Drumbeats For Babangida

Drumbeats For Babangida

Last week Monday, the political scene was ignited anew by the birth of a new political association which goes by the name, National Solidarity Association (NSA). The launching of the association came with a bang.

The news is not so much the debut of the new political association or the task they have set for themselves nor in the character and colour of the main proponents of the association but rather in what seems to be the confirmation of what for sometime now has been a matter of intense speculation and intrigue. That is General Ibrahim Babangida's ambitious dream of contesting the 2003 presidential election. That NSA is a pointer to that direction is easily inferred from the antecedents of most, if not all of the major players in the new political association.

These characters have in one time or the other in their careers served under the administration of Babangida or are believed to have had some form of dealings with the former military president, either on a private or official capacity.

For a long while, the drumbeats have been on to drag Babangida into the political fray. Though there have also been denials and counter denials, many people say the conduct and coated utterances of the key figure, Babangida, in recent times, if anything, have not helped matters.

Such group as Arewa Youth Solidarity Congress (AYSC), Alhaji Mohammed Shuaibu Badeggi's Committee of Patriots and the Northern Democratic Front (NDF), even the Arewa Consultative Forum have all been known to have raised the scepter of drumming up support for IBB.

Perhaps, the most banal of all the groups, according to observers was the self serving and revisionist exercise embarked on early in the year by most of the visible personalities who served under IBB regime at a seminar in Jos where they tried to paint their benevolent benefactor in a positive light and posit that IBB's (their's) administration was the best thing to have ever happened to Nigeria.

While unashamedly carrying a flag on behalf of their master, whom many Nigerians do not any prophesy to know how dangerous he is, they still blatantly denied the fact they used the forum in repositioning and laundering the image of IBB for the 2003 race when confronted with the question.

Many of IBB supporters and men have never failed at every opportunity to drive home the point that IBB, like any other Nigerian has the right to seek elective position. To them, if he so desires and decides to do so, he meant no harm but good and that he is only being propelled by instinct of statesmanship to contribute his quota (once again) to his fatherland.

Few days before NSA came on the scene, Clement Akpamgbo and Chu Okongwu, two former ministers under IBB went on a high spin for their master while Arthur Nzeribe in an article that was widely published graphically focused on IBB bestriding the political scene as something that is already concluded and waiting to break.

That IBB has not yet declared his intention to contest the 2003 presidential election inspite of all the overt and covert moves by both his supporters and himself, Nzeribe said ,is only natural and understandable. He went further to say that "I can state with certainty that as soon as members of the IBB camp get the faintest green light, that is, see a clearer coast, they will storm the political terrain with a ferocity that may catch their opponents napping."

The question arising from Nzeribe's analysis is, could the coast be said to be clearer now. That is, has IBB finally given the nod for his men to formally go ahead with drumbeats, hence they decided to launch NSA last week?

At the launch, Alhaji Saleh Jambo, the protem chairman and his cohorts painted the picture of things not being alright with the democratic experimentation as the dividend of democracy are yet to roll in torrents. A new alternative and better way of reaching the Olympus height is what they intend to present once their intention materialised.

But on the question, whether IBB is expected to come on aboard their political ship, Saleh rather chose to be dialectical and evasive.

Hear him: "We will seek to extract and refine the enormous human and natural resources of Nigeria and convert our conflicting energies into a dynamic and positive movement committed to good government in pursuit of prosperity and happiness for all Nigerians... should IBB chose to join our association we will be the happiest people''.

But as the drumbeats is expected to get louder and noisy by the day, many people say the issue is no longer whether IBB is interested in being the occupant of the Presidential Villa again, rather, it is how to overcome the groundswell of oppositions that seem stacked against him whenever he decides to go publicly with his over-ambition.

Assuming that the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria faired better during the IBB days as his men want the whole world to believe, how do they intend to explain away the albatross which the annulment of June 12 presidential election has become? It is on record that one of the IBB men, Duro Onabule, who served him for eight years as Chief Press Secretary, has confessed that the only regrettable thing about IBB's administration is the June 12 blunder.

Also, there is the pending case of the murder of late Dele Giwa in 1986, a matter which IBB has so far managed to put on hold. These are instances of what many people would regard as Nigerians' ancient quarrels (apology to Plato) with IBB.

The coming into being of NSA, therefore, observers say, is just the beginning of the orchestrated showmanship that would be launched across the country. As Nzeribe put it, the opponents of IBB may afterall not be the only ones to be caught napping, rather, the whole political terrain is sure going to witness some re-engineering by way of alignment and re-alignment of forces.

Spin doctors and political speculators are going to come alive in their numbers. The media too is also going to be awash with tales of many colours. While the citizenry are more likely going to have their sensibilities and sensitivities abused the more. The die, observers say is cast. The drumbeats for IBB, they say has only just assumed a new dimension. The sound and footsteps of both the drummers and dancers are sure to get to a frenzied point as in a macabre dance of some sorts.