The democracy struggle: Where was Peter Obi?

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Peter Obi

By Bernard Balogun

Kenneth Okonkwo loves gaslighting, with twisted information, in exactitude of Peter Obi, who often twist stories to gladden the hearts of his gullible followers.

It is not true that our big & respectable egbon, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, contested the presidential election with PBAT. How could he? Is Ken saying APC presented two presidential candidates in one election? Habawa, slow down your lies. You debase or ridicule yourself coming to the public space to deliberately chunk out lies.

The truth however is that former VP Osinbajo participated in the APC presidential primaries. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu defeated him and other gallant candidates. As a true democrat that Prof is, he gleefully accepted the defeat. Unlike this other character and his disgruntled followers lamenting and creating needless and despicable scenes all over the place with a myopic rider – he stole my mandate. What?
It is wrong to say…stolen mandate… was the mandate statutorily awarded to you by the body constitutionally established to so award? It is therefore a misnomer to so claimed.

In any case, for the former VP contesting that primaries is not a sin and no-one held that attempt against him or anyone else. It is his inalienable right to so exercised.

Stop amplifying, Ken, a nonexistent issue…(l quote Ken as reported by OperaNews) but ultimately failed to capture the essence and integrity of Abiola’s vision…really?

How can you be talking about a man’s vision, a man you were not close to, at all, at all.

Please, learn to say it as it is Ken.

This is not acting where you are expected to interpret a role. Even in your acting days, you never fascinated me. There were excessive artificial presentations. Late Sam Loco, late Mr Ibu, Charles Inojie, Charles Awuru, late Baba Suwe, late Adejo, Osufia, and others interpreted their roles so naturally. Professionally brilliant characters. For me l never considered you grade-A actor. You are not. You are not in their class.

Let us turn the table for better understanding. Where was Peter Obi during that historical struggle of June 12?

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was at the centre of the heat of the June 12 struggle. Tinubu’s house in Lagos was bombed, his credentials were destroyed deliberately, he went underground on a number of occasions, got arrested, tortured and escaped. Tinubu sold his house in London to finance NADECO activities.

Where was Peter Obi? He was in the vanguard of the one million man March for Abacha for transmutation to civilian president, with Daniel Kalu as leader of the infamous group.

Your Rufai Oseni of AriseTv displayed his lack of historical knowledge, when he said Oby Ezekwesili was a democracy activist? False. Deliberate disinformation. Nonsense. Oby was not. Oby was unknown during the historical democracy struggle. Totally known until former President Obasanjo appointed her as Director, Due Process in 2002 or so. That was when she came to national limelight. Aisha Yesufu was probably selling sweets and kulikuli on the streets of Kano during that struggle. Rufai Oseni was a teenager collecting money to buy shirt & trouser from his late dad in Ago.

These were the hey-days when campaign for Democracy and NUPENG were organising rallies at Yaba and addressing mammoth crowds, a patriotic struggle to put an end to military rule in Nigeria.

Nostalgically, l remember the late Dr Tai Solarin, late Dr Beko Ramsome Kuti (the younger brother to Fela, the Afro maestro of blessed mèmory), oh my God, Chima Ubani, that progressive rascal from UNN, an influential member of Campaign for Democracy-CD, late respectable elder, Comrade Frank Kokori, Secretary-General of NUPENG. Late baba Senator Abraham Adesanya. Professor Wole Soyinka, he worked from both ends of the pole (Nigeria and outside). Prof Akinyemi, using his international links as a Professor of International relations and Foreign Minister at a time. The Lagos media can never be forgotten. Uncle Bayo Onanuga and his brilliant team at TheNews, Tempo, Punch, The Guardian newspapers and his publisher was shot at and that defaced that handsome man’s face until he succumbed to death. TheNews and Tempo publications were thorns in the neck of the military guys. These publications had no permanent address, they were constantly moving from one location to another. Every Mondays their magazines were monitored and seized from vendors. The Ibadan Democrats were also restless ably led by our baba late Comrade Ola Oni of Ibadan Poly and many others democrats. The Imalefalifia boys, as Nigerian Tribune was reputably known, were never found wanting in this sort of nationalistic struggle. Nigerian Tribune contributed handsomely in the struggle. That Ibadan angle had been brilliantly and appropriately encapsulated by Festus Adedayo. Well done Festus.

When MKO returned from exile, l went to the airport from Ayetoro in Aguda Surulere to join “like-minded” mammoth crowds to welcome our “president-waiting” as MKO was popularly referenced. The entire Ikeja came to a standstill to welcome MKO. I like to believe, till date the Moshood Abiola Crescent home, off Toyin Street had not witnessed the sort of crowd that street received that day.

l was a regular visitor to ITT office on Jibowu and was close to egbon Alhaji Moje Akinteye, the Personal Assistant to Basorun at lTT, at Concord complex was Mr Stanley Ugochukwu, the Executive Director, Advertising & Publicity. The last place l had personal contact with Chief was at the HOPE’93 office, located at the T-junction of Toyin, Allen and Opebi. Chief had just returned to Lagos, after he had won the SDP presidential primaries in Jos. The entire HOPE’93 office complex was occupied by a huge crowd of supporters, who had come from all over Nigeria to congratulate and rejoice with him. l went to Ikeja from Aguda for a different mission. Then l stumbled on the crowd. l struggled and smuggled myself to a vintage position where he could see me. MKO used to called me and my colleague, Engr Gbolahan Lawal as (“omo onirin” meaning the iron boys). Why was he calling us thus. lt is a long story for another day.

l am sorry, l digressed. Back to the story. From that vintage position, he got a glimpse of me and he motioned. MKO had a retentive memory.

Again l smuggled to him. Dr Jonathan Zwingina, his Campaign Director, was on his right hand side.
Basorun looked tired and over-worked. l told him so.
His reply. “You see omo onirin, my father used to tell me however tall a tree, it has a root and the root is down there. These people are my root. They have come from over Nigeria to rejoice with me. You see it will be wrong for me to leave them and go to sleep. l thank you for your concern. As l mentioned to go, he pulled my hand down, bend slightly (MKO was a huge man) tell your friends and family to vote for SDP. After this election l shall confirm the cheque. As usual, for visiting, he did not let me go with emptied pocket. He displayed his trademark – dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out crisp notes of N50, which was the highest Nigerian currency at the time…

That was my last encounter with Basorun MKO Abiola of blessed memory.

However I regret that day on August 30, 1990 at Ethiopia Hall, at Federal Palace Hotels on Victoria Island, Lagos. Basorun was the Chief launcher of the defunct Citizen Magazine. I had just arrived at his Jibowu office from Ibadan that morning and in confidence his PA advised me to meet him at Federal Hotels on Victoria Island.
After the magazine launch, journalists would not let him go, so he asked us to come with him in his white Mercedes Benz, already parked in front of him. I moved closed, to avoid the distraction. Sir l came in a panel van. I will drive behind sir.

Just as l conclude this piece, it dawned me – the name plate paste on his office door in the second floor of ITT complex on Jibowu Yaba.

BASORUN MKO ABIOLA.

Once again, adieu Basorun, the peoples’ president. O’dabo Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.

Balogun (BenPino) writes from Abuja.