Who Is Ruling Nigeria...Yar'Adua or OBJ???
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has emerged as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), displacing former Works Minister, Chief Tony Anenih who only three days ago got the nod of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to continue in office as BOT chairman.
I got the above headline in my news feed yesterday and I just smiled and thought to myself that Obasanjo is trying to take care of himself in his old age and how sad that there was a "coup" in PDP. Upon reading the article a little bit further, the smile started to slip as the implication of OBJ's "little" action carried a weightier problem for us Nigerians --- Obasanjo has found the perfect way to serve his "Third Term" as the nation's president!!!
How I'm sure you will ask? It is no longer news that Yar'Adua and OBJ have fallen out a bit over the fact that OBJ had a list of people he wanted on Yardy's cabinet which Yardy promptly turned down. Chief Anenih AKA "Mr. Fix It", held the position of chairman for the past few years and had already been announced as the chairman on Monday by the party secretary Chief Ojo Madueke after been given a nod from the National Executive Committee; but in a bizarre twist on Wednesday at a meeting where Anenih was noticeably absent but which was attended by OBJ,Yardy,V.P Goodluck,Senate President David Mark,House of Reps Speaker Mrs. Etteh,former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim,Senator Onyeabor Obi and former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu... Basically enough people to appoint a King or in this case a Chairman...OBJ was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Now seeing as PDP is the ruling party and the Board of Trustees are usually involved in important decisions that affect the ruling of the nation albeit "undercover" and most importantly, handling funds -- Having OBJ as the Chairman is as good as having him as President of Nigeria --and we all know that wise adage "He who holds the purse strings, holds the power" and the Board of Trustees are holding plenty.
But what is most shocking is the fact that OBJ must have been planning this for a while as an amendment that gave him the leeway to run for this position was added to the party's constitution before he handed over power on May 29 this year. Now I'm not going to pretend to know the real happenings in the corridors of power, but after OBJ's desire to serve for a third term was shut down by the legislative, he then nominated Yardy as his candidate and must have thought he had found a malleable figurehead through whom he could accomplish all the "unfinished business" he kept harping on about in his bid to prove that he was/is the only indidvidual who could save Nigeria. But even this has proved elusive as Yardy has been keeping quiet about everything from his cabinet to his mandate...and only time will tell if his "wait-and-see" approach will be what the nation needs. Seeing that OBJ famously ignored IBB when he became President and everyone thought he would be IBB's puppet,could this prove to be a case of "what-goes-around-comes-around?"
But then again, this is just my opinion...might not count for toffee or maybe this issue might not be that important in the grand scheme of things at the moment...but then again; whats your opinion???
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Protest For The Treatment Of Nigerian In Spain:
Concerned Nigerians in the U.K will be delivering a lettersigned by over 3,000 Nigerians to protest against the treatment meted out to Osamuyi Aikpitanhi to the Spanish Embassy in London this FRIDAY the 29th of June 2007.
The address of the embassy is: Embassy of Spain, 39 Chesham Place, London SW1X 8SB.
Tel: 020 7235 5555 - Fax: 020 7259 5392
Nearest Underground Tube station: Knightsbridge, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner
MORE INFO: Anne Mordi - 07984947777
Uche Nworah: info@uchenworah.com +44 7985280210
Click here for more information