Despite the anxiety generated by the shift in polls, a comic relief of sorts occurred. This was when our mutual friend, Olusegun Obasanjo, announced his exit from partisan politics and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
There would have been nothing to this novel turn but for the fact that right in the full view of the world, the former PDP member decided to lend some drama to his action. There he was on television, sounding away, and in the process announcing his new status – statesman of the self-acclaimed variety. And as this was going on, for good measure, a surrogate of his was tearing the ex-General’s PDP membership card.
For some of us, and definitely not for the PDP hierarchy, it was something of a joke. At least we had something to laugh and be throaty about in the midst of the potent threats to our nationhood. But then, life does not often come in absolutes. As comical as the entire exercise appeared to be, there were also shades of tragedy coming through. For instance, I could barely understand why the card had to be shredded by the ward chairman and not Obasanjo himself. Could it be that, since the conversion of Obasanjo, his ward chairman had also been automatically converted? Probably, very much the same thing can be said for the gaggle of supporters assembled for the occasion. There they were, singing lustily away and speaking virtually to the mortality of the PDP.
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So, is this what democracy is all about in these parts? One man, so to say, undergoes an epiphany and the effect is contagious on the rest of the crowd. It becomes more dismal when it is appreciated that the bizarre event took place in Abeokuta, which is deemed to be one of the most sophisticated contexts as far as western education is concerned. I am not too sure that the immediate audience at that meeting had anything to do with the issues which led to the bad chemistry between Obasanjo on one hand and President Goodluck Jonathan on the other. What became clear from that episode was the persisting influence of the Big Man in our politics. And yet, strictly speaking, democracy and the Big Man are really incompatible. Perhaps we can only take consolation from the fact that in a growing and fledgling democracy, such contraries are perfectly possible.
Meanwhile, as I watched our man declaim on television that he was transiting from politician to statesman, I was struck by his sense of self-ascription. Nobody declares himself to be a statesman. Rather, such a hallowed attribution usually comes from others. For instance, a Mandela was never heard describing himself as a statesman. But then, there are statesmen and there are statesmen!
Unwittingly perhaps, Obasanjo has thrown into our face one of the persisting causes of our tragedy. The point is that if our national landscape is littered with so many statesmen, why does Nigeria have to contend with various shades of regression, mal-governance, corruption and mind-boggling kleptocracy?
There is Shehu Shagari, for instance, who presided over the disastrous Second Republic. He is a statesman, abi? But his records of leadership and governance are so shoddy that in academic terms, he would not qualify for even a re-sit. There is the other fellow in Minna. The man’s infamous annulment brought this country to the precipice of disaster. He is also a statesman.
Even then, I am not done yet. There was the famous General – a drone capitalist and free-loader who boasted of a wealth rooted in the possession of oil-blocks. He is also a statesman.
Since this is the kind of jaded company that Obasanjo has inserted himself, then he is amply qualified to be a statesman – by Nigerian standards. Our impressions begin to acquire a more concrete profile when we scrutinize the General’s recent records. On this note, my mind goes back to the interesting face-off between Obasanjo and his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar. If the reader may recall, there were very interesting and heart-breaking disclosures about the plundering of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund. Moreover, there was the much more visible and self-seeking General’s attempt to ensure a third term, a feature which was clearly designed to rape our constitution.
But even then, in the midst of all the nonsense which characterized Obasanjo’s latest outing, one can still detect some sense. This should, in fact, put all of us on the alert. This was when, in the course of his deposition, he condemned in clear terms the idea of an Interim National Government. Could this be one of the hidden cards of the current administration? In a nation where anything goes, we should not dismiss outright the dark hints in Obasanjo’s submissions. Despite our man’s monumental flaws, he has a way of blowing the whistle on the shenanigans and monstrosities which define him and the other members of the political class.
That is vintage Obasanjo for you. Although he comes across as a severely flawed character, the Otta farmer never hesitates to show up the flaws in others. And to this extent, there is the belief that Obasanjo is really a mixed potted plant – full of many roses and many thorns. And, of course, he is also a statesman in the usual Nigerian fashion.
Kayode Soremekun
