New Artful And Tyrannical skills

I am in love with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for his
tyrannical streak. He does it so perfectly, so cleanly, so
evasively and remains absolutely detached. Except for the
discerning minds who might trace the pinpricks or manifest
terror in the nation polity to him, his puritanical mien,
brimming face and meekly disposition forbids anyone to tar
him with ‘status arrogance’ and virtual brigandage.
Mr Jonathan remains for me a phenomenon of different cast
that needs to be understudied; different from other dictators
in living history, either dead or alive. His ability to wreak havoc
and turn away smoothly without tracing them to him has
become an artful logic would-be dictator should learn. It is not
for nothing that all along he maintained sly and serpentine
disposition. Even though President Jonathan has been seen as
being inferior in reasoning, dull in imagination, tasteless in
statecraft and anomalous in orientation, his sudden acquisition
of tyrannical war chest speaks volume.
A tyrannical leader is one who rules without law or pretends
that they exist. He looks to his own advantage rather than that
of his people, and uses extreme and cruel tactics against his
kind as well as others. As an absolute ruler, he is unrestrained
by law or constitution. Tyrants usurp legitimate constitutional
rights of other Arms of Government and give illiterate
interpretation of the law.
For the umpteenth times, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti
has buried the sublime state of “Fountain of Knowledge” in
the cesspool of political hooliganism. President Jonathan
pretended not to know that thugs loyal to Ayodele Fayose
allegedly beat up a judge, Justice John Adeyeye, for being
allegedly rude to Mr. Fayose, as Governor-elect. Pro-Fayose’s
thugs had besieged the court premises as early as 6a.m., while
a detachment of policemen from the police headquarters were
also seen on major streets and around the court, providing
protection for the hoodlums.
The fracas that engulfed Ekiti State that day scuttled the
State’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting billed to
hold at the High court, Ado-Ekiti. Nothing has been heard of
case ever. Justice Adeyeye of High Court 3, who was miffed by
the huge number of the thugs as they surged towards the
court premises had approached Mr. Fayose and urged him to
prevail on “his supporters” to keep a safe distance from the
court premises. But an enraged Fayose shouted the judge
down.
A similar scenario had played out a week earlier when
suspected PDP thugs stormed the high court premises,
attacked the trial judge, some litigants and judicial workers in
the bid to prevent hearing in a case to determine Mr. Fayose’s
eligibility for the June 21 governorship election.
The case in question bothers on the eligibility of Governor
Fayose. The 1999 constitution has disqualified persons like Ayo
Fayose, having being indicted and impeached as governor in
less than 10 years. The e-eleven asked the Ado Ekiti High
Court to determine whether Mr Fayose is barred from being
presented/sponsored as the gubernatorial candidate of the
PDP on June 21, 2014 Ekiti State Gubernatorial Election, having
been indicted/found guilty for gross misconduct by a validly
constituted administrative panel as provided for in Section
188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended).
The saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts
absolutely cannot be more current. Recently, the speaker of
the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Adewale Omirin and his
deputy, Hon Tunji Orisalade, were removed from their
respective positions by seven members of Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) caucus of the House, out of the 26 members! The
impeachment came less than 24 hours after the lawmakers
affirmed that the embattled Omirin remained their speaker
and that they have no plan of impeaching him. In their place,
the protem speaker of the Monday’s sitting, Hon Dele Olugbemi
(Ikole II) and Hon Abeni Olayinka (Ado II) were elevated to
occupy their respective seats.
The Ekiti House infamy came almost the same time the Federal
House of Representatives’ Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, was
prevented from entering the Hallowed Chambers by the
Nigeria Police on the order of President Goodluck Jonathan.
This is the first time in a democracy the nation’s constitution
is left in the hands of the Nigeria Police not only to interpret,
but to assume executive power in another arm of government.
Shamefully, the Nigerian Police allowed PDP lawmakers
seamless entrance into the chambers, while the opposition
party lawmakers were prevented from entering the same
House. Suleiman Abba, the Inspector General of Police in his
crassness has turned the nation’s constitution into police
gazette and ultimate lawgiver. There is a reason I should think
we are approaching a tipping point of state collapse but for the
Nigeria Bar Association, NBA. According to the association, the
selective treatment of some of the lawmakers on the day of
the incident “raises doubt in respect of the authenticity of
the alleged security reports. The implementation of the
security measures also lacked transparency and good faith.” It
also condemned the attitude of some of the lawmakers who
scaled the gate of the National Assembly, saying “their acts
raise serious questions about the character of persons we elect
to represent us and constitute a serious embarrassment to our
Country.
“As we approach the 2015 General Elections, all our politicians
must not engage in any conduct capable of truncating our
nascent democracy. “Political differences may exist but must
be resolved with civility and in accordance to law. Our collective
interest as Nigerians must not be sacrificed for personal
interest.”
The NBA urged political leaders to always conduct themselves
maturely and responsibly, adding that “their acts raise serious
questions about the character of persons we elect to represent
us and constitute a serious embarrassment to our country.
“As we approach the 2015 general elections, all our politicians
must not engage in any conduct capable of truncating our
nascent democracy. “Political differences may exist but must
be resolved with civility and in accordance to law. Our collective
interest as Nigerians must not be sacrificed for personal
interest”, the statement reads.
If this is not democracy by another name, it is left for
President Jonathan to tell Nigerians what it is. Little wonder
that the PDP national leadership backtracked after
condemning the opposition lawmakers who scaled the fence to
prevent the PDP lawmakers from impeaching Hon Tambuwal.
The impunity that has become the air President Jonathan
administration breaths is as a result of people like Olisa Mentu,
the PDP scribe, who speaks before he reasons.
In a deductive streak, the Department of State Security
Service invaded the All Progressives Congress, APC office in
Lagos, smashing, destroying every item in the office including
APC membership database in a Gestapo’s manner. The nation’s
secret security service who could not tame just two Boko
Haram’s suspects in their den, who disarmed and killed a few
of them in their Abuja Headquarters has suddenly found its
rhythm and power. “A petition was received by this service
about some activities at No. 10, Bola Ajibola Street, Ikeja,
Lagos. The petition alleged that those behind the activities
were cloning INEC permanent voter cards, with the intention
of hacking into INEC database, corrupting it and replacing
them with their own data.
“Based on this information, the service placed the building
under surveillance and having been convinced that some
unwholesome activities were going on in the building, it
undertook a raid of the premises. “In the process, some persons
were arrested, three hard drives and 31 Ghana-must-go bags
of hard copy documents were recovered and taken away for
further investigation. It must be noted that the said location
had no signpost indicating whether it was a private or
government office”, DSS said.
The destruction of the opposition party’s membership database
by security men is an exhibition of impunity and absolute power
carried too far and a scandal that can best be compared with
the Watergate Scandal of the United States of America that
led to the resignation of the country’s president, Richard
Nixon in 1974.
To say the least, it is an act of fascism and totalitarianism. Mr
Jonathan proclivity to impunity may not be as legendary as
those of Adolf Hitler and other dictators. But Nigerians should
not underestimate the length President Jonathan’s lust for
power can go.
Now, the APC has said apart from the Lagos centre, the
operation is decentralized and similar centres are functional in
about six different locations around the country. Shall we
await similar invasion in those centres? Can we hazard what
will happen in 2015 if the creeping fascism of Jonathan
administration remained unchecked? Can President Jonathan
and his government still tell the world it is ready for free and
fair elections in 2015?
I am the least surprise at President Jonathan’s antics and his
fascist method. Over the ages, when third world rulers are
getting unpopular and they still wish to continue against all
odds they resort to all forms of banality. This is the kind of
thing you get. From laying siege at the Ekiti High Court to
beating up judge the following week; invasion of national
assembly to impeaching Ekiti speaker with 7 members out of 26,
invasion of opposition ICT office within a space of few weeks.
To make matter worse, President Jonathan was celebrating his
birth in London while the nation burns! What a farce? How
come a British Prime Minister has not come to Nigeria to
celebrate a thing, you may ask? That is how far removed –
evasive – President Jonathan is from the nation he governs.