The Paradox of Buhari’s Candidacy

The Paradox of Buhari’s Candidacy

By Oluwaseyi Oduyela

I read Pastor Tunde Bakare’s interview with Daily Times and particularly paid attention to comments of readers to this interview and I feel sorry for Nigeria.

When Nigerians support they do it blindly, when they oppose, it’s blindly too. My people are like God. They choose to forgive you your iniquities at their convenience and chop your head off when they please. They can overlook your errors as they did for Abiola and will never forgive Abacha.

Buhari’s supporters don’t want to hear anything negative about their candidate; just as Awo supporters would kill for the sage and MKO Abiola’s supporters can curse you for any negative comments. So also are GEJ supporters who engage in name calling?

Healthy discourse should be encouraged, people should be allowed to speak their minds no matter whose ox gored.

I am pretty sure that most of Buhari’s die-hard supporters today did not vote for him in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

If you hate Jonathan, let it be on principle, and show your love for Buhari for same reason.

When you read comments on Buhari that you don’t like, check the facts, and don’t curse. Your candidate Buhari, who I voted for in 2003, is not a saint. He worked for Sani Abacha, praised him and truncated democratic government of Shagari in 1983. According to the 1979 constitution, coup is TREASON and punishment is DEATH.

By toppling Shagari’s government (democratically elected government) in December 1983, Buhari, Babangida, Abacha and Idiagbon committed TREASON. He is not supposed to be recognized and addressed as a former president of Nigeria because he broke his oath by violating the constitution in 1983 regardless of the reason he gave.

Olabisi Onabanjo, Ambrose Ali and Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin and some others were jailed by Buhari. Onabanjo, Ajasin and Ali were governors of Ogun, Ondo and Bendel States (1979-1983). Alhaji Shehu Shagari was instead put in house arrest. He was not tried in any military tribunal. Olabisi Onabanjo and Ambrose Ali suffered in prison, and later died as a result of their incarceration. Buhari, “Baba gaskiya” should consider an apology to the families of innocent politicians who were jailed and died as a result of their incarcerations under Buhari’s government.

Buhari should come clean by explaining to Nigerians why he thinks he is better than Jonathan or any other Nigerian based on what he did in December 1983.

May be if Buhari and Idiagbon had not toppled Shagari, Nigeria would have been a better place today because there won’t be any Babangida and Abacha. Nigeria’s democracy would have developed despite the uproar then, because that’s what happens in democracy. May be Obasanjo and Jonathan would not have been our leaders.

So why do people think that Buhari has the magic wand to make Nigeria better when he is one of the architects of its setbacks?

Has Buhari come out to account for what he did in December 1983? Did he regret truncating the “Second Republic?”

Yes, he succeeded paying back loans taken by Obasanjo a fellow Military General but at a very high cost.

An honest, upright man will come out and apologize for his pasts. The 1983 coup was a mistake; Buhari should admit that, show remorse and ask for forgiveness from the families of Onabanjo, Ali and other politicians who were brutalized.

Why does he want to benefit from the same system he helped to destroy in 1983. What has changed? Why does he now believe in democracy? When he took over power in 1983 did he plan to restore Nigeria back to democracy? if yes, why did he say that when he heard that IBB was planning to topple him, he did nothing?

How can he be trusted when he does, at least then did not believe in democracy? What was the turning point?

If he was a military officer now, will or would he topple Goodluck Jonathan?

If any of his surrogates can provide answers, Nigerians would like to know.

They should not pretend that Buhari is the answer to Nigeria, saying so is an insult to the collective intelligence of some of us who are not dogmatic believers of their candidate.

To say that Buhari is the best man to solve Nigeria’s problem is annoying to me because he’s not.

I know the next question from Buhari’s adherents, is who the alternative is? That is DUMB questions so don’t ask me.

Here are tips for his campaign team:

1. Buhari should carry himself more as a civilian candidate and not as a retired military General.
2. They should coach him before he speaks in public or grants interview. His interview with Vanguard last week was very on gentlemanly. Why would Buhari say that “whoever wants to leave Nigeria when President becomes should do so”???? I think Mallam Buhari should sound more re-conciliatory and not divisive. At this point, Nigeria is not looking for someone to divide it but unite it.
3. He should be prepared to explain his role in taking Nigeria backward through the 1983 because that coup is his Albatross.