BY AFOLABI GAMBARI
The camp of the All Progressives Congress, APC had reacted to the ‘reconciliatory meeting’ between former president Olusegun Obasanjo and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP flagbearer in next year’s election, Atiku Abubakar in Abeokuta the previous week almost immediately and with some trepidation. Presidential aide, Femi Adesina went just short of saying the meeting was null, void and of no effect. Loretta Onochie, another aide, drew inspiration from the presence of three prominent clerics at the meeting and declared that ‘no true men of God will fail to support President Buhari’s re-election into office’, assuming that the clerics had turned their backs against her principal and pitched their camp with Abubakar. Not a few saw the reaction as hasty. The reactions were indications that there was panic in the air as the aides realised that the Presidency of Buhari now has a formidable opponent in Abubakar to contend with.
By Monday last week, the ‘fireworks’ had commenced. Or so it seemed, as the campaign directors of Buhari and Abubakar, Festus Keyamo (SAN) and Shola Sowunmi, respectively came on the Channels Television ‘Sunrise TV’ in Abuja, anchored by Ajuri Ngelale. In the end it appeared that Keyamo was not particularly ready. While Sowunmi calmly enumerated the ills of the incumbent administration from which he said the need arose for the change that Abubakar seeks to bring to the polity, Keyamo on the hand opted for the most part to haul invectives on Abubakar while presenting him as the leader that Nigerians do not desire at this time of the country’s development. The viewers would have thought that Keyamo would educate them extensively on the positive measures that the Buhari administration had effected to re-oil the wheel of Nigeria after coming on in May 2015. However, Keyamo had other ideas, apparently. So, how could he fritter away such rare opportunity to reposition the minds of doubting Thomases and reassure them of the government’s intentions moving forward? The anchor could not hide his disappointment at how the show rounded off as anti-climax.
Last Tuesday did not end without incidents, although it would be just best to describe the incidents as dramatic. Long sought by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC after he was handed invitation to report at the anti-graft office headquarters in Abuja, the immediate past Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose showed up at the office on the day he was to officially hand over the affairs of the State to returnee Governor Kayode Fayemi. Fayose made huge meal of his arrival at the EFCC office, accompanied by the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and other PDP stalwarts that include former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode. His tell-tale T-shirt on top of a denim pair of jeans trousers, with inscription ‘EFCC I’m here!’ attracted attention from the seemingly rented crowd of people at the office. He also made a show of taking in a light luggage as he envisaged longer stay in there. However, if Fayose thought otherwise that he would be interrogated and let go, he was grossly mistaken. The EFCC told the media that it had secured leave from the court to hold on to the controversial former governor for a minimum of two weeks. Thus began what could turn out as Fayose’s long travail in the hands of his interrogators on how he allegedly mismanaged the Ekiti State funds. He had initially vowed not to reveal ‘anything’ to the EFCC officers. At the time of writing this late last week, reports said he had resolved to cooperate ‘fully’ with the officers.
By yesterday, news filtered in that the Federal Government had engaged an unnamed foreign media to launder its image abroad. It was reminiscent of how past governments had towed same line in shoring up their dwindling popularity. However, in view of the ‘Change’ mantra of the Buhari administration, it should be disturbing that things still happen in government today in the same way that they happened in times past. What a week!
