The Nation Newspaper

Tag: renewed

  • PDP’s renewed threat

    PDP’s renewed threat

    Since the Ahmed Makarfi faction of the beleaguered Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the ferocious legal battle for its control, things have been looking up for the main opposition party.

    Amid the euphoria of the victory, the party has renewed so stridently its threat to return to power in 2019. Its leading lights have suddenly found their voices, which had been muffled and muzzled by the civil war that wracked the party.

    Ayo Fayose, the energetic loudmouth governor of Ekiti State, has announced his political future. He wants to be president. The Makarfi faction offered the Ali Modu Sheriff faction a general amnesty, which it rejected, vowing to fight on as if  litigation is a Lagos owambe street revelry that goes on ad infinitum.

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan took some time off the lecture circuit to join the jollification. He urged party chiefs not to see the Supreme Court’s verdict as “victory for a section of the party but as moral victory for constitutionality over arbitrariness”.

    “I believe in our jurists. We may have issues with some individuals but the Nigerian judiciary deserves respect and commendation,” Dr Jonathan said. He was not done. “I hereby call on all those who left the party…to return to their natural home and build the PDP. We see Nigerians as human beings, deserving of the rule of law, separation of power and free market economy that provides level playing ground for all.

    “The party that gave Nigeria the largest economy in Africa is a party with large heart enough to find a place for all Nigerians.”

    Dr Jonathan has said it all. Rule of law. Respect for Nigerians. Separation of powers.  And free market economy. Consider the case of the judiciary. The other day when Directorate of State Services (DSS) operatives stormed the homes of some judges, rousing them from sleep and seizing them as if they were some amateur Lagos pickpockets, there were no protests. In those good old days of the PDP, could such an egregious abuse of privacy have been imagined let alone executed in such a brutal manner that left so much to be desired about our human rights identity? Never.  Such a plan would never have seen the light of day.

    Can judges, who are seen to be next to the gods, be corruptible? Even if they are, is it fit and proper for some young gun-wielding fellows to grab them and whisk them off to be detained? Where is the old respect and adulation and admiration and veneration for judges even when hefty sums in hard currency are found in their bedrooms?

    They said they found vaults of huge sums of money in various currencies in their Lordships’ homes, questioned them and hauled them before their brother judges who wasted no time in applying the law.

    Is it a crime to own a vault? Is owning a vault a symbol of corruption? Has anybody complained that his money is missing? Is corruption the same as stealing? Wasn’t that argument settled a long time ago? It is all muddled up.

    Those who know nothing about the spirit and the principle of law and the workings of jurisprudential theories attacked their Lordships and claimed that there was enough evidence to nail the beleaguered judges. Of course, the ignorant few who raised such vacuous objection were simply ignored. Today, the judges have gone back to their courts, dispensing justice. I hope they have forgiven all those who played one role or the other in their travails. It is a measure of their unusual magnanimity that their Lordships have not demanded apologies nor claimed damages from the government for the brazen assault on their privacy and integrity.

    Again, could that have happened in the days of the PDP? Never. Now the PDP has vowed to reverse such injustice.

    At the National Assembly, the news is always about one pet project or the other that has little  to do with the public interest. Lawmaking has taken the back seat. What better proof do we need than the Bill on amnesty for treasury looters. How could it have taken so long to pass  such a law?

    In the days of the PDP, it would have zipped through without all the noise, even from people who know nothing about lawmaking.

    The other day when Sambo Dasuki, the young man who manned the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in the Jonathan administration, spoke of how Boko Haram had been defeated before the Buhari administration took the reins, the Presidency urged Nigerians to ignore him.

    Not so fast, I dare say. When PDP eventually carries out its threat to return to power, the Dasuki imbroglio, I bet, will be the first to be settled. Here is a man who was only obeying presidential orders. Now he has been bundled into detention for allegedly disbursing some $2.1b  meant for arms to fight Boko Haram.

    Walking free are some of those who confessed to participating in the massive bazaar Dasuki is being accused of superintending. Former Sokoto Governor Attahiru Bafarawa said he got N200m for prayers. A politician who obviously has some experience in spiritual matters has reckoned that the country would not have slipped into this biting recession if the Buhari administration had paid attention to prayers, dishing out hefty grants on such a venture.

    No doubt the PDP is not only the biggest party in Africa, it is the most spiritual. Its return will guarantee steady income for marabouts, necromancers, soothsayers and seers whose lucrative trade has fallen on bad times since the party left power. Were it not for their prayers, you will agree with me, the recession would have landed here a long time ago.

    Besides, when experts cried that the hard times were imminent, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo – Iweala, arguably one of our most inventive ever, simply dug into her bag of tricks and pulled out one that reset the engine. She announced the rebasing of the economy. Suddenly, the troubled economy became Africa’s largest. We hailed the magic formula. Only the PDP could have pulled off such a rare feat.

    Okonjo-Iweala was later quoted as saying: “I told them to save ahead of eventualities but Jonathan had no political will to do so and this is the reason why we are in crisis, because we squandered our boom.”

    Is she also getting set for the PDP’s return to power?

    Since the PDP left, the Naira has suffered many reversals – and abuses. Some prominent citizens, obviously afraid that they could be accused of either stealing or corruption, buried their fortune (dollar bills and more) in cemeteries. Others built or hired safe houses to keep theirs.

    Former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) chief Andrew Yakubu hid his in a bungalow tucked away in a derelict part of Kaduna. A whistle-blower squealed on him. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the place and hauled out the cash, some $79m. Now, Yakubu has launched a desperate legal battle to recover the cash, which he swore was a gift from his ever appreciative friends.

    In the days of the PDP, nobody hid cash. In fact, the dollar was the preferred currency in hotels and some elitist businesses. It was sprayed at private parties by the wealthy who pasted it on the foreheads of musicians either as a mark of appreciation of their art or simply to show class and style. Will the PDP bring back such good times?

    What role for Dr Jonathan and his amiable consort, Dame Patience Jonathan? A colleague recalled the other day how Mama Peace was wondering what the change slogan was all about. In a classic instance of the wothering putdown for which the former First Lady is well known, she was quoted as saying: “These people shouting ‘change’, ‘change’, dem be bus conductor?”

    Poor lady. She has been fighting to retrieve a $15m fortune which a court ordered to be frozen. She got reprieve from the courts, but the EFCC won’t let go; it appealed a court ruling granting her custody of the money, which the affable woman claimed to have inherited from her loving mother.

    In the days of the PDP, who would have questioned the First Lady’s right to inherit her mother’s treasure?

    The ruling APC believes the PDP is only dreaming. Really? Here is a party that threatened to rule for 60 years, in the first instance. It was on course for 16 unbroken years, until fate supervened and truncated the journey. Well, a journey of fantasy is no political sin; the APC should concede to the opposition party its right to dream.

    A reader, who obviously supports the APC’s position, sent me one of the posters that were common on the Internet before the 2015 election. It reads: “Final word. Thou shall say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house to die there. Jeremiah 38: 26. Vote wisely.”

    Without dreams there will be no expression for our abundant talents and energy. Dreams spark off the fire of ambition, which is pursued relentlessly by will. With dreams, there will be competition, which enlivens life.

    The PDP has the right imagination., however deluded Shouldn’t it be allowed to exercise it?

  • Ajaokuta: hope renewed?

    •We must get it right this time if we are truly desirous of industrialising

    Thirty-seven years after its establishment, and eight years after a rather acrimonious parting with India’s Global Steel Holdings Limited (GSHL) to which it was sold in controversial circumstances in May 2007, the multi-billion dollar Ajaokuta Steel Company, has another chance to get back into business. Last week, solid minerals development minister, Kayode Fayemi, announced that both the Federal Government and GSHL had forged a renegotiated concession agreement under which the ownership of the steel complex reverts to the Federal Government while the concessionaires, GSHL retain the ownership of the ore producing company – the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), at Itakpe.

    Considering that the arbitral proceedings have been on for the whole of the last eight years, it is no doubt a major step forward for the two parties. One only needs to recall the bitter recriminations and bad faith exhibited at the initial stage of the botched agreement to appreciate the import of the agreement which in every respect now looks a win-win. By freeing the steel complex of all encumbrances, the nation is not only offered the opportunity for a fresh start, its aspirations in steel production are once again revived. On the other hand, an Iron Ore Mining Company in the hand of GSHL, in addition to its bountiful rewards, keeps the nation’s dream of backward integration alive.

    We hope both parties have learnt their lessons, the most important of which is the need for fidelity to the letters and spirit of negotiated agreement. If we may remind both parties of the reason why the initial agreement was botched; for GSHL it was on account of its failure to adhere strictly to the terms of that initial agreement; while for the Federal Government, it was the sloppy crafting by unpatriotic officials that handed the Federal Government the wishy-washy agreement that left Nigeria with the short end of the stick.

    Today, we have a new agreement in place with two goals in sight: to bring NIOMCO to full function and to get a new operator to take over the steel complex. Those goals must remain in sight no matter the odds.

    Unfortunately, setting out worthy goals has proven to be the easier part – if the nation’s experiences are anything to go by. Indeed, Nigerians ought to be forgiven for growing weary of putting too much premium on them after seeing promises failing so soon after the high-octane affairs of putting pens on paper. Nigerians need to see concrete evidence that things will be different this time around. Considering the whopping $4.6 billion already sunk into the complex in the last 37 years, it is the least that the nation deserves.

    To realise the nation’s steel dreams, the road ahead, though long and arduous, calls for discipline. At this time, we can only advise the Federal Government to be wary of the shenanigans of bureaucrats; a group so adept at conflating their self-interests with the national interest, even if that risks stalling high priority projects interminably.

    Above all, it seems to us an inescapable part of the current demands for transparency that the Federal Government should want to make public the agreement between it and GSHL. That would allow Nigerians know the various milestones set out against their timelines to enable them judge whether or not progress is being made. The same would of course apply to the concessionaire for Ajaokuta Steel whenever the process is finalised. Given that time is of the essence, our expectation is that the Federal Government will immediately put in place a credible process to pick the operator for the steel complex. It’s probably the last chance for the nation to get it right.

     

  • Two killed in renewed Anambra/Kogi clash

    •Battle over oil well persists

    Two persons were yesterday beheaded and four others injured in a renewed clash between Anambra and Kogi States over the ownership of Orient Petroleum Resources Plc.

    The incident happened at Eziagulu Otu in Anambra East, near the Orient Petroleum Resources Ltd office.

    The attack is coming barely 24 hours after the firm’s  management informed the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, of its new wells in Aguleri, which would increase its crude oil production to 3,000 barrels per day by September.

    The attackers were said to have come from Ibaji in Kogi State.

    The injured persons, according to a source, had been admitted at a private hospital in Onitsha.

    According to sources, the attackers, stormed farms, surprising many who ran into the river.

    As at press time, it could not be ascertained whether some people were missing.

    A distress message received by The Nation read: “Information reaching our town indicates that Kogi people are right now attacking Eziagulu Otu and Enugu Otu in several groups and are about to overrun the area and the oil field facilities there.”

    A community leader, who pleaded for anonymity, described it as a sad situation.

    Police Commissioner Mr. Hosea Karma confirmed the incident. He said his men and the Kogi State police command had stepped in to stop further clash.

    “The attack is unfortunate. We have moved to the area but the terrain is posing a great challenge as it is surrounded by water,” Karma said.

  • ‘Foreigners behind renewed security threats in Niger Delta’

    ‘Foreigners behind renewed security threats in Niger Delta’

    A security expert, Benjamin Irikefe, was a member of the Presidential Panel on National Security (between 2001 and 2002) and also a member of the first Presidential Retreat on National Security held in August 2001. Irikefe, now the Secretary, Board of Trustees of the National Coalition for Jonathan and Sambo Presidency (NACOJSP), spoke with Eric Ikhilae.

    There is growing threat of renewed insurgent activities in the Niger Delta where the president hails from. Some groups have threatened to blow up some pipe lines, and people are saying that if the president cannot ensure security in his region there is guaranty that he will win the battle at the national level. What do you think?

    I will tell you categorically that militancy, in its true sense, has ended in the Niger Delta. The amnesty programme being coordinated by Kingsley Kuku has performed excellently well. What you have there now are just essentially criminal elements. Everybody can go to the cyber space and claim to be all kinds of things. Those who were doing the insurgency were agitators, they were not criminals. They were not faceless, and as soon as the Federal Government declared amnesty, they came out in the open and said ‘these are our grievances.’ And the Federal Government is doing very well. They are being trained; everything is in public domain. Many of them today are pilots, engineers and all kinds of professions, and some are doing education.

    So, if anybody tells you that there is an organized militancy in the place, that person is a liar and a wicked person.

    So, who are behind theses fresh threats?

    The issue has to do with criminal elements, who are interested in oil theft. It has become an organized crime, where foreign nationals—Indians, Philippines, Pakistanis and so on and so forth are coming to commit crimes in this place, trying to steal our crude oil. It is not the local Niger Delta people that have these vessels. So the common people are suffering in the midst of plenty due to this illegal bunkering.

    The ex-militant leaders have full control over their boys and the Federal Government’s amnesty programme under the leadership of Kuku has succeeded. In the whole world, this is the only amnesty programme where there is no United Nations involvement, it is home grown and it is a total success.

    So I will not agree with you that there is resurgence. You can only tell me or call it criminality, people want to get rich. If you check today’s newspapers, you will see the story of a Briton arrested in the Niger Delta over this. He even tried to offer 20 to 30 million naira bribe, but the JTF refused.

    Your group has asked the governments of Adamawa Borno and Yobe states to end insurgency in their states within 30 days, given that they have got security votes to address the security challenges. Do you think your request is appropriate, given that they do not control the military and the police?

    We are trying to point out that there is failed leadership here. If the leadership refused to provide for the youths, they become easy recruits to people, who can use them. This is because they become available to hungry power seekers and people who have agenda of trying to undermine the state, undermine the security and so on.

    So what this coalition is saying is that these governors are not doing enough to ensure that they provide employments for the youths; trying to empower people who, for instance are farmers, to get wholesome alternatives. That is the angle we are coming from.

    It is just a call that governors of these states must be alive to their responsibilities. That is just the long and short of it. It has nothing to do with the control of the security apparatus or security infrastructures.

    Do you believe that President Jonathan can win the next presidential election, given the current opposition against him?

    I must tell you with all sense of responsibility that, if you conduct an election today, President Jonathan will win 2015 election. The challenges of the country today are not caused by President Jonathan, they have been there. These problems have been there and this government has tried to address them.

    For instance, in the power sector, this is the first time in the history of the country that power has been handed over to core investors. Although we know that it will be expensive, but the issue of power is going to become a thing of the past very soon that even the artisans would begin to enjoy their businesses. Because of his leadership style, which has won people hearts, he will triumph over others. There are people who just woke up and think that they will get popularity by beginning to make unfounded criticisms of the president.

    This is the only country where people will just wake up and begin to abuse the president. These are people who have been made to become governors, people who have been made to become ministers, people who have been made to be federal legislators. They get up and abandon their political party just like a woman abandoning her husband and go outside her matrimonial home and begin to abuse the husband. I don’t have any doubt; it is not a question of whether President Jonathan will win the election. It is the margin. You will be surprised.

    What happens if the opposition defeats him?

    If Jonathan does not win, heaven will not fall. But his track records will speak for him at the election. I have given you an example here that out of the 100 percent, he has already scored 59 percent. He has already had about 59 out of 60 and just left with 40 percent in examination. But people who have zero percent because of the fact that they are moving from one political party to the other have lost 20 percent, so there is no way Jonathan will lose any election.

    What is your assessment of the President and his governance style?

    President Jonathan is a leader who has passion for leadership. He is a mobiliser, a harmonizer and a man of peace, who has a genuine desire to develop his country. But, who is confronted with daunting challenges, saboteurs, people who do not wish other well; those who just wake up in the morning and call others names. It’s like a case of a kettle calling pot black.

    So, even the international community looks at him as a man who is facing challenges that are not easy. They know that Nigeria is still a native country, with a lot of primordial groupings; anything you do, they hold you. They know that President Jonathan is not a weak leader. The only thing is that he is patient. Even my wife tells me at times that I am too patient and I just watch because at times when you react, many things will happen. That is it.

    You are rooting for the return of President Jonathan and Vice President Sambo in 2015. But, if you sample the opinion of Nigerians, many will tell you that both have not really done well, particularly in the area of security. What is your take on this?

     

    Well, I am not a mere person in security issues. Like I told you earlier, I was a member of the Presidential Panel on National Security. I understand the national security infrastructure, the national security procedures and the complex nature of the country.

    What is happening in the Northeast is an insurgency that is not domestic; that has its foreign components. You cannot say these people are poor Nigerians, because they have all kinds of weapons. They have rocket propelled grenades, they have brand new jeeps and they seemed not to be short of ammunition and so on and so forth. So, it is something that is alien.

    This security threat is not limited to Nigeria; let us not give the picture that Jonathan is weak. It is across the whole world. Right when the Pentagon, the most secured place in the whole world, with all the computers in the US, was bombed, this issue has become a global one.

    How do you see the future of the country with President Jonathan winning the next election, given the threat by the North that power must return to that part of the country, and a counter threat by some individuals in the Niger Delta that there will be war should he lose?

    Let me tell you, the mere fact that Nigeria has celebrated its centenary shows that Nigeria will not break up. I am not saying that if President Jonathan did not win the election, people will riot or there will be war and all that. But I know that based on his track record, victory will be on his side.

    I don’t see any alternative to President Jonathan at this time to rescue Nigeria from this chaos.

     

  • My US visa has just been renewed, Ex-VP tells ex-president

    My US visa has just been renewed, Ex-VP tells ex-president

    Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar replied yesterday to his former boss Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s allegation of corruption. He said his United State visa had just been renewed, contrary to the insinuations by ex-President Obasanjo.

    He also said he had visited the United States since he left office in 2007, adding that he had been investigated by many agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, but no allegation of corruption was found against him.

    Atiku, in a statement through his Media Adviser Mallam Garba Shehu, said he had no case to answer either in Nigeria or in the United States.

    The statement said: “The former President is wrong. It is widely known that Atiku didn’t enter government broke. He declared his assets at the commencement of his vice presidency and did so at the end of his term as required by the constitution, which is a sacred document to Atiku.

    “Atiku, who is currently returning from China after leading a private economic trade mission at the invitation of the Chinese government, travels often and has a well-documented record of building industries and putting thousands of Nigerians to work. And this record, quite frankly, has been thoroughly investigated.

    “Atiku has no case against him by any arm of the law in any country in the world, including the United States.

    “President Obasanjo’s repeated ‘jokes’ about Turaki not being able to go to America have become a cliché, tiresome and not true.”

    The Media Adviser insisted that Atiku visited the United States after leaving office.

    The statement added: “In 2006, former President Obasanjo sent his National Security Adviser (NSA) to stop Atiku from travelling to the US, saying that the Vice President risked arrest on arrival.

    “Turaki spurned that advice, left Nigeria to land at the Andrews Air Force Base, the official airport of the US government, to receive the best reception ever on a visit to America. So, we are used to those taunts.

    “When the former Vice President left office, shortly before the late Musa Yar’Adua was inaugurated as President, Atiku spent three months in the US. If they (US authorities) wanted him for anything, they would have met him.

    “It is time to start dealing in facts. Specifically, the fact that Atiku’s visa to visit the United States has been recently renewed.

    “Another fact is that Atiku is one of the most investigated politicians in Nigerian history. And every investigation, whether politically-motivated here at home or by the FBI abroad, has yielded the same result every time: not guilty.

    “If Atiku is guilty of anything, it is crushing persistent attempts at re-writing our constitution.

    “Atiku has chosen the path of optimism and hope. Moving forward, he will continue working to fuel Nigeria’s economy through investment and job creation, while also passionately and persistently defending our young democracy.”

  • Eight killed in renewed Plateau attacks

    Eight people were confirmed killed yesterday when two villages, Tanjol and Dukum, in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, were attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    The Media Information Officer of the Special Task Force (STF), Capt Salisu Mustapha, confirmed the killing.

    He said six people were killed and three others injured in Dakum.

    The STF spokesman added that two residents of Tanjol were ambushed and killed.

    He said the attacks were suspected to be reprisals following the killing of two cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen in the area.

    He said four suspects have been arrested but investigations is ongoing.

  • Soludo: A quest renewed

    Soludo: A quest renewed

    The last time they talked him into bidding for the PDP ticket in Anambra State’s gubernatorial race, the quest almost ended before it got under way.

    The “He” in this case, is Charles Chukwuma Soludo, decompressing in London, still not fully recovered from being edged out of his perch as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    The “they” here is rather amorphous, but the principal figure was President Umaru Yar’Adua, the person who had signed off on Soludo’s defenestration from the CBN, with other persons of consequence in the PDP who were forever scheming to “capture “ those states not governed by the biggest party in Africa.

    In his revealing January 21, 2013, Op-Ed piece for THISDAY (“What Obasanjo and Yar’Adua told me”) Soludo recalled how, on inquiring about him, Yar’Adua had been told that he was holidaying abroad and how he had been told that Yar’Adua would like to meet with him on his return.

    Their goal, Yar’Adua told Soludo when they finally met on July 26, 2009, was to get him voted governor of Anambra State in the election scheduled for February 2010 so as to finally endow the state with the leadership it had never had the good fortune to enjoy – the kind of leadership encapsulated in the technocratic skills Soludo had applied to nation’s economy and financial system, as well as his accomplishments in those fields.

    Why then was he denied a second term at the CBN?

    But I digress.

    If Soludo thought this was a fanciful goal, considering the power of incumbency in Nigerian politics and the rugged tenacity that the incumbent, Peter Obi, of the ANPP, had displayed over the years, not forgetting the malignant influence of the Ubah clan on the political life of the state, his diffidence must have dissolved there and then.

    Himself The Fixer, Tony Anenih, he was told, had been mobilised for the project and could hardly wait to go into action, if only to demonstrate that, recent setbacks not-withstanding, he was still a past master at turning losers into winners and winners into losers.

    Soludo did not have to make any commitment then. He should go discuss the matter with his family and associates. But if he decided to run, he would enter the race knowing that Yar’Adua would “come out fully” to ensure that he won the prize.

    His wife stood resolutely against the idea, but Soludo felt sufficiently buoyed by his consultations with friends and associates to tell Yar’Adua one month later that he was in the race, though not without preconditions.

    The Federal Government would have to build an airport and dredge the River Niger to enable medium-sized ships sail all the way to Onitsha, where an international seaport would have to be constructed. The Anambra-Kogi road would have to be upgraded to a dual-carriage highway. Because one-third of its land mass was threatened by soil erosion, Anambra would have to be given special drawing rights from the Ecological Fund.

    Nor was that all.

    The Federal Government would also have to complete the Greater Onitsha water scheme, designate Anambra an oil-producing state, and as a “pilot state” for large-scale commercial agriculture. Finally, it would have to speed up construction of the second Niger Bridge.

    With these things in place, Soludo said, he was confident that, after two terms of working 24 hours a day, he would have transformed Anambra to the point that Federal allocations would be devoted wholly to capital projects. Re-current expenditure would be wholly internally generated.

    But with all these things in place, who needs Soludo’s intimidating antecedents and credentials to transform Anambra into “an international city”? And why would the Federal Government do those things for Anambra and not for other states?

    But I digress again.

    The important thing is that Yar’Adua agreed to all these demands, according to Soludo, who then asked for four more weeks for wider consultations. The deal was sealed.

    Thereafter, the waters got muddied.

    Yar’Adua fell ill, went to seek treatment in Saudi Arabia, and was never in control again. Soludo’s78-year-old father was kidnapped. His captors demanded a ransom of N500 million, but later reduced it to N300 million, warning darkly that “the worst” would happen if the demand was not met promptly.They freed him unharmed after six weeks, under terms that were never disclosed.

    Soludo’s opponents sought to envelope him in scandal, charging that he had profited from improprieties in the printing of small denomination polymer banknotes handled by an Australian company when he was CBN governor. More than 1,300 petitions were filed, their major contention being that “outsiders “ were trying to impose Soludo on the Anambra State branch of the PDP. The petitions moved the PDP to suspend the party primaries indefinitely.

    When the process finally got under way, party officials had to be imported from Benue State to conduct the election of delegates. Following a shuffling and reshuffling of the delegates, the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Soludo winner of the ticket.

    The high court voided the outcome. That verdict was affirmed on appeal, but reversed by the Supreme Court, just in time for the election proper

    In the event, Peter Obi was reelected governor.Soludo placed third, with just under 20 percent of the vote, behind second-place winner Chris Ngige. The Fixer apparently went missing in action, or was thoroughly out-fixed.

    Running for governor of Anambra again after this ordeal should be the last thing on the mind of the average political aspirant. No outcome is guaranteed. President Goodluck Jonathan cannot even guarantee his own re-election, much less that of another. The Ubah clan feels as entitled as ever. As for the Fixer, let us just say that his victims have wised up to his tactics.

    But Soludo is not your average aspirant.

    With one deft stroke, he has served early notice of his intent to enter the fray. “The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs,” he wrote, echoing Plato, “is to be ruled by evil men.”

    Bravo, Chuma. May your example pervade this land of little men – and women –in big boots.

    This time around, you cannot move your father and closest relations to safe locations early enough.