A government that prides itself of having a President who was a Nigeria-Biafra War commander, a former Director of the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers, a former Federal Commissioner of Works, a former deputy head of the Murtala-Olusegun junta of palace coup plotters (1975~1976), a former head of the Obasanjo-Yar’Adua predatory autocracy (1976~1979), a former over-glorified subsistence farmer (1979~1995), a former inmate of the VIP wing of Yola Prison (1995~1998), and a self-certified God-compliant Messiah (1999~2002), has witnessed a repugnant legacy of a most awkward indictment of habituated state-administered terrorism in the Niger Delta and Middle Belt regions of Nigeria, massive importation of foodstuff (like rice, chicken, fruit juice, and tooth picks), institutionalised executive corruption, coupled with the highest crime wave, thousands of kilometres of very bad federal highways across the country, and an disturbing frequency of political banditry and treachery, ever since the amalgamation of Nigeria, early last century.

Traditionally, in Nigeria, the party of the incumbent Executive President (or Executive Governor, or Executive Local Government Chairperson) gains instant admiration, and attracts certified die-hard sycophants, at the beginning of every new administration, but commences to lose popularity incrementally, about one year to the next general elections, given the prevalent culture of fair weather politics in the country. This time around, tradition has been further energised by the escalating despondency that has befallen Nigerians in General (Chief) Olusegun Obasanjo’s predatory autocracy, with the creative assistance of Chief (Mr. Fix It) Leader Sir Tony Anenih (JP).

Within 41 months, Nigeria’s economy, even with a modest start-up foreign reserve of about US$9 billion (post- Babangida, post- Abacha, post- Abubakar, post-treasury looting, pre-anti-corruption crusade), has now finally become semi-comatose, sequel to the economic haemorrhage induced by Obasanjo’s "nascent" presidency. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s foreign exchange market is on the verge of complete destabilisation, as the country’s economy shrinks to its final extinction.

Ten months after 27/1, that is, after the 27 January 2002 detonations, explosions, and conflagration of the armoury of the 9th Motorised Brigade, of the 2^nd Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army in the cantonment at Ikeja, Lagos, (Nigeria’s very own "Ground Zero"), there is nothing to show that General Obasanjo is capable of protecting Nigerians, either from further such occurrences, or from the trauma of state-aggravated uncertainty. General Obasanjo’s only response since those bomb explosions at Ikeja has been to render the entire episode, both irrelevant, and insignificant.

Barely four months to the 2003 general elections, Nigerians confront the paradox that the ruling party, PDP, could lose seats in both the Senate, and federal House of Representatives, or/and even drastically reduce its majority in the Houses of Assembly in the states, and Local Government Councils where it previously held sway. How is this possible? The answer is very simple: "consolidation"; a convenient euphemism for "self-recycling", or "sitting tight", or the "No Vacancy yet" syndrome; a patently undemocratic concept that Chief Anenih venerates, and evangelises with so much undue fanaticism.

The Obasanjo administration, aided and abetted by the other political parties in Nigeria, particularly the Alliance for Democracy (AD), has turned the 2003 election campaign into a non-stop monotonous angry outburst on the consolidation of the so-called gains of "power shift", (probably also in view of "June 12", Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, General Sani Abacha, "phantom coup", "setup coup", and Chief Bola Ige, ad nauseam, ad infinitum). From left, right, and centre, on television and radio, in rallies, solidarity matches, and "courtesy calls", "consolidation" has pre-empted all other slogans and exigencies. Increasingly, Nigerians are being bombarded with lethal doses of crude propaganda to vote, not against General Obasanjo’s desperate attempts at legitimising predatory autocracy in Nigeria, but on a very vague fancy word called "consolidation".

Clearly, and unfortunately, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) supports General Obasanjo for reasons of barefaced ethnocentric chauvinism. As a self-proclaimed progressive political party, AD should be telling Obasanjo, straight-to-the-face, and right away, that it would not tolerate or permit him to kidnap the 2003 general elections under any pretexts. Instead, top members of AD are even openly inviting the sit-tight lame duck President to switch over their party, for accelerated endorsement, to run as their sole presidential candidate. This has given the matter undue extended contemplation.

Here is a party that started the politics of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, spewing out so much red-hot rhetoric about its seeming pro-democracy, and anti-Abacha posture, self-righteously distancing from the PDP. Here is a party that operates a curious selection mechanism that comprises a conclave of geriatrics that, in their seeming infallibility, and omniscience, impose such nightmarish Governor-Deputy Governor combinations (like Senators Tinubu and Akerele-Bucknor) on their helpless citizens, even in a supposed democracy.

It will be recalled that, when General Sani Abacha reluctantly accepted the pleas of Nigerians like Chief (Mr. Fix It) Leader Sir Tony Anenih (JP) to recycle himself, NADECO yelled foul. Today, these same fellows shamelessly justify General Obasanjo’s self-perpetuation project, openly massaging his ego, telling him to "consolidate power shift", for the so-called "South", simply because they identify the tribal marks on the cheeks of their formerly prodigal son of their soil. What arrant nonsense! Progressives my nyash!

The paradox of Chief (Mr. Fix It) Leader Sir Tony Anenih (JP) is that, while the name of the party to which he belongs makes overt allusions of being people-centred, and democratic, with a desire to give power to the people, he does not feel any iota of obligation to respect such ideals. From all indications, Obasanjo’s presidential elections campaign manager, and supervisor of the juicy patronage-endowed Ministry of Works and Housing, is a clique-centred, plutocratic egomaniac. Yet he is their "Leader".

To imagine that Chief Tony Anenih claims to be a key member of a cabal of politicians, the so-called "Yar’Adua political machinery", forces one to question the exact political philosophy of that gang of politicians, beyond power grabbing for the sake power grabbing. In other words, we are asking a simple, but fundamental question that could take the scales away from the eyes of Nigerians: "What, precisely, was the vision of Yar’Adua for Nigeria?" If Major General Yar’Adua’s worldview concurred with Tony Anineh’s brand of brazenly antidemocratic Machiavellian politics of today, then heaven help Nigeria.

It will be recalled that General Obasanjo rode on the back of this nebulous group of mercenaries called the "Yar’Adua political machinery" to occupy Aso Rock Villa. Many Nigerians, in and out of General Obasanjo’s faction of "Anenih-endorsed" recyclable incumbents, are petrified by the possibility that they may actually live to see General Obasanjo recycle himself to power (for the third time), or else, render Nigeria ungovernable, as some of his later-day fanatical followers and hardened cronies have threatened to do. However, the good news is that this fear has sparked a resurgence of vigilance, and interventions, which could become key factors in the future dynamics of Nigerian politics.

Some Nigerians think that the idea of "rotational presidency" may have begun as an anti-impeachment digression, but has now gone out of hand, making the 2003 elections highly likely to be postponed. More bizarre is the gospel according to Chief (Mr. Fix It) Leader Tony Anenih: a most obnoxious, undemocratic, radically flat, and paternalistically stupid notion of king-making by "consensus", or by "adoption", or by "endorsement", for "consolidation", failing which, General Obasanjo would finally bow out (gracefully), just at the very last moment, before the 2003 general elections, very similar to the IBB stepping aside syndrome of 1993. Meanwhile Chief Sir Tony Anenih (JP) is the unelected cheerleader, and chaperon of supposedly elected politicians, who betray a comic lack of faith in their capacity to win free and fair elections again. How very dumb, but strange.

Chief (Mr. Fix It) Leader Sir Tony Anenih (JP) aught to know that General (Chief) Olusegun Aremu Mathew Obasanjo (GCFR) is neither foolish, nor insane, even if he gives him the impression that he actually is. Obviously, General Obasanjo knows very well that self-recycling, especially without popular support, could turn much of Nigeria against him, and the Nigerian Establishment, because, Nigeria is not Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D’Ivoire, or Somalia. Nigeria is Nigeria.

Nigeria is mysterious: The sum of its parts is greater than the whole of the country lumped as one. Nigeria is bigger, and smarter than any self-deluding buffoon can ever be. That is Nigeria for the unenlightened. If anyone is still in doubt about the retributive impact of the theory of cloak and dagger politics currently being glamorised by ex-policeman Chief (Mr. Fix It) Leader Sir Tony Anenih (JP), then a fast rewind to General S. Abacha and Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola will be very instructive.

Simply stated, Chief Tony Anenih (JP) is glorifying election manipulation, in short, rigging, with unabashed impunity, and he is actually getting away with it. Without qualms, Chief Anenih brags that the PDP primaries and general elections will be custom designed, with pre-defined outcomes that must comply with his brainwaves.

If what General Obasanjo’s incompetent Minister of Works and Housing is doing is not blatantly megalomaniac, then grandmothers could be virgins. Yet, they hail him, lick his bum-bum, and call him "Leader". His wife is their "Women’s Leader". Chief Tony Anenih (JP) makes a total nonsense of party hierarchy in the PDP, where there is supposed to be a "Chairman", to whom he should be subordinate. Yet, he is their "Leader". Consequently, Nigerians have been infested with a rare plague: The Gospel of Political Godfatherism, nurtured, and painstakingly propagated by Chief Tony Anenih.

By the way, why do they call him "Mr. Fix It"? What exactly does he "fix"? Elections? Appointments? What else can better portray the frightening hypocrisy, and dimensions of official corruption in Nigeria today, than the self-praising antics of this megalomaniac minister? Incidentally, all of whatever Chief Tony Anenih lays claim to his present notoriety can be summarised in one (1) word: Corruption.

Ironically, General Obasanjo’s self-recycling project could even unify disparate groups, in and out of PDP, in and out of Nigeria, that otherwise have nothing to unify them. However, if General Obasanjo succeeds in distracting Nigerians with his divine mandate idle talk, then "consolidation" and "rotational presidency" could also be applied to anaesthetise or overwhelm their consciousness for some time, as a face-saving exit gambit. Remember, Chief Obasanjo is a "Made in Nigeria" general, tinkering with a "Made in Nigeria" democracy.

From all indications, the National Assembly could legitimise, constitutionally, the right of one group of Nigerians to take other Nigerians to ransom, in the name of "rotational presidency", and hold on tenaciously to autocratic power, in the name of "consolidation", once in every five (5) years, and unwittingly impregnate Nigerian politics with the venom of monumental mediocrity, incompetence, and power sadism, so long as the other five (5) arbitrarily defined, and clandestinely imposed so-called geopolitical zones also possess, or might soon also possess, the keys to Aso Rock Villa: a prescription for fast-action political euthanasia, nationwide.

Therefore, we predict that General Obasanjo (GCFR) would back out of the contest, just before the 2003 general elections. Of course, General Obasanjo would argue, rather jovially, but seriously, and everybody will agree with him very well, that without his "shakara", "gra-gra", and sabre rattling, Nigerians could never have acted so decisively to oppose any failed Nigerian President’s dream of recycling himself, and that even INEC would not have been bold enough to exert its independence, and/or allow other political parties the free rein they have desired for so many years.

General Obasanjo would argue that the political awakening of Nigerians to his crass incompetence, and their deft resistance to his several subtle attempts at hoodwinking them about his messianic attributes, have actually strengthened Nigeria’s "nascent" democracy. In other words, General Obasanjo would, just before Thursday, 29 May 2003, set the example for "Pax Nigeriana": peaceful failure, with honour, dignity, and chivalry.

General Olusegun Mathew Obasanjo (GCFR), besides laughing all the way to his banks, both abroad and at home, as he retires to OFN plc, Otta, Ogun State, in line with NEPAD, will also have in hand, a blank cheque from the National Assembly for unleashing brute force against intruders into the oil fields of Bakassi in La République du Cameroon, and the Niger Delta in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, before the expiry date of his incumbency. This means that, if he ever needs to distract Nigerians again from deliberating on the real problems that bedevil their country, General Obasanjo can simply start rattling those sabres all over again, between now and Wednesday, 28 May 2003, as agreed since 1998.

If Nigerians were too distracted to appreciate the comedy of IBB’s stepping aside shakara to Minna in 1993, because Chief Ernest Shonekan provided a timely buffer, and the much needed smokescreen, this time around, the emperor will be wearing only a PDP "power shift" cap, a matching T-shirt, very tight wrong parking-aggravating boxer shorts, slippers, and a PDP umbrella (on a sunny day), on his triumphant re-entry into his farm in Otta, like an old clown with a strong headache, induced by the recurring aftershock of the melodious tunes of the Nigerian national anthem in his kámpé-saturated central nervous system, just after handing over to his successor at Abuja on Thursday, 29 May 2003, with Stella, Iyabo, Gbenga, and a very long convoy of hard-core personal praise singers, on tow.

Most Nigerians do not yet know that the above are actually part of the script of the "signed pact" of 1998. And so, once more, we emphatically assert that General Olusegun Obasanjo will NOT contest the next presidential elections in 2003, because he is neither a fool, nor a mad man. However, Nigerians can rest assured that there is a method to the madness, even if they do not yet understand.

To God be the Glory (as they often say in Obasanjo’s God-invoking predatory autocracy).