By Adeolu Ademoyo
On February 7, 2015 seven days to the scheduled February 14 elections, the Nigerian military aborted the voting through a letter from Sambo Dasuki NSA to INEC that they could not guarantee security during the scheduled February 14 elections. Technically, Sambo Dasuki issued a threat and a blackmail on behalf of President Jonathan in alliance with the Nigerian military.
On a cheeky note, the Nigerian military said they will commence renewed operation against Boko Haram on February 14, same day the election was to commence. The choice of February 14 as the exact date the Nigerian military said it would commence operation against Boko Haram easily gave the conspiracy of service chiefs away as willing partisan collaborators with President Jonathan in the 2015 elections because INEC had scheduled its election long before the February 14 desire for the commencement of the renewed offensive against Boko Haram by the Nigerian military!
The Nigerian service chiefs: Air Chief Marshal Badeh, the Chief of Defense Staff, Major General Minimah, the Chief of Army Staff, Air Marshall Amosun, the Chief of Air Staff did not controvert Sambo Dasuki-a political appointee of President Jonathan. If they have not contravened Sambo Dasuki then they agree with him. Hence the Nigerian service chiefs –Badeh, Minimah, Amosun- are part of the cohort that annulled the February vote.
Speaking of Sambo Dasuki , together with Mr. Ayo Oritsejafor’s company (Ayo Oritsejafor is the president of CAN) he has his hands and fingers full and well embedded in the cloudy and deliberately made fuzzy now aborted cash for arms South African deal.
Nigeria’s money is still with the South Africans. Sambo Dasuki who came out to own the deal in order to save the face of Ayo Oristejafor whose company is questionably involved in the crime has not told us when South Africa will publicly return Nigeria’s money!
The same Sambo Dasuki who used the power of the Nigerian state to cover a clear crime and illegality in the South African Cash for Arms case which implicated the company of Ayo Oritsejafor –CAN’s president- is the spokesperson of the Goodluck Jonathan/Military coup against the Nigerian people and the February 14 poll.
Though President Jonathan has tried to absolve himself from the February coup against Nigerian people, by claiming that INEC did not consult him, it is obvious that the postponement is at the behest of PDP and Goodluck Jonathan to allow them to campaign more, see if they can claw back some votes in critical constituencies (especially the Western part of the country) and see if they can still win the election. Certainly the president was economical with the truth since he presided over the Council of State meeting few days previous that discussed this same issue!
But, try as President Jonathan may try to dodge, as Commander in Chief, constitutionally President Jonathan sent Sambo Dasuki, his NSA to INEC. Since Sambo Dasuki does not have constitutional responsibility to INEC, it is obvious that Sambo Dasuki only passed the joint decision of the service Chiefs-Badeh, Minimah, Amosun-under the constitutional supervision of President Jonathan to INEC.
All these –especially the treason and dishonor involved- explain why President Jonathan will again use Nigerian military and/or any other means to annul the March elections if the PDP, Goodluck Jonathan and the military read that the flow of the election is not in favor of President Jonathan. The reasons for this are desperation, need to protect previous crimes of some select members of the Nigerian political, economic, religious, military class against the Nigerian people, need to protect extremely dangerous vested economic, political and un-ethical interests, fear of past and future.
Hence, let us systematically detail those who are implicated in this plot that has the potential of another annulment in March. I am doing this so that those who hold contrary view can challenge this claim with rival data. These are verifiable data in the public domain, which help us shed light on the potential and real plot against March elections.
- coalition of well funded sectional interests-examples of this are the dangerous clique of Tompolo, Dokubo-asari, boyloaf, the two factions of the OPC (Ganiyu Adams and Frederick Fasehun)looking for oil pipeline security contract, the oil funded Southern Peoples Assembly of Edwin Clark, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Femi Okunronmu.
- A faction of the Yoruba group Afenifere (of individuals), which is driven by purely personal economic calculations of its loose members. The Secretary General of this loose faction of few individuals is Mr. Seinde Arogbofa who is a brother to President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief of Staff-Brigadier-General (rtd) Jones Arogbofa. Mr. Mimiko, present governor of Ondo state and Yinka Odumakin work with this group. Contrary to its desperate but failed attempt to be associated with the populist and social democratic and federalist principles of Obafemi Awolowo perhaps through comically wearing the famous Awolowo cap, individuals in this group are solely motivated by private and personal economic and monetary interests that can be gained from the oil and monetary resources provided by President Jonathan.
- the corrupt ministerial and governmental clique driven and coordinated by Oil minister Diezani Alison Madueke. Prominent members include Governors Mimiko and Godswill Akpabio, Buruji Kashamu, Ayo Fayose, Musiliu Obanikoro. The recent cries by Senator Silas Zwingina, and Bode George that it is better to stop Mr. Buhari because Buhari has zero tolerance for corruption betrays this loose group. For many reasons, some of which are open while some reasons are still hidden and will come into the open soon, members of this clique have shown the greatest desperation.
- the alliance of the service chiefs and Goodluck Jonathan presidency. Three great moments define this un-holy alliance. First, is the deep involvement of the Nigerian military in the rigging of the last Ekiti elections as documented in the Captain sager Koli’s tape. Second is the blatant use of the high office of the military to blackmail INEC to postpone the February election. Third is the sudden and irrational outburst of the Nigerian military in criticizing Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo. That outburst from the military against Mr. Obasanjo completely betrayed this un-holy alliance because the military outburst was un-ethical, unprofessional and un-called for, yet they made such ridiculous statement against Olusegun Obasanjo! These three moments show the un-holy alliance between President Goodluck Jonathan and the military in using the military to rubbish the election.
- the alliance of the Jonathan presidency and the Ayo Oritsejafor led Christian Association of Nigeria –this alliance includes select members of the Nigerian clergy especially and mostly of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. It is so bad some Nigerian Pentecostal “Pastors” are invested in this crime against Nigerian people. A clergy Pastor Kallamu Dikwa, openly alleged that the President Goodluck Jonathan gave 7 billion Naira to Ayo Oritsejafor’s CAN to campaign for him. This was allegedly distributed to state chapters of CAN. In a sane country, the so-called security agencies, which annulled the February election will swing into the field, investigate and arrest any so-called Pastor who has collected blood money. But the security agencies themselves are on the oil payroll of President Jonathan, so they are marooned in the sleaze and corruption.
That the upper echelon of the Nigerian military has been compromised, and that such compromise will make them collaborate with the President Jonathan to manipulate the election has a strong foundation in some facts and trend. Some of these facts are as follows.
EkitiGate. : This is Most Lethal Reason Why the Military will attempt to subvert the March election. From scientific point of view the audiotape is true. Its truth is devastating against the honor, dignity, integrity and professionalism of the Nigerian military.
The only way to rescue itself from this shame is to practically and scientifically disproves the audiotape. But the military cannot. Rather the service chiefs had looked the other way praying that the matter will go away. But the country and the people are greater than any of its institution, so this will not go away until it is openly addressed before the Nigerian people because to use the military to rig an election is one of the most treasonable act. To sweep it under the carpet is equally treasonable.
The Sagir Koli Ekitigate audiotape exposed two constituencies– viz military constituency and PDP political constituency. Beside the Ekitigate audiotape, the alliance of forces in i-v above– is too compromised they cannot afford a loss. This explains the desperation of the clique in i-v. For example, Ayo Fayose directly has nothing to do with this election. However, he is a candidate in a vicarious sense because of the Ekitigate. This explains why he is extremely emotional, irrational and desperate bordering sometime on psychological instability.
So, a loss for Mr. Jonathan simply means that the Nigerian people will demand a deeper understanding of the Ekitigate. This explains Ayo Fayose’s desperation and his mobilization of physical and evil non-physical forces to see to the death of Mr. Buhari. Ayo Fayose is already a wreck and it has become that bad for him. Hence for this reason, signs and trend of an APC success will lead to the mobilization of the military to abort it.
Mr. Ayo Oritsejafor the present president of CAN and some known Pastors are not left out of this. From the 2011 polls to the present poll, the Jonathan presidency compromised some clergy. Nigerians should read Pastor Bakare’s testimony and observations on the 2011 elections. The clergymen are compromised through the informal and un-documented side of the Nigerian economy. This informal side of the economy leaks like a damaged oil pipeline. This is a well-known side, which drives every sleaze.
This is the sector that is used to compromise the clergy and the military. The informal side of the economy through which the leakage and compromise of clergymen and women and the military take place is the reason it is disingenuous to ask for physical evidence of the compromise as if that informal sector is physically documented.
Finally, in any plot there are immediate and remote factors. The remote factors are contained in the activities of the cliques in i-v. Members of these cliques will do anything to abort the election including the thoughtless, the illegal and the criminal, which includes toying with the idea of suddenly sacking Mr. Attahiru Jega INEC Chair.
However, given the dishonor, indignity and shame it has brought to the Nigerian military(where a civilian politician threatened a Nigerian General!), the need to cover up the Ekitigate is one of the biggest immediate factors(out of others) that threatens the March elections. In annulling the election, it is obvious that the the top echelon of the military will not be acting out of any patriotic, professional or ethical reason. This highly compromised top echelon will be acting out of pure instinct of survival.
Hence, the Nigerian civil society and the International Community must be on full alert to help the Nigerian people; assist the Nigerian democratic process by joining to resist any of President Jonathan’s attempts to abort the March elections through open, direct or devious means.
Adeolu Ademoyo [email protected] Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
