On November 17, 1973, as his culpability in the Watergate scandal continued to get even more pronounced, former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon took to television to exonerate himself: “I’m not a crook”, he blithely declared.
On November 17, 1973, as his culpability in the Watergate scandal continued to get even more pronounced, former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon took to television to exonerate himself: “I’m not a crook”, he blithely declared.
The president of the free world has been enmeshed in an embarrassing case of burglary.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
His disconcerting attempts to clarify and justify his involvement in the prosaic break-in at the opposition party's headquarters did little to help him; the infamous statement “I’m not a crook” was swiftly employed against him by his political adversaries.
Only a handful believed the embattled president; substantial majority of Americans on both sides of the aisle knew he was being too clever by half. A legislative inquiry into the affairs later found that Mr. Nixon was, indeed, culpable, consequently forcing his resignation from the Oval Office, and the phrase is still being associated with the Watergate era till today.
A similar situation appears to be unfolding in our country today. Except that in our own case it's with a former head of state who acts as though his next breath depends on him helming the nation's affairs once again, while simultaneously denying it to an undiscerning hoi-polloi.
Earlier this week, while commenting, for the first time in public, on the successful registration of his new party, the All Progressives Congress, General Muhammed Buhari repeated the same ludicrous statement he'd been regurgitating since February 2011 during the first --failed-- attempt at merging his Congress for Progressive Change -- CPC, an offshoot of All Nigeria Peoples Party -- with Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN: That he is not a desperate politician; that, albeit, it's not a must for him to run for president, he will do so only if the party --provided the merger succeeds-- nominated him at its convention.
"We're still in talk for a possible merger with other progressive parties. God willing, the merger will succeed but my priority is not to be the candidate of the new party. I will be happy to support any candidate that emerge as the party's flag-bearer." He declared at the time.
A post-mortem analysis of the botched merger revealed few months afterwards that the it failed because Mr. Buhari was adamant at being nominated as the presidential candidate. ‘‘The General refused to compromise,’’ fretted a CPC merger committee rapporteur. ‘‘He offered very little compromise, it was his way or the highway and we couldn't work with what he offered,’’ an ACN insider was quoted as saying.
He made a similar statement on May 20th this year: ‘‘I support the merger wholeheartedly and if the merger adopts or elects me as their presidential candidate [fine], but [if] they don’t I will support the person that they will be elected [sic] as their presidential candidate.’’ Parenthesis added.
And again on June 3rd: “If APC fails to give me the ticket, I will remain in partisan politics and in the party. Anyone the party picks as its candidate, I will support because I will remain in the APC. I am not desperate for the party's nomination.’’
As earlier noted, the first merger talks failed. Buhari contested under the banner of his CPC. We all know how the elections that was held in April 2011 turned out.
Notwithstanding, being the tenacious political blockbuster that he is, and given his conspicuous vexation with the People's Democratic Party's unabated occupation of Aso Rock since 1999, former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu persuaded his associates in the ACN to re-launched the, now successful, merger talks in 2012, some say as early as September 2011, with Buhari's CPC, All Nigeria Peoples Party and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance -- the APGA faction was winnowed out shortly before the merger attained success.
The negotiation was orderly. The coalition submitted a mutually-agreed name and acronym: All Progressives Congress, APC. The merging parties fulfilled all regulatory requirements. And on July 31st, 2013, Nigerians cheerfully welcomed the electoral umpire's announcement that it had confirmed the registration of the new party. The merger, a first of its kind perhaps anywhere in Africa, was a resounding success.
Alas, the inks of political analysts, reporters and history students were still considerably fresh about the party's successful registration when Buhari, in his vintage persona, finds it pertinent to call a press conference where he reminded Nigerians of his demonstrably mendacious mantra: If he fails to secure APC's ticket at the convention, he'll gladly support any candidate the party nominates.
“My decision will be tied to the Constitution of the APC; if the party chooses me as its candidate, I will contest; if they do not consider [me], I will not contest but I will still support the party. My decision to run in 2015 will solely be the party’s decision,” The Scoop's Paul Osas reported Wednesday.
This statement will strike even a Basic Six pupil as irresistibly hilarious, considering the fact that the General has been contesting for the highest office in the land since 2003 and has changed his position from a seemingly innocuous ‘‘I'm retiring from active politics’’ in the aftermath of his 2011 defeat to his strikingly risible decision to cling to the ‘‘Constitution of the APC’’ for his political future two Augusts later.
The APC continuously downplays the dangers inherent in the labyrinth procedure of choosing a candidate that will be universally acknowledged amongst its ideologically diverse coalition.
Granted, the APC has a considerable number of bigwigs in its ranks, perhaps even more so than the ruling PDP, but it's no gain saying that General Buhari is still the candidate to beat among its possible primary contenders.
Therefore, if the General gets his party's nod, what chance does he stand against incumbent President Jonathan? Not much.
Consider:
In 2003, he lost to a widely resented President Obasanjo by more than 11 million votes.
In 2007, an obscured Governor Umaru Yar'Adua gave him the most resounding thumping in the history of Nigerian presidential elections when he won 70% of the votes --some would scream 'rigging!' I know, but we must remember that Yar'Adua wouldn't have won if Buhari was really popular because the margin of victory for the latter would have been too wide to accommodate successful rigging.
Then in his 3rd attempt at returning to power, he lost to another unsophisticated and inarticulate politician, Goodluck Jonathan, who won decidedly with 59%.
Any altruistic politician worth his salt would stop contesting for the same office after three devastating defeats, if only not to come off as though he's too desperate with little or no general welfare of the great unwashed at heart.
Eliminating the questions about his desperation and patriotism from the equation, the PDP would still carpetbomb Buhari as a former coup planner with a belief system that borders on religious fanaticism. They've successfully used it before, there's absolutely nothing stopping them from using it again. The man seems to carry more baggages than the United Parcel Service.
Make no mistake, this column holds no grudge against the APC. Believes that its successful registration is healthy for Nigeria and her nascent democracy, regardless of Mr. Buhari's ridiculous inconsistencies as noted above. And similarly believes Buhari has the constitutional imprimatur to tie his political future with any legally established association in the country.
However, it must be said that if the top echelons at the APC really want Nigerians to take them seriously, they might want to start by setting, and living up to, higher standards for themselves, which include having confidence in themselves, learning from their mistakes, leading by example, etc.
Perhaps the easiest way for the APC to distinguish itself from the much loathed PDP is to make sure its prominent faces show more honesty in their conducts ahead of 2015 elections.
Those Nigerians who refuse to let their admiration for Buhari get in the way of excruciating reality know that Mr. Buhari will do whatever it takes to emerge the party's flag-bearer. They also know that any outcome to the contrary will consequently leave the party savagely fractured going into the elections week. And that is likely to make Mr. Jonathan's re-election imminent, a condign punishment for Buhari and his cult of personality.
The contemptible praxis of politicians saying one thing while actually meaning the direct opposite is as old as time, and General Buhari's ‘‘I'm not a desperate politician’’ is no exception.
(@SamuelOgundipe on Twitter)
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });