Pendulum

Pendulum: My Journey in the Forests of a Thousand Daemons (1)

Published

10 months ago

June 11, 2022

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, beginning from this week, I will give you exclusive blow-by-blow account of my experience during the just concluded PDP Presidential Primaries and from time-to-time dovetail into my views concerning other Party Primaries.

My journey into the forest of a thousand daemons started with a meeting with my core team in Epe sometime last year. I had invited a few friends to my apartment in a resort and shared my dreams with them. I started by reminding them of my foray into the Presidential race in 2011 and how that experience left me devastated about the possibility of electing self-accomplished and globally distinguished technocrats into the highest political offices in Nigeria. I’m sure a few of my friends were shocked that I was back to considering travelling again through such a rough terrain that most sane people would avoid at all costs.

However, the main reason for my carefully thought and fully considered comeback was that our career politicians were leading our country to Golgotha and perdition and a few patriots needed to halt this perfidious drift as quickly as possible. I was under no illusion that it was going to be an easy project to execute. I was aware that it was a yeoman and Herculean task, but no matter how daunting the prospects seemed it was ultimately important to venture on this voyage, if only because future generations would ask what we did when we realised that we were on the precipice, and at the edge of the abyss.

I laid out my elaborate plans before my “captive audience.” I will never take crucial decisions without thinking hard and deep. I was taught by my mentor, Chief Moshood Abiola that “you must first convince yourself about anything before you can convince others.” So, no one was going to discourage me because I had already convinced myself that this was realistic, and that the journey was not simply a flight of fancy but one worthy to be undertaken. I had made up my mind that I will only listen patiently to a critique of my plans but not to any attempt to kill my dreams and aspirations. I was concerned about the future of our great country and knew that whatever the outcome, I would have contributed to the onset of a new beginning.

The first step to take would be to join a mainstream political party, either APC or PDP. I reached that conclusion after my 2011 attempt to contest the Presidency, first on the platform of Labour Party and eventually on that of the National Conscience Party. My naïve thought process at the time had led me to conclude that all I needed was a platform to be a Presidential candidate and that the rest would be straightforward, a doodle. How wrong I was! I discovered from raw and bitter experience that it was almost impossible to win a national Presidential election using fringe and fledgling political parties without elaborate, extensive and formidable structures. Neither the Labour Party nor the National Conscience Party had any expansive or major structure across the nation… Not much has changed since 2011 in those two political parties.

When contesting for the Presidency, a political party and its candidates must start by assuring itself of grassroot support. Its tentacles must spread far and near. The personality of one man, no matter his cult following cannot make the party or that person cross the Rubicon. There must be foot soldiers all over the country dedicated to the cause. I accept that in 2011 social media was in its nascent stages and that today it is fully developed. However, I have also realised that Nigerian elections cannot be won, or even reasonably or decently contested through social media. It is a tool, but it is beyond the reach of the generality of Nigerians, particularly the poor masses of our great country who need to be reached by any serious contender. They are in the villages and hamlets, not in towns and cities.

While most of my younger friends had vehemently disagreed with me on the issue of joining a mainstream party, especially either of the big two, APC and PDP, saying the biggest parties were virtually tainted and useless, I was studiously convinced that politics is not and will never be a game of saints versus sinners, even if principles, philosophies, ideologies and ideals must be held sacrosanct. Politics is a game of popularity, numbers, vision and mission. Some of the best leaders have been the worst sinners. No leader would ever be voted for by, or ultimately govern over, saints alone! Politics is a means to Leadership while Leadership is the end of Politics. It is notable and regrettable that in Nigeria, we only practise politics of optical illusion, abracadabra and razzmatazz. There’s hardly any significant difference between the varied political parties, the reason it is so convenient and seemingly normal to wake up in one political party and go to sleep in the evening of the same day in a different political party. In Nigerian politics, there are no strange bedfellows.

I knew therefore that I would require a mainstream party to ignite and attract the sort of monumental attention and media frenzy needed to make appreciable impact in a Presidential race. I had to piggyback on their existing structure if I were to make any appreciable impact or impression on the polity notwithstanding my hitherto well-established brand and face recognition globally.

I also knew that I would have to invest my personal resources to kick-start the project since I expected incurable doubters to shoot down my ideas even if all they should have done was to make their modest contributions and leave the rest to God, the ultimate judge and game-changer…

I knew I would have to be a daredevil, bold and audacious, to be relevant at all in the race. From my previous experience and my scientific and empirical analysis, I anticipated considerable ack of faith and support from my own media constituency who would sometimes underrate one of their own iconic figures, for whatever reason.

I understood, and I was prepared for the fact that I would have to make a spectacular appearance, and burst once more onto the political scene, only by demonstrating my uncommon global network, intellectual prowess, professional and business achievements, raw courage, impeccable pedigree, solid reputation and integrity.

The choice of a mainstream party was easy for me because I had since given up on APC to bear positive fruits even if the party had more than enough capable hands who were just roasting and wasting away. I was also able to arrive at a decision since I had voluntarily supported the PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in the 2019 Presidential election, without being a member of PDP. I support candidates more on principle, rather than parties, since we’ve already agreed that the two biggest Nigerian political parties being Siamese twins.

At our retreat in Epe, we examined so many critical issues and permutations and one of my friends who has been a member of PDP forever, Bashorun Bola Orolugbagbe, eventually said my ideas made sense to him and that it was a project worth pursuing. This lifted my spirits because he is a dogged political fighter and grassroot motivator and influencer. One by one, my other associates and friends who were with me, including Seyi Orolugbagbe, Wale Bob-Oseni (now of blessed memories) and others pledged their solid support for my aspiration and promised to do their best to convince others that this project was achievable because they themselves were convinced.

Notwithstanding their support, I had to come up with some of my own strategies and timelines and keep them close to my chest in order to avoid leakages. Henceforth, events were designed to move at supersonic speeds, using the secret weapons of surprises and confidentiality.

The first action would be how to join PDP and make an instant resounding impact. A day to my declaration, I was already in Abuja and made a call to my wife in Lagos. I told her about my decision to return to politics and go mainstream. Mobolaji, a prayer warrior, asked if I was serious or just pulling her legs. I confirmed I was serious. She said, “o ti ya, go for it” and I thanked her. I was grateful to her although I was not much surprised. She has always given me her unflinching and unalloyed total support once she understands that this is what I want. In essence, she accepts me for who I am and appreciates that I am a determined person with a steely nature, particularly once I have made up my mind about a tough decision. I called the Editor of Ovation International, Mr Michael Effiong James, and informed him of my decision and told him to get the Ovation and Boss teams ready to roll at the sound of my whistle.

Once I had sorted out the domestic side, involving household and business, I was ready to drop my bombshell by letting the Party, PDP, know that I was in the race for real. I called the immediate past President of the African Public Relations Association and Group Managing Director at CMC Connect (Perception Managers), Mr Yomi Badejo-Okusanya. I called Mr Abiodun Richard Oshinibosi, the Project Marshall at Abelinis Limited. I needed him to assist with the technical aspects of my presentation at the PDP Party Secretariat. Mr Oshinibosi immediately dispatched a top member of his team, Mr Oyedeji Akindele, to help prepare my presentation. I also called Chief Dele Balogun, one of the PDP Leaders from Igarra, in Edo State. It was important for me to have one of the frontline politicians from my neck of the woods in Edo State, my home State, to accompany me. He promptly flew to Abuja for this assignment and accompanied me to the PDP National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, where I presented my letter to our highly cerebral National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

My idea and strategy were to travel the route less travelled by politicians. While they will most definitely use dollars to oppress me, I will also most certainly utilise my media power to showcase international best political practices in Nigeria. I was never afraid of being defeated but I knew I will permanently convince Nigerians at home and abroad about my excellent trajectory and boost the morale of coming generations that no Governor, Minister, or former ex-this and ex-that has a bigger profile than me. I would then leave it to our delegates and/or electorate to decide if they wish to live perpetually in servitude or if they would see the light and join in embracing a new dawn of political adventure that would be the beginning of uplifting our stoical and quiescent populace from the doldrums of drudgery, poverty and insecurity.

In every game, you must expect, watch out and plan for the obstacles. The element of surprise is also always key. You must always seek to be several steps ahead. Plan to confound and astonish. You can never go wrong. I was ready to do just that. On October 28, 2021, I sent a WhatsApp message to Dr. Iyorchia Ayu requesting to see him the following day. He immediately responded, “12 noon at the office”. That was a positive sign, and I was very excited. I invaded his office at the appointed time with a barrage of journalists and thereafter I addressed a world press conference.

I was trending and this truly lifted my spirit.

My next strategy was to show off the love of my people of Edo and Osun States. It is uncommon to have an aspirant with the capacity to combine his paternal and maternal lineages, simultaneously, but I was determined to make this happen. I have remained close to both of my lineages, and this was the time to make this visible to the world. Off I went with my entourage to Ihievbe village, my paternal ancestral roots in Owan East Local Government, where I was accorded heroic welcome…

To be continued…

Pendulum

Pendulum: Dele Momodu: An Independent Politician

Published

2 days ago

March 24, 2023

Eric

By Sani Sa’idu Baba

It is as if Paul Coelho knew Dele Momodu when he said “When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It’s very simple”, for it is quite visible to the blind and audible to the deaf, Momodu has carved a niche for himself as an altruistic, enthusiastic, passionate leader and a big name in all that he does with sterling records of success.

I believe some of my readers will be quick to say that Ooh, Dr. Baba will be sentimental for obvious reasons, but the truth is that I was not, I am not and I will not. All I am going to say is the honest truth.

My major stimulant to writing this today emanated from this simple question. Ooh how does an individual capture the essence of this your boss, Dele Momodu? Just how? Asked by many of my friends including a number of them that slide into my DM to say hi, and subsequently asked around the above question, and here is my humble and sincere reply to all of them.

But before then, I’d like to emphasise on one of his best characters and that is the fact that he’s multi-layered and versatile which are characters that distinguished him from his peers in all ramifications. I believe the aforementioned question mostly emanated from the perception about the fate of most politicians post-election. Anyway, here is my reply. When I got confused in the past as to how to describe him, it occurred to me I could use the allegory of the blind men and their encounter with the elephant. The story first originated from India. A group of blind men who had never seen an elephant were said to have argued fiercely as to what it looks like. Each of the blind men touched and felt a different part of the body. Just one part of the elephant is quite big. Each described what he felt with his hands. Each version of the experience was limited, even though true. Each suspected the other of profanity and dishonesty. They were even said to have come to blows. But they were all right; yet all wrong.Though there are several Hindu, Jain and Buddhist versions of this story, each of the blind men were said to have groped different parts of the elephant. The same thing about Dele Momodu. If you’re fond of reading stories about him, it will be easier to understand who he is from the views of others using the elephant’s story even if you don’t know him. Their individual perceptions of what the Elephant looks like are as follows:

One who touched the trunk said the elephant was like a thick snake. Another touched the large ear, he concluded the elephant must look like a fan. For another who touched the leg, he said the elephant is a pillar, like a tree trunk. One touched its hard side and concluded it was like a wall. The one who touched its tail described the elephant as a rope. Yet, another touched the tusk, and vowed to the heavens that the elephant is like a hard, smooth spear.The blind men were all partially correct; but also, all partially wrong.

In desribing my mentor, brother, friend, Dele Momodu when people asked me, I have encountered the same difficulty of these blind men.
The reason is that Momodu wears many caps, so many that he means a different person to different observers and analysts.
Some would encounter him and tell you he is a business tycoon because of his business establishments and relationships with business leaders worldwide. Readers of his books and weekly column PENDULUM would say that he’s only a writer and journalist who’s a Veteran at that. Others would encounter him unknown to them about his seven traditional titles at home and abroad, including the recent Aare of Iwoland and tell you he’s a traditional ruler who doesn’t care to dress like a king, perhaps because of the obvious respect he earned like royalty in many high places. In the same vein, the political analysts would report that he’s a political legend due to his active participation in politics and the political role he has played over a period of four decades. Similarly, some might choose to call him an activist because of the role he’s played in defence of democracy in 1993 that saw him forced into exile, and many events that followed thereafter till today. Lastly, some assumed he’s a teacher because of the knowledge that he used to rain for free via his verified Instagram handle Instagram live, twitter spaces, Facebook live, Clubhouse, and etc for the young generation plus the way he intermingles freely with his proteges and mentees around the world.

Others think he’s a Blogger because no younger man or woman multitasks than him on social media platforms which he handles personally, at nearly 63 years of age. Same with his unprecedented collection of pictures and videos, as if he’s a veteran photographer. He may also be called a Librarian with his stupendous collections of books. He actually worked at the University of Ife library from 1977-78 became a pioneer JAMBITE in 1978. And he has almost completed his library resort in the ancient city of Ibadan which will soon become a tourist attraction for scholars. You won’t be wrong to call him a Travel agent if you see the thousands of flight ticket stubs he has garnered on trips to over 60 countries on five continents, the reason many call him the OLABISI AJALA, the globetrotter of our time.

Some may be tempted to call him a Music producer with the way he’s been promoting our young talents since 1989 when he sold Sir Shina Peters to the world on the cover of Weekend Concord and Classique magazine. He sponsored the biggest music carnival ever on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 1999, where he assembled the Plantation Boys, Remedies, Sir Shina Peter’s, Queen Salawa Abeni, and others at the massive amphitheatre of Oduduwa Hall. Since 2007, he has attracted millions of dollars in sponsorship from UBA, GLOBALCOM, the Esther Ajayi Foundation and others for the promotion of young talents in Music, Comedy and Fashion. Many of the beneficiaries of these Ovation Red Carol concerts include D’banj, Don Jazzy, Wande Cole, Olu Maintain, Waje, Tiwa Savage, Sinach, Sammie Okposo, Davido, Wizkid, Tuface, Burner Boy, Seun Kuti, and so many great entertainers…

Lastly, you’re likely to call him the quintessential Opposition Leader with the way he has never been in government and continues to support only opposition parties. He believes a country as bedevilled with myriads of problems like Nigeria needs powerful voices to speak up, one the reasons he owes no one apologies for not supporting his friend, Chief Bola Tinubu, as a Presidential candidate…

These I believe would reflect the scenarios on the perceptions of those blind men about the elephant.
Interestingly, a friend of mine SANI AUWAL MUDI recently asked me whether Momodu is also a former football legend, and my answer was a straight NO. He was compelled to ask having seen the way Momodu was respected and well treated by the President of FIFA Mr. Gianni Infantino and others including the legendary Arsene Wenger the former Arsenal manager in Kigali, Rwanda last week. Unknown to many that it was a formal invitation of world leaders and big names around the world for the FIFA Congress, and he graced the event as a VIP guest of FIFA under the leadership of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, an invitation that even Presidents around the world will never reject and will feel much honoured to be invited. How many Nigerian politicians have you seen there? None? So to me its a matter of personal integrity, self accomplishments and Momodu’s worth on the eyes of worthy world leaders.

The moral of the story is that Aare Dr. Dele Momodu loves his job, and he never feels he’s bigger than his job and businesses in line with the assertion of Paul Coelho. Perhaps why he succeeded in life without being a full time politician. Never in life consider politics as a job or only what you know. Those that have been asking me about Momodu’s political future should know that he’s too busy to even think of that. Many of his close associates kept on wondering how he managed to spend about five months working in presidential campaign office, recording only two international trips during this period, a man who to some is synonymous with travelling.

Even by the time he lost the Presidential primaries in May 2022, he has moved on with his business activities. I was his agent at the Presidential Primaries, but I could vividly remember that 48hrs after the election, he resumed in Ovation International Office in Lagos after which he went abroad, business as usual. This shows how occupied he is outside politics. Only to receive a call when he was on his way out of the country, from the Presidential candidate of his party H.E ATIKU ABUBAKAR asking him to serve as a Director of Strategic Communications of his Presidential Campaign Organization, on account of his competency and capacity, which he accepted, delivered handsomely and effectively.

Sani Sa’idu Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

Pendulum

Pendulum: How FIFA Rescued Me from INEC

Published

1 week ago

March 17, 2023

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, please, let me express
how happy I feel returning to writing my Pendulum column today. Special thanks to the Publisher of Thisday newspapers and Chairman of Arise News Television Channel, Prince Nduka Obaigbena for always inspiring me to excel. So I’m back to what I truly love and treasure, READING and WRITING… But politics of opposition remains my part time vocation. A story for another time.

You must be wondering already, I’m sure, about what FIFA has got to do with INEC, a most notorious Nigerian electoral Commission that has attracted unprecedented odium and global condemnation to our already battered country’s image.

Yes, you can say Nigeria is not new to election rigging but the recent Presidential contest took the cake and its reverberations are yet to subside.

Let me go straight to my point. INEC managed to scam most of us by pretending to be serious about its job. I have had to go back to many of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s speeches in the last couple of years and I have come to the conclusion that he’s nothing short of a drama king but a very poor one at it. It remains a mystery how he manages to keep such a straight poker face when selling lies to his captive audience.

Let me give one example only. I lost my last hope and faith in him while watching the melodrama that played out during the last collation exercise, an unnecessarily drab and terribly cumbersome exercise, at this time and age. Why do we need to assemble and engage those Professors as returning officers when the right and easiest thing to do was to TRANSMIT the results straight from the polling units!! Why would a so-called learned Professor not work towards changing and improving on the illiterate methodology and processes he met in place? Yet this man, Mahmood, sits comfortably for hours, like the Lord of the flies, supervising a complete charade while rushing palpably to Golgotha, a place of death.

FIFA Council Members, Mr Amaju Pinnick and Ms Isha Johansen with Chief Dele Momodu and President Paul Kagame at the FIFA Council dinner in Kigali days ago…

I will never forget, nor ever comprehend, how and why Mahmood appeared so recalcitrant and unmoved by the pleas of Senator Dino Melaye who had tried to rescue him and our dear beloved country from eternal damnation that has befallen him and his team and the calamity that was wittingly foisted on Nigeria. All that was needed by anyone with a conscience, love for, and loyalty to his country was to allow more time to re-examine the barrage of obvious and obnoxious infractions arbitrarily committed nationwide. But Mahmood studiously ignored all genuine and germaine entreaties. It appeared like a case of a man on suicide mission and reminded me of the tortoise in one of Ola Rotimi’s plays who was asked when it will return from its senseless journey and responded “not until I have been disgraced…” In one fell swoop, Mahmood Yakubu recklessly frittered away a golden opportunity to join the rare and exclusive pantheon of great Africans who saved their countries and people from perfidy and brink of collapse.

Please, note that I have not written about who won or did not win but only about the lack of transparency in the entire process. The same technology that worked well for the other electoral offices suddenly developed tuberculosis and high fever for the Presidential race. This is the crux of the matter.

Mahmood was just too predictable. He was working from answer to question, like a somnambulist or a victim of hypnotism. Everyone knew he was acting a dangerous script and that his macabre dance would reach its crescendo in the dead of the night, as if it was a meeting of witches and wizards. So I switched off my phone in order to spare and save my eyes from witnessing this inglorious show of shame. And when that minute finally came, it was a cataclysmic fall for a country that parades some of the brightest men and women on planet earth. The damage and its collateral effects were absolutely brutal and almost irreversible. Even the supposed winners appeared too stunned that it could not celebrate its pyrrhic victory. It became a de javu of sorts. The world instantly joined Nigerians in mourning. It was the global press that jolted us out of our comatose state.

On a personal note, I had so much faith in the promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari about wanting to leave a worthy legacy, despite my usual reservations and paranoia about such grandstanding in the past. I had prayed fervently that the President would not blow this second chance God has mercifully granted him after contesting for a record four times. But, unfortunately, the man on whose behalf I was fasting was actually busy gulping away voraciously…

Anyway, in order to unwind, I decided to travel to Tanzania and Zanzibar. But man proposes and God disposes. A call from a prominent member of FIFA Council, Ms Isha Johansen, former boss of the Sierra Leone Football Federation and a football club owner, changed my plans. “Bros D,” as she fondly calls me, “if you’re passing through Kigali, let me get you a VIP invitation to the 73rd FIFA Congress…” I can smell a good opportunity for networking from hundreds of kilometers away and I was not going to let this pass me by. Let me confirm that what eventually transpired in Rwanda actually surpassed my expectations.

Last Sunday, I boarded Rwandair after seeking permission from my bosses at the ATIKU/OKOWA Presidential Campaign Council. I needed a break after the frenetic work we had put into one of the most phenomenal Presidential campaigns ever. As soon as we got off the plane in Kigali, I felt the overwhelming power of FIFA. Rwanda has become one of the most welcoming destinations of choice for global events and I must say FIFA chose right. Rwanda’s biggest strength lies in President Paul Kagame’s magical performance in a country that went through one of the worst genocides in human history. Love him or loathe him, history will record him as a leader who brought his people back from eternal perdition. PEACE is what makes Rwanda livable. I saw some of the world’s most famous stars under one roof at the Kigali Marriott hotel. We bonded as one big family and there was no discrimination whatsoever.

For me the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, was quite a big revelation and huge inspiration, for a man his age and at his peak of success. He is extremely friendly and down to earth. He is a good friend of Africa. This was evident in the way he relates to my two friends on the FIFA Council, Ms Isha Johansen and Mr Amaju Pinnick. He laughed heartily when I told him he is probably the most powerful President in the world.

I met and mingled with the movers and shakers of the football fraternity. I was profoundly honored to meet the former Manager of my favorite football club, Arsenal, Mr Arsene Wenger, as calm and composed as ever. Meeting him a few times was surreal. Our videos went viral several times.

Our African representatives on the FIFA Council are making us very proud. Isha and Amaju introduced me to who’s who in attendance. I met the FIFA Vice President & CONCACAF President, Mr Victor Montegliani, former US Soccer Federation President and current Adviser to FIFA President, Mr Carlos Cordero, the 2002 Senegalese World Cup hero, Mr Kalilu Fadiga, Ghanaian soccer star Asamoah Gyan, our own indomitable Jay Jay Okocha, The Bull Daniel Amokachi, and too many superstars to mention from over 200 countries. It was such a delight meeting the extremely influential UEFA President, Mr Aleksander Ceferin, the great Senior Vice President of FIFA and the Asia Confederation President, Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. I met the South African Billionaire businessman and CAF President Mr Patrice Motsepe.

I was truly humbled by the humility of the Secretary General of FIFA, Mrs Fatma Samoura. But my biggest inspiration came from meeting President Paul Kagame at the FIFA Council dinner where he mingled freely with some of us. I discovered in him a hands-on leader. He was available and approachable. He even played in a soccer match. He’s admirably cosmopolitan.

The FIFA President has worked assiduously to take the organization to a much higher level than he met it. I saw the joy of fulfillment on his face as he reeled out highlights of his spectacular achievements. He was given a standing ovation after he was reelected unopposed for another term of four years. The voting process was electronic and it was done almost effortlessly. It brought back memories of a dashed hope and lost opportunity back home in Nigeria. I wondered what’s wrong with us such that when we think we’ve taken two steps forward, we actually take ten backwards. All I could muster was SHAME UNTO INEC for its ignominious rascality.

I remembered my Boss, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and felt a sense of pride that I took the right decision when I chose to support him and Governor Ifeanyichukwu Okowa. The Wazirin Adamawa has demonstrated the traits of a true democrat. His faith in the rule of Law is unassailable. You will never see hooligans around him. His supporters will never terrorize anyone on social media. This is the kind of gentleman Nigeria desperately needs.
To those crying that I should have supported someone else, I have nothing but pity. I marvel when highly educated people tell me I should be loyal to a friend and not to my country. I made my choice with my eyes wide open and I stand by him, in thunder, lightning and in rain.

Pendulum

Pendulum: My Personal Take on Atiku, Wike and Ayu

Published

7 months ago

September 10, 2022

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians,

I come in peace. According to the Holy Bible: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God…” Matthew 5:9.

The political party I belong to is PDP. I had contested its Presidential Primary months ago but lost spectacularly. I’m not here to offer excuses about what happened or did not happen. I’m writing this epistle first as a peacemaker and also, secondly, as an academic exercise. I’m interested in exploring the possibilities of how our big gladiators can re-embrace one another. Once upon a time, they were all friends. Friends sometimes fight bitterly. Even husbands and wives do disagree vehemently and, at times, to a point of irreconcilable differences. However, even in those times, miracles can happen and events and circumstances bring them back together. This is the stage we are right now. Only a miracle can save the once buoyant and vibrant relationships that existed between these major anchors of the PDP and restore the trust between The Wazirin Atiku Abubakar, Dr Iyorchia Ayu and Governor Nyesom Wike.

The key words in the middle of this war of attrition are MISTRUST and DISTRUST.

I need to emphasize that earlier this week, I and four other former Presidential aspirants visited our Party’s Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Abuja.

The delegation was led by Alhaji Mohammed Hayatudeen. Those former aspirants that attended the meeting were Mohammed Hayatudeen, Dele Momodu, Tari Oliver, Bar Charles Ugwu and Bar Chikwendu Kalu. This was the first official meeting of it’s kind by any group of aspirants after the National Convention that saw Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerge as the Presidential flag bearer of our great Party, PDP. I must emphasise that we represented the small group of six former aspirants who had met in Lagos and reached a decision to meet our candidate. Only one of us was absent, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, because he had to leave for the US before the meeting took place.

It is not true that our small group was snubbed by anyone of the other aspirants. We did not invite Governor Nyesom Wike since he we understood and knew that he is still angry about the conduct of the election, it’s outcome and events that transpired shortly thereafter. Before meeting with our Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku, we had reached out to some of our party’s leaders who were reachable. We had even paid a visit to former Governor Ayodele Peter Fayose who is currently recuperating from a major surgery, in order to show our empathy and consideration for him and his condition. Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State had actually agreed to host us soon. Chief Anyim Pius Anyim also promised to host us since he was unavoidably absent and away from Abuja at the time we met Atiku. Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki also offered his apologies as he was out of the country.

The truth is that everyone is anxious to see an end to the imbroglio rocking our party. Even our opponents are eager to see an end to it, one way or the other, because PDP has been getting all the good and bad attention (and every publicity in PR parlance, is good publicity). So we decided to start the peace process from our own side as former Co-contestants for the Presidential ticket of the PDP, in a bid to ensure that we reduce the almost perennial bad news about our Party.

Our candidate was happy and delighted to see, and welcome us to his home. The atmosphere was both convivial and jovial. He expressed his great pleasure to see his former colleagues and co-contestants and assured our team of his readiness to collaborate and build a formidable team that would not only see the PDP winning the upcoming election, but also strategically position the Party for the upcoming business of governance after our resounding victory.

The team spoke about our foremost interest in ensuring peace and stability in the Party, stressing the need for the Party to walk and talk through the difficult challenges that it currently faces, and restore peace speedily through meaningful dialogue and reconciliation.

I need to interject by stating that my article and opinion herein is strictly personal to me. This would be my third troubleshooting intervention following on the earlier two I had circulated widely on other platforms. The first was addressed directly to my very dear friend and Brother, Governor Nyesom Wike as follows:

“MY KOBO ADVICE TO GOVERNOR NYESOM WIKE…

My dear Brother, good evening. I have watched you in recent months with trepidation. I’m scared about your inability to comprehend the country called Nigeria. You must have underrated how the owners of Nigeria operate. I have studied the biography of CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO. I was an insider in the June 12 1993 crisis, and a veritable witness to the tribulations of my great mentor, CHIEF MOSHOOD ABIOLA. Closer home, you must have seen how your predecessor, DR PETER ODILI, was stopped in his tracks in 2007.

You’re certainly one of Nigeria’s best performing Governors, if not the best. Personally, I’m very proud of your uncommon achievements. I know you are very angry. It is your right to be. But I’m begging you in the name of God not to take decisions based on anger… Nigeria has been very kind to you. Rivers State has been extremely generous to you. GOD has blessed you beyond imagination. You have such a beautiful family. Your people love you stupendously for services delivered to them. PDP has been your solid platform. You should never destroy a bridge after crossing the river. Even if you no longer need the bridge, what of your friends and family? I pray you kill this excessive and perpetual ANGER. It is getting out of hand. Most people around you will keep quiet for fear of losing patronage. Many politicians survive only on power. My Brother, I love you. But someone must be able to tell you the truth. No General fights on too many fronts. Please, apply the brakes, before it is too late…”

To his credit, Wike called me that night and although he was still simmering we spoke briefly, but cordially, about my humble admonition.

Wike has been like a combination of Ronaldo and Messi in our Party and I believe he must be appeased by all means possible. I was encouraged when I saw pictures of his meeting with our Party’s Presidential candidate with a few of our Governors having dinner in London. But nothing seemed to have come out of what I thought was an auspicious meeting.

So I wrote a second letter addressed to the generality of the Party faithful as follows:

“A LETTER TO PDP MEMBERS

My dear party members, good morning. I woke up thinking about the sad and unfortunate crisis rocking our party. I’m wondering if we’ve not been victims of mass hypnotism. Someone needs to wake us up from this state of somnambulism.

Months after we concluded our Presidential primary, we are still busy fighting and calling ourselves unprintable names, thus forgetting that, once upon a time, we were friends, with shared dreams and aspirations. We all looked forward to how our party would dislodge the APC behemoth that deceived Nigerians with highfalutin promises but failed spectacularly on delivery.

Agreed, costly mistakes were made in our party Presidential primary, some of them avoidable, but we cannot continue to dwell on it, lest we throw the baby away with the bathwater.
Now that we’ve narrowed the principal actors to our National Chairman, Governor Nyesom Wike and our Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, I wish to appeal once again to them to urgently rise above this war of attrition for the sake of long-suffering Nigerians who need our attention desperately. PDP is the oldest party in Nigeria, since 1999, with the requisite experience to tap into in order to reverse our perfidious descent into anarchy.

I salute the courage of Governor Wike in boldly and vociferously letting the world know what went wrong and what should be done moving forward. He should please sheath his sword and allow party machinery fix the rest. I also appeal to our party elders to resist making inflammatory statements that may further escalate the crisis. Truth is, we can, and should, defeat APC spectacularly in the next election and hopefully form a Government of National Unity in 2023, as suggested by our candidate. Let’s not destroy this opportunity with our own hands.
Nigerians are waiting to see the practical presentations and demonstrations of our manifesto. Majority of the other candidates and members of their parties were at different times members of our party, PDP. For every finger they point at us, four others will point back at them.
Time has come for our party to retake the victory and regain the glory.”

My personal takes today are that one, we must recognise that issues of injustices in our Party must be addressed and not swept under the carpet. No attempt should be made to make the Southerners in our Party feel like bystanders. We need massive votes from every part of Nigeria. Two, whatever promises were made privately to Wike should be re-visited and reviewed and if they have changed and can no longer be sustained, fresh decisive and sincere negotiations should take place between our candidate and Wike. The aim should be to try and meet him at a point closely aligned to those initial promises. That is the hallmark of justice and integrity on which our great Party was founded and built. I’m not saying anyone is indispensable, but Wike deserves our respects for his humongous support for our Party. There was a time that PDP would have been consumed and destroyed, but Wike was one of those few who stood tall like a colossus and held the Party together. Three, I will plead with Wike to calm down and let God fight his fight. I’m not happy the way the media is exploiting the crisis while making him look too cantankerous and obstinate. He has proven his point too well. Now he should let his cause take its course. I believe history will eventually vindicate him. The head that will wear the crown can never be denied. No matter how long it takes, it will happen if it is God’s will. King Charles III is the most recent example of this truism!

Four, PDP should link up more to the many younger talents and self-accomplished technocrats that abound in Nigeria and abroad and stop giving attention only to career politicians. A political party that wishes to dislodge a ruling government must target and attract first time voters.We must appeal to those in the Diaspora who send money back home to their families and friends.

I pray our leaders and elders would see reason and embrace peace urgently…

GOOD NIGHT OUR DEAR BELOVED QUEEN

I have often been asked who’s the greatest personality I ever met and my unequivocal response was always: HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II. The extraordinary and remarkably graceful and regal woman and monarch has impacted the whole world in a way none other has. She is one of the few people known only by their Titles, the Queen. But, of course, she is the most renowned of them all.

On July 29, 1995, I landed at the London Gatwick Airport from Accra, Ghana. For me, it was the beginning of an unplanned and unanticipated sojourn in the land of unpredictable weather for the next three years.

I will forever treasure the unbelievable support and the unimaginable protection my family and I enjoyed as asylum seekers and later, refugees, from Her Majesty’s Government…

I was so grateful on behalf of myself and family that I started dreaming of meeting Her Majesty, but never knew how this tall dream could ever be actualized. However, nothing is impossible with God. And when things happen for me they do so oftentimes in a blaze of honour and glory. Indeed, when the appointed time came, the Deputy British High Commissioner was the one who contacted me, shortly before Her Majesty’s last visit to Nigeria in 2003. Apparently, the High Commission had been trying to reach me for a while because they had a mission for me. I recall that I was in Ghana when the call came through that Ovation International magazine and Thisday newspaper were the only two publications shortlisted by Buckingham Palace as the official titles allowed to cover the extraordinary visit…. I was thrilled beyond measure at the recognition and honour. I knew then that dreams come true in the most unusual of ways. Naturally, I was invited to be a guest at the cocktail reception organized by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Sir Philip Thomas, and I got an opportunity to introduce myself to the Queen.

I had rehearsed and rehearsed what I would say to her within the few minutes of standing before her and it was a most fulfilling experience indeed…

The rest is now history…

May her beautiful soul Rest in Peace…