February 1, 2010
Ahead of the crucial February 6, 2010 gubernatorial election in Anambra , Chukwuma Soludo parades a dual legacy of professional truancy and anti-democratic tendencies. Guilty by association (as well as by commission or omission), he has already alienated much of his immediate constituency by embracing the very processes and characters that are anathemas when one thinks of responsible leadership and good governance.
Ahead of the crucial February 6, 2010 gubernatorial election in Anambra , Chukwuma Soludo parades a dual legacy of professional truancy and anti-democratic tendencies. Guilty by association (as well as by commission or omission), he has already alienated much of his immediate constituency by embracing the very processes and characters that are anathemas when one thinks of responsible leadership and good governance.
The Anambra poll is significant not necessarily because of its token value as a test case for the democratic reform rhetoric of the Yar’Adua administration. Ekiti has already served as a cautionary tale in that regard. It is in Anambra that, for the first time since the discredited military establishment formally disengaged from politics, a brazenly reckless attempt was orchestrated by the presidency to overthrow an incumbent state governor. Of course, the overarching implications of that act of wanton impunity were not lost on the citizenry.
When , at the height of the grim plot against Governor Ngige, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the then chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ), did intervene courageously by informing the nation and the world at large that Nigige’s life was in danger and that undemocratic forces led by the former dictator, Obasanjo, were bent on having their way not minding the consequences on the welfare of the people, his pleas were apparently not heeded. Although Ogbeh’s gesture did help spare Ngige’s life, it cost the former PDP chairman his post. In a fit of characteristic insanity and crudity, the ex-despot threatened Chief Ogbeh with physical elimination if he did not resign by reportedly pointing a gun to his head ! http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/aonduna-tondu/chief-ogbeh-exit-at-gunpoint-12.html
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But Anambra and its residents, along with Benue and Odi, bore the brunt of the scorched earth gangsterism that Obasanjo and his acolytes in the likes of Chris Uba were inflicting on the country. In surreal manifestations of anarchical lawlessness that were organized as a pretext for the imposition of a state of emergency - prelude to the destitution of the governor - , truck loads of hoodlums and dangerous thugs wreaked havoc for days on the state capital, Awka, with the police either doing nothing or believed to have tacitly acquiesced in the perpetration of the mayhem. It is hardly surprising therefore that in the mind of the average citizen, the PDP is synonymous with anti-people activities. This unwholesome image is reinforced by the fact that the party has always been associated with election rigging as the 2004 revelations by Ngige, his political godfather, Chris Uba, and Obasanjo did confirm.
Beyond Anambra, the story was not much different. It was one act of reckless impunity after another by the PDP and its owners. The serial and illegal overthrow of state governors, the ignominious hounding of the former vice-president, Abubakar Atiku, and the obnoxious term elongation scheme on the part of the former tyrant from Ota, amongst other criminal activities, meant that governance had taken a back seat to the depraved and delusional fantasies of one man and his confederates. And as even a dunce can attest, 2007 has recalled the woes associated with the “419” elections of 2003 while at the same time compounding our existential problems under the PDP’s authoritarian kleptocracy.
Today, it is apparent that the PDP is beyond redemption. Chukwuma Soludo’s decision to cast his lot with the band of economic saboteurs, election riggers and apostles of impunity does call into question his sense of judgment, if not his morality. Worse, by willingly submitting to the unwholesome worldview of unprincipled and reactionary elements - a staple within his party - , the former CBN governor is signaling that his politics is at variance with a genuine concern for the common good, his protestations to the contrary notwithstanding.
Now, let’s give Soludo his due. As CBN governor, the man is said to have left impressive achievements behind him. He reportedly stabilized the naira and also aided in negotiating the dubious debt relief package under the Obasanjo regime. But that pales in import when compared to his abdication regarding his oversight functions when he held sway at the CBN. Not even his most fanatical supporters can ignore the fact that the severe consequences of the distress the banking sector is currently experiencing would have been curtailed had Soludo done his job diligently as CBN boss. One remembers vividly a statement by the current CBN head, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to the effect that with his training and background, he knows where the corpses of the Nigerian banking sector’s Augean Stables are buried. It is significant that Sanusi has studiously avoided pointing accusing fingers at his predecessor concerning the rot he has so far unearthed there. But we as voting citizens are not bound by the professional niceties of the good-natured Sanusi. A widely held view is that Soludo knew exactly where the corpses of the sleaze-laden banking system were located but elected, due to a host of reasons, to look the other way.
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It is an incongruity of enormous proportions that the much-needed post-Soludo banking sector sanitization is under away even as the principal actor of the distress situation there is laying claim to the moral high ground in his quest to be Anambra governor. Surely, there should be consequences.
In rejecting Soludo’s candidacy, the good people of Anambra will have history as a useful guide. They should ignore those indulging in the grotesque folklore which posits that Soludo is the next Nigerian president of Igbo origin and that any repudiation of him is tantamount to a slight against the Igbo tribe. It is my suspicion that even a close ally like Anenih will find such talk puerile.
Next Saturday, Anambra citizens should make an enlightened choice based on, amongst other considerations, what I have tried to expose here. Clearly, they will be choosing from a list of able candidates, including the incumbent governor, Peter Obi of APGA. Peter Obi’s track record is one of democratic consolidation and hope. An openly repentant Ngige on an AC platform is said to be a serious contender. As for Soludo, he and the PDP need to be sent an unmistakable message that the time of impunity and undemocratic practices is over. Importantly also, the people of the state must rise and defend their sovereign will to elect their representatives. This time around, there should be no room for the nonchalance that characterized the riggings of 2003 and 2007. Remember Ekiti!
Long live Anambra, long live Nigeria!
Aonduna Tondu.
SUMMARY:: In voting against Soludo, the Anambra people will be guided by history as well as the man’s dual legacy of professional truancy and anti-democratic tendencies, but most certainly not by the folklore claiming that he represents the next Nigerian president of Igbo origin.
Aonduna Tondu can be reached at [email protected]
articleadsbanner
The Anambra poll is significant not necessarily because of its token value as a test case for the democratic reform rhetoric of the Yar’Adua administration. Ekiti has already served as a cautionary tale in that regard. It is in Anambra that, for the first time since the discredited military establishment formally disengaged from politics, a brazenly reckless attempt was orchestrated by the presidency to overthrow an incumbent state governor. Of course, the overarching implications of that act of wanton impunity were not lost on the citizenry.
When , at the height of the grim plot against Governor Ngige, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the then chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ), did intervene courageously by informing the nation and the world at large that Nigige’s life was in danger and that undemocratic forces led by the former dictator, Obasanjo, were bent on having their way not minding the consequences on the welfare of the people, his pleas were apparently not heeded. Although Ogbeh’s gesture did help spare Ngige’s life, it cost the former PDP chairman his post. In a fit of characteristic insanity and crudity, the ex-despot threatened Chief Ogbeh with physical elimination if he did not resign by reportedly pointing a gun to his head ! http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/aonduna-tondu/chief-ogbeh-exit-at-gunpoint-12.html
articleadslinks
But Anambra and its residents, along with Benue and Odi, bore the brunt of the scorched earth gangsterism that Obasanjo and his acolytes in the likes of Chris Uba were inflicting on the country. In surreal manifestations of anarchical lawlessness that were organized as a pretext for the imposition of a state of emergency - prelude to the destitution of the governor - , truck loads of hoodlums and dangerous thugs wreaked havoc for days on the state capital, Awka, with the police either doing nothing or believed to have tacitly acquiesced in the perpetration of the mayhem. It is hardly surprising therefore that in the mind of the average citizen, the PDP is synonymous with anti-people activities. This unwholesome image is reinforced by the fact that the party has always been associated with election rigging as the 2004 revelations by Ngige, his political godfather, Chris Uba, and Obasanjo did confirm.
Beyond Anambra, the story was not much different. It was one act of reckless impunity after another by the PDP and its owners. The serial and illegal overthrow of state governors, the ignominious hounding of the former vice-president, Abubakar Atiku, and the obnoxious term elongation scheme on the part of the former tyrant from Ota, amongst other criminal activities, meant that governance had taken a back seat to the depraved and delusional fantasies of one man and his confederates. And as even a dunce can attest, 2007 has recalled the woes associated with the “419” elections of 2003 while at the same time compounding our existential problems under the PDP’s authoritarian kleptocracy.
Today, it is apparent that the PDP is beyond redemption. Chukwuma Soludo’s decision to cast his lot with the band of economic saboteurs, election riggers and apostles of impunity does call into question his sense of judgment, if not his morality. Worse, by willingly submitting to the unwholesome worldview of unprincipled and reactionary elements - a staple within his party - , the former CBN governor is signaling that his politics is at variance with a genuine concern for the common good, his protestations to the contrary notwithstanding.
Now, let’s give Soludo his due. As CBN governor, the man is said to have left impressive achievements behind him. He reportedly stabilized the naira and also aided in negotiating the dubious debt relief package under the Obasanjo regime. But that pales in import when compared to his abdication regarding his oversight functions when he held sway at the CBN. Not even his most fanatical supporters can ignore the fact that the severe consequences of the distress the banking sector is currently experiencing would have been curtailed had Soludo done his job diligently as CBN boss. One remembers vividly a statement by the current CBN head, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to the effect that with his training and background, he knows where the corpses of the Nigerian banking sector’s Augean Stables are buried. It is significant that Sanusi has studiously avoided pointing accusing fingers at his predecessor concerning the rot he has so far unearthed there. But we as voting citizens are not bound by the professional niceties of the good-natured Sanusi. A widely held view is that Soludo knew exactly where the corpses of the sleaze-laden banking system were located but elected, due to a host of reasons, to look the other way.
articleadsbanner
It is an incongruity of enormous proportions that the much-needed post-Soludo banking sector sanitization is under away even as the principal actor of the distress situation there is laying claim to the moral high ground in his quest to be Anambra governor. Surely, there should be consequences.
In rejecting Soludo’s candidacy, the good people of Anambra will have history as a useful guide. They should ignore those indulging in the grotesque folklore which posits that Soludo is the next Nigerian president of Igbo origin and that any repudiation of him is tantamount to a slight against the Igbo tribe. It is my suspicion that even a close ally like Anenih will find such talk puerile.
Next Saturday, Anambra citizens should make an enlightened choice based on, amongst other considerations, what I have tried to expose here. Clearly, they will be choosing from a list of able candidates, including the incumbent governor, Peter Obi of APGA. Peter Obi’s track record is one of democratic consolidation and hope. An openly repentant Ngige on an AC platform is said to be a serious contender. As for Soludo, he and the PDP need to be sent an unmistakable message that the time of impunity and undemocratic practices is over. Importantly also, the people of the state must rise and defend their sovereign will to elect their representatives. This time around, there should be no room for the nonchalance that characterized the riggings of 2003 and 2007. Remember Ekiti!
Long live Anambra, long live Nigeria!
Aonduna Tondu.
SUMMARY:: In voting against Soludo, the Anambra people will be guided by history as well as the man’s dual legacy of professional truancy and anti-democratic tendencies, but most certainly not by the folklore claiming that he represents the next Nigerian president of Igbo origin.
Aonduna Tondu can be reached at [email protected]
articleadsbanner
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