The Lessons of Abia and Lagos States

Mr. Maurice Iwu’s inability to deliver the governor’s mansion in Abia and Lagos states to the PDP should not be seen as indicators of proper conduct. After all, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, who Mr. Iwu believes he serves was quite interested in capturing both governorship positions in his do-or-die resolve. In Abia state his lackey, Mr. Onyema Ugochukwu was well-positioned for the trophy. Lagos itself was Mr. Obasanjo’s last appearance to campaign before he retired to his farm in close-by Ota to await the outcome of the charade that he choreographed.

Mr. Obasanjo was simply out-rigged in Abia by Mr. Orji Uzo Kalu. Mr. Kalu has used the outcome of Mr. Iwu’s charade to prove again that he could successfully stand up to Mr. Obsasanjo’s bullying. If you recall, Mr. Kalu has been unrelenting in his open castigation of Mr. Obasanjo. He even called his bluff over all. When Obasanjo sent Mr. Ribadu after Kalu and his mother, the latter successfully used his own thugs to fight the EFCC thugs off. Not only that he contested as a presidential candidate, he is still walking about unmolested by Mr. Ribadu and his thugs.

Mr. Obasanjo may also have been out-rigged in Lagos by Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu who delivered the governorship to his new party the AC. But when you find that Mr. Obasanjo’s PDP was prevented from laying hands on any of the state and National Assembly seats in Lagos, you’d perhaps attribute that to Tinubu’s access to funds beyond his state’s allocation from Obasanjo’s central government. He put those funds to good use, which is why he was able to out-rig the PDP in Lagos too.

The lessons in Abia and Lagos do not portend good at all for the evolution of democratic governance in Nigeria. However, they are proof that even dictators too can be out-done in their own games.