In Defence Of Odili …A Prophetic View Beyond 2015

For a moment, let’s just think aloud, agreed that in politics, as in any inappropriate liaison with a spouse, it is not what a man says that is important, it is in fact, what he does have to say.

If therefore, former Governor of Rivers State, and first from the Niger Delta to get, barely a kilometre’s touch to the Presidency of Nigeria, Dr Peter Odili, were to be asked why he prefers former Military President, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) to fellow ‘kinsman and incumbent President Goodluck  Ebele Jonathan, his flawless oratory would come alive, even magically.

Far far away from the nastiest things pro-democracy groups would like Nigerians to remember, like: the unresolved murder of the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch Magazine, late Dele Giwa, and the annulment of the June 12, 1992 elections generally presumed to be the freest and won by late Moshood Abiola; the clouds surrounding the undying $12 billion Gulf War windfall; wrongly or rightly, his perceived ambition to rule Nigeria for life, and most importantly, the general’s outrageous investments and bewildering personal estates, former Governor Odili, for instance, will explain why IBB is the most suited for the Nigerian Presidency and list a whole lot.

Odili would, I can swear, look straight into the eyes of his interviewer, never mind the saying that “If a politician looks unsquintingly into your eyes and makes promises, know, he is lying”, and tell his listener how IBB’s wealth of experience, rare patriotism and adept knowledge of governance can alone address, in a lasting manner, the fluctuating fortunes of a nation which at 50, is still slaving to provide her peoples regular electricity supply needed to revamp comatose industries, provide jobs, depart from the substantially oil-based monolithic economy and help Nigeria earn the most elusive global respect that would, once again, see her as giant of Africa.

To appreciate this line of thought, one needs to know the many qualities of Odili, a man so powerful, the only power he lacks being, turning a woman into a man, if even he is a medical doctor by calling.

Like the indigent Jonathan from Otueke in Ogbia, Bayelsa State, Odili equally has a moving story of his growing-up years, enriched with how he once used a rickety auto-mobile owned by an uncle for ‘kabu-kabu’ in order to raise funds for his ticket to travel abroad for studies.

A dashing character, known for his unique dress code and interesting style, Odili is capable of disarming  any one alive, including retired generals, natural rulers, labour unions, churches or even criminals, and get what ever he wants or needs. Remember, in days leading to his re-election bid as governor of Rivers State in 2003, the politician confronted the fiercest of oppositions ever known.

Apart from striking teachers, the traditional political leadership in the state, all his known backers, political mentors if you like, among them, Chief Rufus Ada-George, late Chief Marshal Harry and late Chief A.K. Dikibo, among others, saw no use for him to return to power on account of poor performance, during his first tenure.

The general protest at the time was that Odili was using Rivers’ funds to oil his own later-day presidential machine, by making outrageous donations to traditional rulers in all major ethnic nations and stockpiling all manner of titles, including the one from The Source in Ife.

Those were days when, various associations, students groups, market unions, and even road-side mechanic ensembles, paid solidarity visits randomly, fed fat from Odili’s generosity and offered their phony assurances for his re-election. But did Odili need their votes?

At the end of that election, Odili scored far more votes than the number of voters registered. Even his opponents, who said they were disenfranchised and even tendered before the tribunal unstamped voters’ cards, didn’t know that while their bodies were against an Odili return to Brick House, their souls and spirits thought otherwise, and not merely voted, not using voters’ cards, they in fact, made sure that they invited even the dead to also ensure Odili’s victory in their large numbers. And the outcome showed so.

Weeks later, on May 1st, the Workers’ Day, at the Liberation Stadium, Elekahia, a grateful Governor Odili told Rivers workers how grateful he was for their support and love, and quickly added, “but una nearly put me for trouble-o with una plenty votes.” That said, the man’s aggressive PR machine and the unapologetic giver-instinct at once gushed forward as he doled out N2 million to each participating trade union, Agaba groups and other area boys.

A political marksman with an imposing personality, Odili is indeed an interesting politician to study. Many say any student of Ada-George should naturally be politically intelligent, savvy and tactical but Odili’s transcended all permutations.

For instance, within his eight years as governor, Odili made sure that all other governors saw him as a super governor, the golden governor, the governors’ governor, and indeed, heir apparent to the Presidency which Odili didn’t know in time, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was not keen to vacate in a hurry.

So close was the duo of Obasanjo and Odili that the very busy president visited Rivers more than 13 times, excluding that day, at the Liberation Stadium, when he told  bemused Rivers people that then Speaker Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi’s ambition to succeed Odili has K-leg, meaning, a virtual impossibility. All the rest is now history.

But not many are wont to accept that nothing comes between Odili and his own ambition. So, even in their strong political romance when Obasanjo mooted a third-term agenda, a step which had the likelihood of truncating Odili’s own projections to be President in 2007, rumours had it that he refused to break ranks with the many that vigorously lobbied members of the National Assembly to stop Obasanjo. By all means.

That deadly information apparently leaked out and an angry Obasanjo, we later heard, felt that an Odili Presidency would be the most tactless political step to take. That, rumours had it, was how a Nuhu Ribadu was unleashed on a virtually done-deal, and ended the Golden Governor’s dream of the Presidency.

That being so, if another opportunity offers itself, if you were Odili, what would you do? Where is that opportunity? In Jonathan’s election bid or IBB’s?

Luckily for Odili, IBB has publicly assured that all he needs today is a single tenure of four years only to ensure that the now contentious zoning formula imposed on the North and South was maintained. This means, a southern Vice President, preferably from the Niger Delta region, becomes the best bet for 2015. Is that where Odili’s hopes lie? If yes, what’s wrong with that?

Conversely, should Jonathan win the Presidency in 2011, chooses to leave only four years later in 2015 or even decides to seek a second term, as of  right, when will another South-South turn come? After Odili has long died and gone?

My Agony is that some supporters of Jonathan expect Odili to join their ranks, while after Obasanjo had favoured Yar’Adua for the job, he did not even consider the “Golden Governor” worthy enough for the position of vice president, and instead, chose Jonathan.

Methinks, Odili’s support for IBB is not for 2011, it is instead to water the political ground for 2015, rightly or wrongly but more of the former. So, why blame Odili?

Just thinking aloud. You too can.