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No matter what the psychologists will make us to believe, it is extremely difficult if not impossible for any person to know exactly what is in another person’s mind, much more the prodigous mind of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Last Wednesday, February 31, 2018, Chief Obasanjo made good his intention to establish his pet project, the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, when it was formally launched in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The launching of the movement, which was spearheaded by two former governors, Prince Olagunsoye Onyinlola of Osun State and Mr. Donald Duke of Cross River State, also attracted some notable personalities from across the political divide.
Obasanjo registered his membership of the movement when it was launched in his home state, Ogun, the next day. The former President however said that he would not want the movement to be transformed to a political party, but should remain as a mere pressure group.
“Any moment the Coalition for Nigeria Movement is transformed to a political party, I will resign my membership of the group”, he emphatically stated.
But this does not seem to be the thinking of Onyilola and Duke, his leading foot soldiers, who though acknowledging the fact that the Coalition might not be able to make meaningful impact in next year’s general elections, however, said that they would gradually make the movement a strong force to be reckoned with in the country.
Obasanjo had previously passed a vote of no confidence on both the APC and the PDP, the two leading political parties in the country. He said that the two parties offered no hope for Nigerians because they have disappointed the people. At the same time, he does not want his Coalition for Nigeria Movement to be transformed to a political party.
Thus, since, according to Obasanjo, it is neither APC nor PDP, and not even the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, that Nigerians should look up to in 2019, how then does he want to see the various offices slated for election next year to be occupied?
In other words, what does Obasanjo want to achieve with his Coalition for Nigeria Movement? What exactly is in his mind?
We can only make some guesses since it is only Obasanjo that knows what exactly is in his mind. Here, we have two scenarios.
The first scenario is a situation where Obasanjo will adopt the posture of”Sidon look”, apologies to Bola Ige while objecting to General Sani Abacha’s “five laperous fingers oC one hand”, which was Ige’s description of the five political parties that adopted Sani Abacha, asking him to transform to a civilian President.
In that case, Obasanjo would no longer be active in politics. He would no longer support, or try to impose any presidential candidate on the people. He would be merely watching from the background for whoever Nigerians would decide to elect as their President so that nobody would turn round to blame him, if such a fellow does not perform.
He had produced three Presidentts who consistently had failed him. He was the person that brought out Musa Yar’Adua, and the man died in office. He propped up Goodluck Jonathan, he failed him. He campaigned for Muhammadu Buhari, and Buhari became a disappointment.
Obasanjo who is now in the evening of his life would no longer want to carry the burden or to be blamed for the failures of other people. Since all these people who held forte after him could not learn from him, or saw how he had performed like super human, and diligently discharged the functions of his office, he would no longer share in their blames. Let each person carry his own cross.
But this scenario appears too infantile and defeatist for a character like OBJ. He is not such a person that will remain silent or close his eyes to events happenings in Nigeria. Not when he is still alive and healthy.
The second scenario is that Nigerians will be goaded to believe that the present political class have failed them and that there was no need for the so-called elections that have consistently continued to recycle the same set of politicians that jump from one political party to another.
The people will feel disgusted about the political and economic situation in the country. They will no longer trust or have confidence in the political class because they have consistently failed them. They will rise against the system and call for a fresh start, a beginning from the beginning. They will refuse to continue pouring new wine into old calabashes. It is going to be a mass revolt, a repudiation of the old order. There will be confusion, a near anarchy.
In the midst of that confusion, the hopeless situation, the Coalition for Nigeria Movement will come to the rescue. It will become the symbol, the rallying point, and the vanguard of the struggle. It will draw many people to its side, offer them hope, and will become their mouth piece.
From there the people will begin to look for a selfless and patriotic leader, a messiah who will lead the country out of the doldrums, a man with vision, foresight and energy. They will find him in no other person than in Chief Matthew Okikiola Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, PhD, the General of the Generals.
They will approach him and beg him to “come over to Macedonia and help us”. In the end, what the Third Term gamble had failed to achieve, will be easily delivered through the Coalition for Nigeria Movement.
