How are the mighty fallen?

Those of us who naively thought we had a political opposition worth the name were left to realize just how wrong we were. How can any group of sane, principled and trustworthy politicians think they need to consult with the very architect of our present political woes because they believe he has something to offer? The only thing worse than this ill-advised visit by our so-called opposition leaders, was hearing Chief Obasanjo’s hypocritical pontifications about politics.
Hear him: ‘I am a democrat and one of the essential ingredients of democracy is opposition….. I will just appeal that the politics you play is without rancour, without bitterness, with decency, that has Nigeria at heart.’ We are all living witnesses to the rancourous, bitter and totally self-serving treatment of opposition that Obasanjo practiced, even within his own party, in the eight years he ruled Nigeria. In a nutshell, he is the least qualified to talk about decent treatment of opposition. When he lectured his visitors about politics that has Nigeria at heart, I couldn’t help remembering his ‘No third term, no Nigeria’ agenda as reported in the El-Rufa’i biography.
Indeed Obasanjo’s speech on this occasion was a case study in sanctimonious show but his visitors deserved it. The desperation that made them think they needed the support or acceptance of a proven evil genius like this former ruler is their cross to bear. I couldn’t understand why the whole country went agog, two weeks ago, when Obasanjo wrote his tell-all letter to President Jonathan. How could the man who singlehandedly got us into the mess that is the present government, now turn around to say we have a problem?
To be honest with you I didn’t read that letter. I never saw the need to waste my precious time reading such world-class hypocrisy. Of course I read what was reported of the letter in the papers, but the whole Obasanjo-speak, I spared myself. It is bad enough to know that this man ought to be in prison somewhere because of the monumental corruption perpetrated under him and the numerous other crimes that took place in his eight-year reign, but to have him write others, claiming a moral high ground in total contrast with his reality, is totally intolerable.
Does Obasanjo think we have forgotten so soon how he moved heaven and earth to make sure Jonathan continued as president in 2011? Is it possible for us to forget that he single-handedly killed the zoning formula that would have allowed another Northerner to take over from Jonathan in that election? Why does he think he has the right to come up with his litany of woes to convince us that his ‘anointed’ was the wrong choice to lead Nigeria?
I am simply amazed that there are people out there with the ability to applaud Obasanjo’s letter because it supposedly ‘reflects’ the truth about the Jonathan presidency. Do they really believe Obasanjo would have said all he did if he hadn’t fallen out with his godson? What he wrote were the frustrated rantings of a man who thought he deserved to call the shots even now because this presidency was his third term by proxy, yet the new guy wouldn’t have it.
If Goodluck Jonathan had remained the perfect protégée, taking orders from Otta and running the country in Baba’s image, we wouldn’t have heard anything like death squads and all the present and future sins of this government. However, we were given that earful because of a ‘family matter’ that couldn’t be swept under the carpet as usual. Of course I didn’t waste my time reading Jonathan’s response either. I’d rather use those 30 minutes or more to make some delicious culinary treat for my family, than waste them reading the missives of lying, insincere politicians.
Yet, having known all this, our so-called opposition leaders took that long and disgraceful trip to Obasanjo’s mansion to ‘introduce’ themselves. Well after what he had to say to them, I hope they got what they wanted. The rest of us now know that we have to seek for a more reliable, sincere opposition. This one has a long list of mighty names and impressive CVs but they have all fallen from grace by this single misadventure. And how are the mighty fallen? With a great big bang.