By Barrister John Yunana
In politics, scheming, trying to outsmart one another and adopting methods to see those who politicians see as threats are subdued is normal and accepted. But when such schemes begin to affect the general wellbeing of the people they govern, then it calls for concern. Politics in this Country has been turned into war where even sniffing lives out of perceived political rivals has become the norm and the same people they are fighting hard to lead are the ready tools to carry out their barbaric actions. Each day we wake up to terrifying reports of attempts on the lives of politicians. While few are fortunate to escape, others aren’t that lucky. Till this day not a single politician in Nigeria has been successfully prosecuted and convicted for any of these crimes. Well, as we are usually quick to leave everything in the hand of God to mete out His punishment on these perpetrators of such heinous crime, some, unknown to many of us, get their punishment right here on Earth even before they breathe their last while some few in God’s infinite wisdom are allowed to walk freely until their meeting with him. At every point in time, it is always a lose-lose situation for this kind of people. Nemesis always has a way of catching up with them.
Nemesis according to the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary is the” inescapable agent of someone or something’s downfall”. One politician who many are unaware has been so lucky to witness retributive justice served on his selfish and insensitive distractors is former Governor Nyako of Adamawa State. Every known and unknown political enemy of Nyako has met his downfall right here on Earth. Nemesis didn’t wait for them to breathe their last. It went after them with fury and vengeance. While some were lucky to escape with a pitiable life, others paid with their lives or freedom.
Adamawa as a State has always had its elites as its worst enemies who have been a major impediment to the progress of the State. They never had their state at heart but their selfish ambition. An attitude and action that had seen the State wallowing in poverty and under-development. Nyako’s running political battle with these enemies of his State started when he decided to change the status quo of “godfatherism” and selfish leadership. They never rested on their oars until they ensured he was illegally impeached using everything in their arsenal. The House of Assembly as it was then constituted was the tool used in carrying out that unconstitutionality where funds meant for the rehabilitation of the North-East that was ravaged by the Boko Haram menace were stolen to execute their evil act according to various media houses’ reports in documents published to support this story. How did these selfish politicians ever think they would escape their nemesis when they dipped their hands into such funds that were meant to bring succor to the people of the North-east who had their relations killed or maimed and homes ravaged? Thank God they are paying dearly for this insensitive and wicked action. They didn’t care what it would take or cost. All that was wanted by them was for Nyako to go after attempts on his life failed. The main culprit of this callous act was than speaker of the Adamawa Sate House of Assembly Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri who was used as their pawn to get Nyako impeached and was promised to complete Nyako’s remaining eight months and an additional eight years as Governor including the go. Fintiri fell for the bait and is paying dearly for this inhumanity. Not even a ticket to return to the House of Assembly was offered him. He was completely shut out of the political calculation of Adamawa Sate, a situation he found himself until the EFCC came knocking on his door. As I write this piece, he is telling the Commission all he knows about the monies that were misappropriated during his time as the Acting Governor. Fintiri is not alone in this sorry state. Every single member of the Adamawa House of Assembly when Fintiri was Speaker, who signed and was fully in support of Nyako’s illegal impeachment, was left out in the cold. Used and dumped. Every one of them was denied a ticket to return to the House except one whose seat as at now is shaky and might likely be booted out by the election tribunal. In carrying out their illegality, they constituted an unconstitutional Panel of Enquiry whose role was to look into the allegations against Nyako. The illegal Panel that was to sit for three months suddenly concluded their job in three days headed by another compromised judge, Justice Umar Bobbo. Ironically, Bobbo wasn’t as lucky. He died even before he could settle down to enjoy his own share of the blood money of the people of the North-East.
Nemesis didn’t stop at that in executing its justice, the recently convicted former Commissioner for Finance under the Boni Haruna administration, Mr. John Elias was also at the center of the Nyako unconstitutional impeachment where he served as an errand boy for the Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Badeh. John Elias is currently serving a ten year jail term for stealing about Fifty One Million Naira while Badeh on the other hand will soon be invited by the EFCC to explain his role in the 2.1 billion dollar arms deal currently being investigated by the EFCC. We have our fingers crossed, waiting to hear what he has to say. Same goes to the genesis of the long drawn battle between Nyako and the Abuja politicians, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Ever since he took over as the Chairman of the PDP then, he went on a mission to ensure Nyako left the government house unceremoniously. Bamanga Tukur has been invited to say all he knows about the over One Trillion naira misappropriated when he also held away as the Chairman of the Nigeria Railway Corporation and other public organizations. We are also waiting anxiously to hear what he has to say.
But politically, he is dead and gone. As for Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed popularly known as “Walga” who was also at the centre of those drama of Nyako’s impeachment. The law of karma has been a bit lenient with him as it has left him moving freely but not with a single kobo to sustain life. He is currently leaving off goodwill of friends and well –wishers. How sad.
As for the erstwhile Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde who was used as the link between the executors of their illegality and the Adamawa House of Assembly members, he is now on the run after he was invited by the Senate to defend some allegations of corruption against him. Lamorde had to travel to Lagos disguised and using public transport. Going by what we know of the administration of President Buhari, Lamorde can travel as far as China, but when the time is ripe, the law will catch up with him.
One final question I would like to ask is who at this time is having the last laugh? Admiral Murtala Nyako or the blind, selfish and madly ambitious Adamawa elites cum Abuja politicians who used everything humanly possible to unconstitutionally impeach him including using funds meant for displaced persons. We believe that Nyako is now sitting quietly and safely in his home and at peace with himself while retributive justice and vengeance is being served on every politician who is directly or indirectly in his impeachment. Obviously nemesis has done the needful. This should serve as a lesson to our politicians who get blinded by selfish ambition to get things their way even if it is against the common good of their citizens. Don’t forget. NEMESIS is around the corner waiting to get justice for the people who the selfish ones always think are helpless.