It's payback time for Ibrahim Babangida, Abubakar Atiku and Mohammadu Buhari, the trio that ganged up against General Olusegun Obasanjo. The President now plots against his detractors by ensuring his successor is none of them.
A strong indication has emerged that with the third term bid that has hit the rock, President Olusegun Obasanjo and his loyalists have concluded plans to throw their weight behind the River State governor, Chief (Dr.) Peter Odili for 2007 presidency, while either the Nasarawa State governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu , the former Kano State governor, Dr. Rabidu Musa Kwankwaso may be tipped for the post of vice president.
However, our source who preferred annony-mity, stated that following its failure to have its way over the tenure elongation, the presidency has equally resolved to stop vice President Atiku Abubakar, Muhammadu Buhari and ex-military president Ibrahim Babangida in their presidential bids.
Our source stated that unknown to many Nigerians and politicians, the third term agenda was used as a diversionary tactic to test those to be entrusted with power. He added that the caucus loyal to Obasonjo were so happy that the vice-president, Atiku Abubakar played to the gallery, a situation they realized had worked him out of clinching the presidency in 2007.
Based on the available variable factors and the more by hardened supporters of Obasanjo, they were of the opinion that 2007 presidency have to be given to a real supporter of the third term bid. Our source further stated that since the people of the South South had never tasted power before, a credible candidate who deserved the post was the River State governor, Chief Peter Odili.
Apart from the post of presidency slated for Chief Odili, the presidency also wants one who has consistently stood behind Obasanjo, and they found out that the Nasarawa State governor merited the criteria. However, they were also of the belief that the former Kano State governor, Dr. Musa Kwankwaso, now the Minister of Defence should be considered as according to them he was a tested and trusted politician.
Said he: “Since the third term bid has died a meeting would be organised probably next month to consider the likely candidate that will shoulder the responsibility of steering the affairs of the country.” Hon. Dantiye noted that all the people that fought against the third term issue, did not see it as a war against Obasanjo, or against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but as a war to liberate the country from being hijacked by a dictator.
He pointed out that nobody should ascribe a monopoly of knowledge to himself. Hon. Dantiye pointed out that government programmes was a continuous process and it did not matter if Obasanjo left government today, all the laudable projects embarked upon by him would not die since they were for the interest of the teeming masses.
The lawmaker therefore declared that right from the onset, people knew that third term end was meant to satisfy the selfish desire of an individual and not in the over all interest of the common man. Hon. Dantiye added that the issue of third term had killed many things in the country. He then posited that with the death of the third term agenda, the business activities would pick up again.
Presidency’s core loyalists and some proponents of the failed third term bill may have continued to blame the failure of the efforts to achieve their aim for elongation of tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo on the sack of Senator Adolphus Wabara as Senate President a few months ago. Senator Wabara had lost his job following allegations of N55 million bribe for budget in which he was allegedly involved with some senators and a member of the House of Representatives, and it was the belief in some quarters that the Senate President should have been spared given his closeness with President Obasanjo.
Saturday Tribune learnt that the presidency camp had indeed expressed worries that Senator Ken Nnamani, the incumbent Senate President would not allow them to realise their dream of making Obasanjo to enjoy a tenure elongation. Sources disclosed to the ST on condition of anonymity that the incumbent Senate President had long been predicted not to be in the mood to help their cause on the account that President Obasanjo never favoured him to become the Senate President.
The president had thrown his weight behind Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a factor that might have induced a lukewarm attitude in the present Senate President to support the third-term bid. Still another source profferred that if a former Senate President, Senator Wabara, had been allowed to continue in office he would have managed to save the vexed bill.
Indeed, upon the sighing of defeat on the constitution amendment bill by the presidency and its sympathisers, several emissaries were said to have been sent to the Abia Senator to please support the third term for the president and help also to lobby his colleagues to do same. He was equally said to have received several text messages on his GSM set pleading passionately with him, with many of the message coming from some people close to the seat of power.
According to findings, some of the text messages had admonished Wabara to forget the past, reminding him that everything in the world come turn by turn. In one of the messages, the sender had confessed that the passage of the vexed third term clause would have been a foregone conclusion if Wabara had been the Senate President, but still pleaded with him to go ahead and vote for elongation of tenure for Obasanjo, with an assurance that things were going to be okay between him and the president in future.
Meanwhile, it seems the President is already on a farewell tour of the country as he has just concluded a two-day visit to Ekiti State, the second of such visit in 12 months. Today, he will begin a tour of Rivers State while other state tours are lined up.
