A Political Reflection on the Visit of Former President Obasanjo to Governor El-Rufai -By Timothy Dokpesi Adidi

Nobody in African politics dares to undermine the strategic position of the Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Matthew Aremu Obasanjo. This is a man well respected and honored in the shores of the African States because of his strategic influence in both National and International politics. You might choose to love or hate  (love and hate ) Olusegun Matthew Aremu Obasanjo but you dare not undermine him in any way. 

This is a former President who left office but never stayed away nor retired from the political shores of the Nigerian Presidency. The more you think this former President is becoming irrelevant, the less you understand his next political action. This is a former President that all his political moves and actions either makes one to predict the next political situation in Nigeria or gives Nigerians a severe blood pressure because of his insight and well-informed political master planning of events from the military days and beyond. One would understand why late General Sani Abacha locked and convicted him to prison before General Abacha met his own demise. 

Furthermore, as fate will have it, and despite his incarceration in prison, this former military Head of State and Civilian President still played politics while in prison and before you will know it he became the incumbent President of Nigeria democratically elected on the 29th May, 1999 and remained in power for two terms in a democratic electoral process. Of course, this cannot be said without the influence of Rtd General Abdusallam (the former Nigerian Head of State) after the demise of General Sani Abacha.

More so, this former President of Nigeria has been known for his unprecedented letters to incumbent Presidents. It is important to note that for any letter Olusegun Obasanjo writes to a sitting President, the Nigeria Nation itself catches cold and we all begin to sneeze. Not even the Members of Senate will avoid to hold a sitting even if they are on a break,they have to immediately reconvene because of a simple letter from a former President. On this great Nigerian personality, we can go on and on.

Recently, the former President visited Mallam Nasir El-Rufai the Executive Governor of Kaduna State. This indeed is so surprising to many Nigerians and not after one must have read in detail, the book “The Accidental Public Servant”. So many people are asking questions as to the intention of this visit. I can assure Nigerians that to probe and interrogate the intent of this visit, will only be a palpable conjecture.

These questions asked from different quarters, call not just for serious concern but again bringing back the good old days of the strategic place Kaduna State has been in Nigerian politics from day one of our independence. Nobody undermines the Politicians from Kaduna. This also should not be taken for granted because the recent developments and the urbanization renewal of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has generated serious attention in the global community. 

Could it be possible that the former President is aligning himself with the progress made so far in Kaduna State? Is it also possible that this alignment is an endorsement of the Presidential candidature come 2023 of the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s supposed claim by some Nigerians that he is interested in the Office of the Number One Citizen of Nigeria? Is it actually wrong if Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has an interest in the Presidency? 

No doubt there are prejudices and sentiments to answer related to these questions but at the same time for me, the glorious days of this City called Kaduna is here again in the strategic anals of Nigerian politicking. This is not for any reason but the very reason that former President Olusegun Aremu Matthew Obasanjo visited Kaduna after a very long time. This timing is just not an ordinary timing but during the time of the incumbent Governor of Kaduna State.

Did Olusegun Aremu Matthew Obasanjo visit Kaduna State in the first term of His Excellency, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai? It is quite understandable to know that while Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was learning on the job in his first term, this former President did not pay us a visit in Kaduna State. When Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was undergoing so much political tensions, crisis, and other degenerating circumstances in the State we did not see the former President. But, is it also possible that he must have sent him private letters to counsel, admonish, advice, rebuke and criticize Mallam Nasir El-Rufai? This again could be an educated or uneducated guess. One fact remains outstanding and that is, everyone will love to identify with good things and goodnews. 

Anybody who read the book “The Accidental Public Servant” would have thought that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and former President Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo had personal issues. If they did have personal issues who must have reconciled them now? Is it also possible that they have always been friends but most Nigerians thought they were enemies? Be that as it may, this is the very reason Nigerians should not kill themselves over politicians. In Nigeria as they say in politics ”no permanent friend and no permanent enemies”. There should always be a point were we reconcile ourselves and that is, for the simple fact that we are Nigerians. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the former President have proven this fact that no matter our human differences we are still Nigerians. 

I remember when Atiku Abubakar, the contestant in the last election was about to begin his campaign and the pastoral necessity to reconcile Atiku Abubakar who was then the former Vice President of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In as much as I aligned with the Pastoral Necessity of Reconciliation as initiated by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah (The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese), I also do not undermine this strategic move of reconciliation because of the strategic political necessity of the former President. Yet, there is nothing wrong with endorsements, there is nothing wrong with reconciling politicians and there is nothing wrong with referrals but at the long run, the people alone have the power to decide and that’s if really they do decide. 

As such, Whether it is another endorsement strategy I am not in a best position to ascertain such move because of the explanation already given by the pastoral reconciler who at his own convenience deemed it very necessary at the point he did it. One important lesson to learn is again the fact that the reconciling factor should be on the basis that we are Nigerians despite our political differences, we are not permanent friends and we are not permanent enemies.

This is a stronger lesson for Nigerians and for those who would want to learn not to be victims of political games but are constantly engaging government to the best of our ability whether we are benefiting from such government or not. Politicians will always reconcile themselves but who reconciles the people? We as a people continuously leave in hangovers of political sentiments and biases and none of the politicians look out to reconcile the people who are the product and victims of the polity. Let us all be reconciled as a people for greater things to come in this Country. 

It is in this regard that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai got the attraction of the former President and defied every sentiment of the past if really there was any. It is in the same regard of unity of purpose that is making Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to have a renewed Kaduna State were everyone will be called a citizen of the state. This is exactly what the former President is aligning himself with in Kaduna State and other states in the North are beginning to make Kaduna City their point of destination. 

This is the only reason for now that seems palpable. Should Mallam Nasir El-Rufai be doing the contrary, then the former President would not have visited; just as he did not visit the State in the first term of the El-Rufai led government. Should there be any visit in the first term and tenure of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai I am not aware of, then it means this visit is more than the eye can see.

ADIDI, Dokpesi Timothy

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Timothy D. Adidi,(B.Phil,MBA) +2348138605055