Third Term Not Over - Soyinka

Nigerians have been advised not to  jubilate over the seeming termination of the ambition of President  Olusegun Obasanjo, saying the was President is unrelenting in his desire to stay in office longer than 2007. Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, warned Nigerians to remain vigilant despite the recent defeat of the third term at the National Assembly.

The Nobel Laureate spoke in Lagos at the presentation of his autobiography: 'You Set Forth at Dawn,' and admonished Nigerians to be battle ready at all times for the struggle against anti-democratic forces.

He explained his position: "I'm speaking from psychological point of view that one has learnt to study power. One has learnt to recognise certain syndrome of obsession and I think that we have been through an expression and manifestation of certain syndrome and, therefore, my assessment, my feelings.

"I'm speaking again as a student of psychology of power that after the initial feeling of deflation, that the mind of the power obsessed, will start re-inventing itself, recharging itself and thinking of ways in which the original obsession might be fulfilled. “So, I was speaking purely from psychological point of view. I do not believe that the President has given up."

The Senate, had two weeks ago, killed the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Amendment) Bill, 2006, which, among others, contained a clause that sought to increase the tenure of the President from two to three terms of four years each.
With the death of the bill that contained 116 clauses in the Senate, the House of Representatives had to withdraw it and effectively rested the controversial move to add more years to the President’s tenure.

Since its death, there has been dancing on the streets across the nation, with many politicians, including Vice President Atiku Abubakar, however, expressing cynicism about the President’s acceptance of defeat.

They have, therefore, persistently warned Nigerians not to lower their guards and be ready for fresh antics of the President and his friends.

Speaking specifically on his  memoirs, Soyinka described the book as a reflection of the significance of his life and said it was one tasking adventure which he had to battle with.

He recalled how he abandoned the project for no fewer than 18 months, as a result of some emerging circumstances which according to him were not healthy for the society.

He said: "I saw it as a narrative of certain significant aspects of my life. This was one of the most difficult things I have done, mostly because I didn't want to do it. It was what one didn't feel like doing. I even just left it for about 18 months that I didn't touch it and I went back to it. It was very, very difficult.

"With fiction, you can organize your characters as you want what any character of your own fiction will become; I can send them on a journey, I can make them disappear. I can bring them back again. “But when you are writing your own life story, you want to be as factual, as truthful as possible. You have to check and recheck and then your editors will check; the publishers check back to make sure that your memory has not failed.”

Explaining the reason he had to break certain rules while doing the writing and thus abandoning the project for one and half years, he said the deteriorating situation of the society compelled him to do so.

He stated: "From time to time, I have always felt an obligation to try and correct falsehood. I began this memoirs at a time that things were getting rather wrong and I wasn't sure that I might make it," adding that despite the completion of the memoirs, "it is not accurate to say I'm fulfilled at the moment."

The chairman of the presentation, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who described Soyinka as the conscience of the society, added that the famous playwright had over the years, fought for justice and the liberation of Nigerians.

Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu represented by his deputy, Mr. Femi Pedro, described Soyinka's life as an open book, stating that the social critic had been an epitome of integrity, love and justice in the society.

In his own speech, Vice President Atiku Abubakar represented by Mr. Peter Okocha, described Soyinka "as a jewel who cannot be equaled for now."

Further, he said Soyinka is an "elephant who nobody understands and his size has really helped in many ways in the transformation of Nigeria. He has presented himself all through his life as a detribalised person. He is a colossus."
Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Chief Joel Ogundeji, noted that "Soyinka is like a salt which makes food to regain the real taste.  We are proud of him."

Also present at the presentation were former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, former Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Prof. Ayo Banjo, former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye, former Head of Department of English of the University of Ibadan and poet, Prof. Niyi Osundare, the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, and renowned poet, Mr. Odia Ofeimum.

Meanwhile, members of the National Assembly who opposed the third term agenda of the President have raised alarm over what they described as a conspiracy by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make Obasanjo stay in office beyond May 29, 2007.
The lawmakers equally accused the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Nuhu Ribadu of yielding himself to be used as "the thin end of the bigger hammer of Aso-teleguided democracy" in the tenure elongation plot.
In a press conference yesterday at the National Assembly, the anti-third term lawmakers under the umbrella "2007 Movement" faulted INEC's proposal to hold elections between 7th and 28th April, 2007, saying the schedule of elections was clearly at variance with Section 134 of the Constitution.

They spoke through their chairman, Senator Uche Chukwumerije.

The outline of the electoral schedule (April 7 to 28) by INEC compromises the spirit of the Constitution. If INEC limits its election time-table to this straight jacket, the prospects of a regime change on May 29, 2007, will be dim," cautioned the lawmakers.

Continued Forum 2007: "INEC's outline (schedule) raises some questions... [a] situation in which the constitutional stipulation of conclusive presidential election 30 days before the expiration of the incumbent's tenure is violated...automatically means tenure elongation for the incumbent.

"It is clear that the period available to INEC to conduct elections and run-off elections is at most, March 29 to April 14-if we discountenance the accommodation of any eventuality that may lead to a postponement of any of the elections.

"Any election time-table short of this is inconsistent with sub sections 4 and 5 of Section 134, and subsections 3, 4 and 5 of Section 79 of the 1999 Constitution," warned the lawmakers.”

They claimed INEC was mindful of the nullity of conducting elections outside of the provisions of the Constitution, but cautioned that "if however, INEC insists on implementing its proposed time-table, the executive arm of government should be prepared to bear the blame for the action."

Apart from calling for elections to begin on March 29 as against INEC's April 7, the lawmakers harped on the need for INEC to conduct presidential and governor ship elections last, "to avoid the whirlwinds and bandwagon effect."

They took issues with the EFCC chairman over what they said were his inflammatory utterances on the 2007 elections. Forum 2007 advised the EFCC boss to channel his energies in bringing to book brains behind the recent N50 million bribe allegedly given to each pro-third term legislator to vote for tenure elongation.