Buhari: Waiting for another chance

 by: AUGUSTINE AVWODE

General Muhammadu Buhari, a former Head of State and three-time presidential candidate, has just clocked 70. Assistant Editor AUGUSTINE AVWODE reviews the political career of the General  from Daura, Katsina State. In view of plans for the opposition parties to present a united front against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, could the General beat the field at the fourth attempt?

IT is 28 years since he took the country by storm. His firm, fine and athletic figure find suitable complement in equally firm resolve to tackle a system that was about to spiral out of control. Together with his band, he struck on the very last day of the year, December 31, 1983. When he later addressed the nation, he sought to bolster the courage and determination to end the national drift.

“This generation of Nigerians, and indeed, future generations, have no country other than Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together”. It was the high point of a nation wide broadcast by Muhammadu Buhari in January 1984. He was then a Major General and just 42 years old. The broadcast signalled the end of the Second Republic under the leadership of Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari.

The last four of those days were marked by a near total breakdown of law and order, a burgeoning insecurity that stemmed from the bitter political wrangling generated by the 1983 general elections. The polity was characterized by endemic corruption, greed, avarice, and a lack of public probity and accountability. It was another sad military intervention in the affairs of Nigeria political history to halt the aimless drift of the ship of state. Nigerians embraced it for whatever value it promised to offer.

For Buhari, there was need to instill a sense of nationalism and patriotism in Nigerians. He sought frantically to arouse a sense of pride in their country, which was fast being eroded. Besides, he saw the urgent need to begin a culture of “doing the right thing in the right way”. And the regime demonstrated its commitment to the vision by quickly identifying indiscipline as the bane of the nation’s ills.

The regime’s War Against Indiscipline (WAI) was launched in different phases. The policy became very popular with Nigerians as it established orderliness, cleanliness, reduced corruption and rekindled nationalistic fervour and hope among Nigerians.

There was WAI (a) Queuing (March 20, 1984), (b) Work Ethics (May 1, 1984), (c) Nationalism and Patriotism (August 21, 1984), (d) Anti-Corruption and Economic Sabotage (May 14, 1985), (e) Environmental Sanitation (July 29, 1985).

Many would argue today that he was more of a fascist, having led a government that forbade discussion of national affairs and herded politicians before military tribunals that handed long sentences to almost all. Even those against whom nothing was found, men like Alhaji Lateef Jakande, former Vice President Alex Ekwueme and Second Republic President Shehu Shagari, were kept behind the bars for the 20 months that Buhari took charge of the federation.

On August 27, 1985, he was over-thrown by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

Military / public career

General Buhari started his military career when he joined the Nigerian Military Training School, Kaduna, in 1963 about two years after completing his secondary school education. In October of the same year, he was sent to the Officers’ Cadet School in Aldershot, the United Kingdom, was thereafter commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1963 and posted to the 2nd Infantry Battalion, Abeokuta as Platoon Commander.

He became the Commander, 31st Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, in February 1970 and in July 1971 became the Assistant Adjutant-General, 1st Infantry Division Headquarters. In September 1974, he was made Acting Director, Supply and Transport, Nigeria Army Corps of supply and Transport. And in August 1975 became the Military Governor, North Eastern State of Nigeria. He was appointed Federal Commissioner for Petroleum Resources in March 1976 and held the position till June 1978. He also emerged the Chairman, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, June 1978 and returned to full military duties as Military Secretary, Army Headquarters, in July 1978.

Meanwhile he had been appointed as a member of the Supreme Military Council since March 1976, the highest policy making organ in the country then and remained a member till June 1979. He became the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 4th Infantry Division, August 1980 to January 1981; General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2nd Mechanised Infantry Division, January 1981 to October 1981 and the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3rd Armed Division, Nigerian Army, from October 1981 to December 1983. It was from there he emerged as the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces on December 31, 1983 till August 1985.

Apart from the numerous formations where he worked in leadership capacity in the Nigeria Army, he left indelible mark in the various political offices and appointments he held. It was during his tenure that the Nigerian National Oil Corporation and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources were reorganised to form the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and he became its first Chairman. He spearheaded the construction of 20 oil depots throughout the country, a project involving over 3200 kilometers of pipelines. Under his leadership both Warri and Kaduna Refineries were built. He later served as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund established by the late General Sani Abacha.

Search for second chance

Eighteen years after he was removed from office in a bloodless coup, Buhari began the process of seeking for a second chance to lead the country again. He firmly believes in the enormous potential of Nigeria to be a great nation owing to the abundance of human and natural resources. Unfortunately, this has been so grossly mismanaged to the eternal chagrin of the people and the country.

In 2003, Buhari contested the presidential election as the candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). But the results did not favour him. He was defeated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s President Olusegun Obasanjo. Buhari’s supporters and other members of the opposition claimed that in some states, like Ebonyi, there were more votes than there were registered voters. Although some allegations of fraud were proven in the courts and the conduct of the election was criticized by the Commonwealth Observer Group, the courts decided that the level of proven electoral fraud was not sufficient to affect the outcome of the election and to warrant the cancellation of the whole Presidential election.

On December 18, 2006, Buhari was nominated as the consensus candidate of the ANPP. His main challenger in the April 2007 polls the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of PDP, who hailed from the same home state of Katsina. He was again defeated but rejected the results. After Yar’Adua took office, the ANPP agreed to join his government, but Buhari denounced this agreement.

In March 2010, Buhari left the ANPP with some of his loyalists to form the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). He emerged as the CPC presidential candidate in the April 16, 2011 general election, running against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and Ibrahim Shekarau of ANPP. They were the major contenders among 20 contestants.

He scored 12,214,853 votes to place second to President Goodluck Jonathan who polled 22,495,187 votes and was declared the winner.

Making it the third time he would be aiming to lead the country again.

While concluding his campaign for the 2011 election, General Buhari wept for Nigeria. Almost a year later, he explained to journalists why he wept.

According to him, the appalling state of Nigeria and the hardship of the citizens in the midst of abundance compelled him to weep openly for the nation in 2011. In his words: “This is a country that is well-blessed both materially and otherwise. God has blessed us more than we expected. We have so much land for agriculture.

“But majority of Nigerians can’t send their children to school, can’t afford medicine for their children, and no potable water to drink. Where does the money go to? This was why I broke down when I was rounding off up my presidential campaign in 2011.

“From the level of exporter we have moved to the level of importer of oil? Are you surprised? All the infrastructure were allowed to die and decay. And now they say they want to remove subsidy. I was there when the refineries were built with Nigeria money and we didn’t borrow any kobo to do that,” he explained as he visited the headquarters of the CPC in Utako, Abuja in June this year.

What hope for the future?

After three attempts, and now 70, is there any hope of realising his ambition to rule Nigeria? Will 2015 finally reward him for his tenacity of purpose?

Buhari had initially given signals that the 2011 presidential contest would be his last. While drawing the curtain on his presidential campaign for the 2011 election, he said “unlike the previous two – 2003 and 2007, our victory is assured as evidenced by the unprecedented turnout by people and spontaneous popular acclaim all over the country. This campaign is the third and last one for me since, after it, I will not present myself again for election into the office of the president”.

But, he later said he would wait for the outcome of the case in court before deciding on his political future. The apex court affirmed the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari soon served notice that he could take one more chance in his bid to ostensibly rescue Nigeria.

While hosting members of his party from Niger State at his Kaduna residence in May, Buhari said: “God willing, something will happen in 2015.” He urged the electoral umpire to ensure a free and fair conduct of the 2015 elections so that Nigeria can move forward”. he however warned that “If what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.” He was roundly condemned by critics who said the General has a penchant for instigating violence. But his supporters and the opposition rallied round him and explained that he has been misinterpreted. The opposition insisted that only a mind fixated on rigging would be afraid of what Buhari said.

Since that time, events have moved on to the fast lane as the CPC, the ACN and ANPP have proved beyond any doubt, at least for now, that they are ready to merge into one party strong enough to give the ruling party a good fight in 2015.

Speaking in September, Buhari promised to join forces with other well-meaning Nigerians to ensure free, fair and credible elections in 2015. He acknowledged that opposition parties’ merger plans were on course to wrest power from the PDP in 2015.

“The type of rigging pattern perfected by the PDP must be stopped. People must be allowed to vote for candidates of their choice. If our election processes are free, fair and credible, there will be no problem in Nigeria.

“The PDP has said that they will rule forever and I know this is not possible”, Buhari said. He added that : “I am sure if you go down memory lane, you will see what we have gone through. In 2010 when opposition parties tried to merge and form an alliance, there was no time. And there must be understanding from parties to accept an alliance. Now, the time is on our side. The ACN, the CPC and the ANPP have realised now that to defeat PDP, opposition parties must come together. The merger is on course.”

The same optimism has been expressed by the ANPP which has revealed that efforts would be made to conclude the merger arrangement with other opposition political parties by the first quarter of 2013 in order to produce the next president in 2015.

Speaking in Enugu at its 2012 South-East zonal summit, the party’s national chairman, Rebuilding and Interparty Contact Committee, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said the 21-man committee would come out with the new identity of the merger by 2013.

Shekarau said the ANPP was already in merger talks with the CPC, ACN, Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and Governor Rochas Okorocha’s faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, among others.

According to the former Kano State governor “The merger plan will be concluded not later than the first quarter of next year so that we would have at least two years to go into every nook and cranny of the country before the 2015 general elections. This committee was put up by the party to catch up with the views, aspirations and visions of ordinary Nigerians for change for the better”.

Given his towering figure, the large followership which he enjoys, especially in the North, Buhari may yet again get the nod to vie for the plum position the fourth time. And given the strength of the opposition just now in the country, which has succeeded in reducing the absolute majority hitherto enjoyed by the PDP, and with little luck in terms of good performance by the electoral umpire, who knows, General Muhammadu Buhari may yet realise his dream to help reshape Nigeria to make it the country of our dreams.

However, his critics have been unrelenting in painting him as a sectional leader who is not fit to rule the country again. They not only describe him as an ethnic jingoist, he is nearly always portrayed as a religious bigot following comments credited to him on the need for implementation of Sharia Law in the country.

Besides, those who have an axe to grind with him describe his prosecution of the WAI programme, for which he is famous, as highhanded. His regime is alleged to have flouted or violated some of the cardinal principles of human rights.

Besides, some of his Decrees are said to be too draconian, self serving and the worst in the land. Critics readily point to such decrees as Decree 2 of 1984 (State Security (detention of persons), which gave the regime wide discretionary powers to detain individuals. The Public Officers (Protection against False Accusation) Decree. The Exchange Control Anti-Sabotage Decree; The Robbery Firearms (Special Provisions) Decree, among others.

Admirers’ testimonies

But notwithstanding the opinion of critics, his admirers have been singing his praises and pouring encomiums on him. National Leader, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in a goodwill message to Buhari on Monday said: “General Muhhamadu Buhari represents discipline, modesty, integrity and fidelity, four traits rare in our political establishment. As such he is a precious commodity and it is wise for us to value and celebrate what is precious among us. Apart from the revered Aminu Kano, no other individual in the North has gained the passionate followership among the common people as has Muhammadu Buhari.

“His politics are people-centric and borrowed heavily from Aminu Kano. He has transformed himself from a military leader to a warrior for democracy and good governance. As a democratic warrior, he has been tireless and he will not stop until victory is achieved.

“Unfortunately, General Buhari has had to fight a political system so heavily infused with corrupt money that the will of the people is regularly shortchanged. This principled and decent man not only stands firm but shall stand tall when the history of this period is written. That history will say here was a man who could have sided with the powerful and the elite to live a life of soft comfort and easy choices. Instead, he joined hands with the poor, humble and broken. He did this because he wanted to be on the side of those who sought to save Nigeria, not those who tried to milk and bleed her to their own advantage.”

Prince Tony Momoh, the national chairman of the CPC said this of him: “As a citizen, the inimitable discipline and dedication – firmly rooted in your being – speak eloquently of your patriotic fervour four your nation. As a family man, you have shown tenderness and loving devotion.

“As a soldier, you were never wanting in courage and loyalty. During the civil war, you humanely supported the weak (among the enemy) whilst not compromising unwavering commitment to your commission.

“As a politician, you have shown decency, honesty and truth, rather than employing the despicable tactics of the unconscionable politician in this clime, you have consistently chosen to ventilate your grievance against the pervasive corruption of the nation’s electoral system in courts.

“As a national leader, you have shown humility and honour. In the midst of bare-faced imprudence and kleptomania among the leaders in pulverizing the nation, you shine like a million stars.

… We stand on the high mountain of the land to trumpet the worthiness of your character and the integrity of your persona. May your tribe increase”

Coming from such a high pedestal, and as has been generally attested to by almost all, friends and foes alike, to say that General Mohammadu Buhari (GMB) is a Nigerian in a class of his own, cannot be an exaggeration. It is simply a statement of fact. For now, finger are crossed and Nigerians wait for what happens in 2015.

TheNation