BEYOND “PROGRESSIVE” HYPOCRISY

“…It is that bit about Obasanjo “using” the EFCC that I find striking, because the commission, being referred to here, was led by none other than Nuhu Ribadu, now aspiring to run for the office of president of the Federal Republic under the flag of Action Congress. A few questions arise from this. If the leadership of the party believe that Ribadu was used then, are they sure that he is not being used now or that he cannot be used again, sometimes in the future? Does the fact that this man, by Akande’s admission, allowed a commission he headed be used to do his boss’ “dirty jobs” justify the high rating being ascribed to him in the character department? Ribadu is not on record, to my knowledge, as having admitted to, nor apologized for, that dent on his record at the EFCC; yet Akande says the dent is real and it didn’t serve the cause of democracy.”

Tuesday saw leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) gather for the party’s convention, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in the ancient city of Benin, the Edo state capital.

On the agenda were amendments to the party’s constitution and election of officers to run its affairs for the next four years. Both were achieved without acrimony. In fact, save for the somber moments at the beginning when a minute’s silence was observed for each of late wife of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Clara, and elder statesman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, the atmosphere was convivial.

Thanks to live coverage on the networks of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Television Continental (TVC), yours sincerely was able to observe the conduct of the convention. Beyond the carnival atmosphere and smooth as glass conduct of the affairs, however, one couldn’t but wonder at the depth of the democratic essence of the convention. Here are some of my observations:

Take the amendments to the party’s constitution. Convention Organising Committee chairman, Dr Chris Ngige was so eager to rush it through that he simply called the sponsors and supporters of all the motions and was going to put the question on the three amendments at one go! It took the intervention of the host governor, who could be heard in the background saying, “this is democracy,” to change his approach. He then dutifully brought all concerned with the motions back on stage to re-present the amendments proposed and put the question one after the other. All righteousness fulfilled! Yet, in the absence of any explanations on the implications of each proposed amendment, one cannot but wonder if the ‘ayes’, who had it in every case, really understood  what they were ‘having.’

And then, there is the election of officers for the party!  To put it in the words of a newspaper report, “National officers that will pilot the affairs of the party for the next four years were elected through affirmation.” In other words, the convention simply ratified that which had been done elsewhere. At its worst, elsewhere could have been in the sitting room of a party chieftain. At its best, which is what this writer would like to believe, it was all done by election at the zones. 1,008 votes were mentioned in the case of party chairman Akande. The implication of this best-case scenario is that the zoning formula being so roundly touted as a PDP affair, and condemned, is alive and well in ACN.  This is further confirmed by the fact that aspiring presidential candidates in the party are Northerners. So why condemn zoning?

This brings me to this very important pronouncement made by the out-going chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande (eventually reelected unopposed), which caught my attention. One of the newspapers subsequently reported it like this:

“National Chairman of the party, Chief Adebisi Akande, who traced its origin to the National Convention of December 2006 where the Action Congress was formally launched, blamed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for various obstacles erected on its way in the periods before, during and post 2007 elections. He said: "The former President used the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify candidates; he used the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to publish the names of our members allegedly for corrupt practices."

It is that bit about Obasanjo “using” the EFCC that I find striking, because the commission, being referred to here, was led by none other than Nuhu Ribadu, now aspiring to run for the office of president of the Federal Republic under the flag of Action Congress. A few questions arise from this. If the leadership of the party believe that Ribadu was used then, are they sure that he is not being used now or that he cannot be used again, sometimes in the future? Does the fact that this man, by Akande’s admission, allowed a commission he headed be used to do his boss’ “dirty jobs” justify the high rating being ascribed to him in the character department? Ribadu is not on record, to my knowledge, as having admitted to, nor apologized for that dent on his record at the EFCC; yet Akande says the dent is real and it didn’t serve the cause of democracy.

While on Ribadu, allow me to raise one issue that’s hardly ever touched; his Machiavellian disposition as evidenced by his Gestapo tactics and the use of blackmail to coerce some state legislators, for instance, to secure impeachment of one or two governors. If he could do it while the buck stops on someone else’s desk, what’s to stop him when that desk is his? And if he did it for the perceived good of society, what to stop him from doing it for whatsoever other interest catches his fancy, if and when he has the power? It might be in the interest of the ACN and the nation that Ribadu is seeking to rule to have him publicly admit his errors of commission and omission while at EFCC, before he is considered for higher responsibility.

Meanwhile, may I close this piece by repeating something I said in response to a recent Facebook note by Professor Pat Utomi. The progressives may want to consider the consensus option used by the widely vilified, but clearly more purposeful, Northern Leaders Political Forum. Draw up a set of criteria encompassing character, vision, charisma, experience, democratic temperament etc; have all would-be presidents who claim to be progressive subscribe to it, and put a panel together to select a candidate based on those criteria. A consensus candidate for change is required if 2011 is to be the year of change that most Nigerians want it to be.

Till we meet again in 2011, by God’s grace, please accept my wishes for a merry Christmas (belated though) and a year of excellence in every area of your lives, especially in your walk with God.