to be ignorantly and obstinately complacent to this supreme guide. It is better to be cautious and stay safe, alive, and healthy than to be anxious for living more comfortably. The common saying that Health is Wealth (and not the reverse) still applies in the present circumstance we are faced with. The government should review the situation and help the citizens from embarking on deliberate mass suicide occasioned by this recklessness of the citizenry. This is a danger to themselves, and also to the lives of those who are willing to live.

PATRICK OBIAHIAGBON SPEAKS ON EDO POLITICS.

Edo APC crisis: Obahiagbon blows hot, says Obaseki unleashed ‘deprecable gambit of state terrorism’ on Oshiomhole
On Zamfara: S/Court vindicated National Chairman
On Rivers: Centrifugal interplay of political forces is a problem
Airport attack on APC leader opprobrious, lugubrious, anti-democratic, Machiavellian
Godfather accusation is arrant bunkum and a farrago of baloney
June 18, 2019 shall remain a day of anti-democratic infamy in Edo
With or without Obaseki, Edo remains APC state
By Chris Onuoha
Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, a former member of the House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as governor of Edo State, is popularly known for his genre of grammar. In this interview, the close associate of Oshiomhole, who is the current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), speaks on the many crises rocking the ruling party at the centre.
Excerpts:
Let’s start with the incident of last weekend in Benin when Comrade Oshiomhole visited. There are conflicting accounts of the incident. Some reports said hoodlums hired by the Edo government attacked Oshiomhole at the airport. Another said there were gunshots at the airport. Yet another report said Oshiomhole house was blocked by people believed to be state agents. It has been a fall out of the ‘roforofo’ fight between Gov Obaseki and his predecessor. As someone who should know, what happened last weekend?
The macabre dance that played out last weekend where agents of the Edo government sought to prevent the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, from leaving the Benin airport to his house was not only opprobrious, lugubrious, anti-democratic and machiavellian but it was also a deprecable gambit of state terrorism.
I watched Edo State governor justifying the disgraceful act on television that he had requested that Comrade Oshiomhole should always get his official imprimatur before each of his peregrinations to the state. Really?
When you juxtapose this vacuous rationalization with his earlier threat to deal ruthlessly with his predecessor if he dared come into Edo without his approval, then you can’t blame people who finger the state government for that act of brigandage with a view to intimidating and manacling the National Chairman of APC.
Anybody who is in doubt as to the fact that the Benin weekend airport show of infamy was sponsored by the state government must have had that doubt dissolved and pulverized with the additional fact that the two trucks deployed to block the two ingress and egress points to Comrade Oshiomhole’s residence after he got home allegedly belonged to the Edo Waste Management Board.
Let us not also forget that there was an audacious attempt to attack Comrade Oshiomhole’s residence on the 13th of October 2019, and the fact of Edo turned into a theatre of war and sanguinary piazza on the 13th of December 2019 when the APC National Chairman arrived Benin to receive over 50, 000 PDP stalwarts that adjusted into APC.
This same act of political vandalism and corrosive apacheism was also demonstrated against the APC National Chairman on the 25th of January, 2020 when he again received over 20, 000 PDP stalwarts at Auchi who adjusted to the APC. What about the widely reported invasion of the Iyamoh residence of Comrade Oshiomhole by state agents on the 3rd of November 2019? Should all these be happening, given where we are coming from only about four years ago? No.
How do you see the role of the police in the weekend incident?
In all the unfortunate incidents thus far, the police have largely turned blind eyes because these state merchants of violence are no spirits and it is the belief of reasonable men of our society that the police are seised of their identities, and that it is the cavalier and Olympian predilection of security agencies that has emboldened them with each macossa orgy. The time has come for the police and indeed all security agencies to stop playing security chichi dodo before it comes face-to-face with a freinkenstious monster and ambience.
Many people think Edo may eventually explode ahead of the election later this year. What do you think?
That position may not be a mendacious one to take because but for the self-restraint of the APC National Chairman and the numerous party leaders and activists unalloyed loyal to him, Edo would have witnessed political topsy-turvydom by now but the burden of peace is that of the APC National Chairman and those of us he enjoys his loyalty.
But given the early signals of political despiradoism and harum-scarum brinkmanship, that is all the more reason the police and security agencies should be decisive, trenchant, intrepid and personage blind in the discharge of their constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
There is the Akande committee in place and there are so many issues between the governor and the National Chairman. To what extent do you think the committee can bring truce taking into account that the election is close?
I subscribe to the dictum of the late Prime Minister of Great Britain, Leonid Spencer Winston Churchill when he asseverated that “it is better to jaw than to war-war”. But I must be brutally frank with you that there can be no truce now if we understand truce from the rosette lenses of getting all the political stakeholders to automatically become political Romeos and Juliets. That expectation would amount to locking the stable doors after the horse has bolted. But of course, there can be true if we understand it to mean getting all the stakeholders to see themselves as brothers and agreeing to pursue their respective ambitions within the democratically acceptable rule of play devoid of violence and acrimony.
I am very sanguine as to the capacity of the Chief Bisi Akande reconciliation committee to bring the latter about, given the solid antecedents of the committee chairman and those of its members, but with the sardonic Benin airport weekend event hereinbefore mentioned, I doubt if the political aggressors are ready for any modicum of reconciliation.
So many claims have been made concerning how the feud started. The account from the Obaseki side shows that Oshiomhole wanted to be a godfather after being governor for two terms and the governor was trying to resist it. Is that the correct situation?
That accusation is arrant bunkum and a farrago of baloney. I can say this from mountain Olympus that it is simplistic and fallacious to reduce the Edo political imbroglio to one between the governor and National Chairman. The issues are between Mr Governor and the majority of APC stakeholders who were and are still being handled with an iron fist, lackadaisical, aloof, shabby, megalomaniacal and contemptuous manner. All the National Chairman did was to advise a change of strategy to accommodate and molly coddle those who worked tirelessly and laboriously for Mr Governor’s success and let nobody play ducks and drake’s with people’s emotions by interpreting this to mean a call to share state resources with politicians. After all, Comrade Oshiomhole himself has proven beyond doubt that you can pay attention to the sensibilities and sensitivities of your party members without compromising on your onerous duties to Edo citizens.
l know for a fact (because he told me so ) that Oshiomhole deliberately stayed away from his house in Benin because it became a Mecca of complaints to everybody who felt horrified and alienated from their government. I also heard Mr Governor on national television complaining that the National Chairman overturned the party primaries conducted by both government and party in the state. Need I state here that the Supreme Court has since upheld the position that the conduct of party primaries does not belong to the state government and chapters of the party? Let us not also undermine the pestilential and insidious role of political contractors, carpet baggers and mercenaries who have warmed themselves to the power sanctum sanctorum of Mr Governor.
Another claim is that Oshiomhole wanted to manipulate government when he made two of his loyalist’s close aides of Obaseki in the hope that they will constantly fight and always run to him for resolution. What was Oshiomhole game plan really? To continue in office by other means?
You are certainly referring to the Deputy Governor of Edo and the Secretary to the State Government. I have certainly read that from some propagandists but that is an overdrive of goebbelianism. I have my doubts that both the Deputy Governor and Secretary to the State Government will corroborate that mischievous claim even in the heat of this political fracas.
The governor’s side said Oshiomhole appointed most of the people into the Obaseki government initially. What actually happened?
That again is another canard not sustainable and falls like a pack of cards in the face of unassailable evidence. Nobody can refute the fact that Comrade Oshiomhole only had one nominee as commissioner into the government of Edo when it was constituted and that nominee he had to ask the understanding of Mr Governor. He didn’t request to nominate anyone else into any other position and he was not also offered one. To him, everybody was his own and his overriding interest was the consolidation of his legacies in terms of infrastructural deliverables and people’s empowerment.
What is the situation now in the House of Assembly after the controversial inauguration by Obaseki?
I am happy you referred to it as controversial because that’s exactly what it is. That fateful day, June 18, 2019, shall remain a day of anti-democratic infamy when under the paternalistic and argus eyes of the Edo government, the state House of Assembly was illegally inaugurated with nine members out of 24, viet armis and at an ungodly hour, about 9.30 pm, with a plethora of cases dogging its trail. All attempts to make the government see reasons to reverse itself has failed and the House continues to sit illegally in my view whilst we await judicial pontifications on the matter.
How do you feel that many people who were with Oshiomhole are now against him? Some people think it says something that is not complimentary about him as a leader, that his style of leadership is probably faulty.
Of course, I feel very disturbed and pained that majority of those fighting him today were not only just close to him but you can confidently assert that they have benefited from his gesture and generosity immensely and, in fact, they have benefited from him the most in all ramifications. Does this speak to a faulty style of leadership? All I can say is that Comrade Oshiomhole, like all human beings, is not perfect. He certainly has his own foibles just like we all do but I can emphatically say that he is not just only a good man but he has a divine heart and passionately committed to friendship. He certainly doesn’t deserve this.
There have been twists and turns in the Edo crisis. Some people think some other governors are fighting Oshiomhole because they are sympathetic to Obaseki cause. Do you share that perspective? And there are calls for the resignation of the National Chairman especially after APC lost Zamfara and Rivers States and now finally Bayelsa. How do you respond?
It is a fact too plain to be contested that the National Chairman of APC is also being fought by some external forces not necessarily because they are sympathetic to the Edo Governor. Far from it! Truth is that at the time he became National Chairman of the APC, several entrenched forces had impunity as their middle name with almost irreconcilable political schisms gnawing at the heart of the party in most state chapters. He had two options: To play along and become a political hallelujah boy to these ossified forces or enforce party rules and discipline. He chose the latter with the attendant backlash from those who felt their entrenched apple cart upset. These are the people fighting and that is even the more reason Comrade Oshiomhole should be robustly supported. Look at the Zamfara case for example. He insisted on enforcing the mode for conducting party primaries as legally canonized and he was resisted. Where are we today on Zamfara? Did the Supreme Court not eventually vindicate his position on Zamfara and mischief-makers now blame him? On the Bayelsa issue, did he not set up a screening committee? Yes, he did. Could he have proceeded to screen candidates by himself? No. Did he not coordinate a campaign that led to the electoral victory of the party? Yes, he did. Again on Rivers, we are all conversant with the centrifugal interplay of political forces there. You can see, therefore, that the protests are being orchestrated by nattering nabobs of political negativism.
Many people believe APC will lose Edo if the crisis does not end now. What is your take?
Edo is an APC state; it is safely in the democratic kitty of APC. Edo people are not in a hurry to forget the impact APC has brought to their lives. We will retain the state by the grace of the people’s ballot.
Some Edo officials say Oshiomhole regularly stokes a fire in Edo APC especially by not informing government anytime he visits. Why should he not inform the state government as an elder statesman anytime he visits?
Haba my brother! That is a vexatious violation of his fundamental human rights. It’s outrageously provocative. An ad hominem porous policy somersault. It is a cascading condescension from the sublime to the ridiculous. So all former governors will have to inform the government of Edo State before they get into Benin. l beg ask me the next question jare.
The Obaseki administration obviously does not recognize Oshiomhole as the leader of the party, saying he is under suspension. What is your take?
His non-recognition of the leadership habiliment of the APC National Chairman does not dejure and defacto de-robe him of that status and the so-called suspension of the APC National Chairman was a cabaret show for entertainment purposes and Comrade Oshiomhole cannot stop people from entertaining themselves.
You are more popular as a man who speaks big grammar than a notable politician. What inspires you?
I don’t know about not being a notable politician ooo. But I have been a councillor in my local government. I represented my state constituency in the state House of Assembly for eight years and my federal constituency at the federal House of Representatives and also served my state as Chief of Staff to Governor Oshiomhole (as he then was) for four years. For big grammar, I hope I have not spoken any big grammar today. I feel humbled, however, that about two people, to my knowledge, have written their doctoral thesis on what they call my genre of grammar. What inspires me? I am just a visceral lover of words.
You wanted to go to the Senate but, unfortunately, didn’t win the last election. What is your next political move? You probably want to throw your hat in the ring at the Edo governorship election?
Governorship contestation is for big boys. My power never reaches that one. As for my next political move, I am a robot in the hands of God.

Qasem Soleimani: Why his killing is good news for IS jihadists. culled from www.bbcnews.com

By Jeremy BowenMiddle East editor, Baghdad

• 1 hour ago

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Image copyrightAFP

Image captionIraqi militia chief Abu Mahdi-al-Muhandis died in the same US strike that killed Qasem Soleimani

The Islamic State (IS) group has welcomed the death of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force.

In a statement, it described the general's demise as an act of divine intervention that benefitted jihadists. However, it made no mention at all of the US, which carried out the deadly drone strike against Soleimani in Baghdad on 3 January.

President Donald Trump's decision to assassinate Gen Soleimani set off a chain of consequences - one of the first was on the unfinished war against jihadists.

Almost immediately the US-led coalition fighting IS suspended operations in Iraq. The US and its allies announced that their main job was now defending themselves.

From a military point of view, they probably had no choice.

• What does international law say about the assassination?
• Voices from Iran: 'Soleimani did not deserve such a fate'
• Qasem Soleimani: Who was Iran's 'rock star' general?

Iran and the militias it sponsors here in Iraq have sworn vengeance for the killings caused by the missile fired by a US drone at Soleimani's vehicle as it left Baghdad airport on Friday.

That puts US forces in Iraq, and those from Western allies working alongside them, squarely in the firing line.

It is also very good for IS, and will speed up its recovery from the blows it took when its "caliphate" was smashed.

It is also good news for the extremists that the Iraqi parliament passed a motion demanding an immediate American withdrawal from the entire country.

Image copyrightANADOLU AGENCY

Image captionUS forces and their European allies have trained and advised Iraqi forces fighting IS

IS has been grimly resilient over many years. It regenerated itself from the ruins of an earlier group, al-Qaeda in Iraq.

A big military operation in 2016 and 2017 was needed to end IS control of territory straddling Iraq and Syria.

Many jihadist fighters ended up dead or in prison. But that did not kill the organisation.

It is still active in its old stamping grounds in Iraq and Syria, mounting ambushes, extorting funds, and ending more lives.

Media captionJeremy Bowen in Baghdad: shock and anger among Iran's allies

The Iraqi state has effective elite army and police units, mainly trained by the Americans and European allies who joined the fight against IS.

Since Soleimani's assassination, the US has suspended training as well as operations. So have Denmark and Germany.

The Germans are pulling military trainers out to Jordan and Kuwait.

Iraqi forces take most of the risks on the ground in operations against IS. But as well as training, they have relied on vital logistical help from US forces, who are now hunkering down in their bases.

Image copyrightIS PROPAGANDA

Image captionIS sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks in Iraq

IS militants have something else to celebrate. When Mr Trump decided to kill Soleimani they were gifted the spectacle of one of their enemies, the US president, assassinating another.

In 2014, the jihadists went on the offensive, seizing broad swathes of Iraq, including Mosul, the country's second city.

The leading Shia cleric in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, issued a call-to-arms to fight the Sunni extremists.

Young Shia men volunteered in their thousands - and Soleimani and his Quds Force were a big part of their transformation into armed units. The militias were ruthless, often brutal foes of IS.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionIran-backed Shia militias in the Popular Mobilisation force played a key role in the war against IS

Now, the Iran-backed groups have been absorbed into the Iraqi military under an umbrella organisation called the Popular Mobilisation. The most prominent militia leaders have become powerful political leaders.

In the years after 2014, the US and the militias faced the same enemy. But the Shia militias now look certain to return to their roots, which lie in the fight against the US-led occupation after the 2003 invasion.

They killed many American soldiers - helped by training and better weapons supplied by Soleimani - which was one of the reasons that President Trump gave for ordering the attack last week.

Since Mr Trump unilaterally pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018, the Americans and the Iranians have been spiralling down towards the edge of war.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionProtesters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad after US strikes on an Iraqi militia

Before Soleimani was killed the Shia militias were already going back to targeting the Americans.

An attack in late December on a base in northern Iraq that killed a US contractor was answered by air strikes that killed at least 25 fighters from a group called Kataib Hezbollah.

Their leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, met Soleimani at Baghdad's airport and was blown to pieces alongside him in the same car.

In an editorial of the weekly IS newspaper al-Naba, the group said that Soleimani and al-Muhandis died at the hands of their "allies" - a reference to the US.

It said the enemies of IS were busy fighting each other, which would drain their energy and resources and ultimately benefit jihadists.

History has shown that jihadist extremists thrive most when they can take advantage of instability, chaos, and weakened, divided enemies.

That has happened before and there is a strong chance it will happen again..

Culled from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51021861