By OguwikeNwachuku
President MuhammaduBuhari’s state of health is reordering the political calculation of Nigeria in a manner that is as fast as light.
Political alignments and realignments have been stepped up. But the more politicians take advantage of his poor health the more the countrysinks deeper into distress.
By May 29, his administration would be two years old, andon May 30 would enter its third year.
What that means is that between May 29 this year and May 29, 2018 there may not be any serious governance in Aso Rock under the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration except Buhariseeks re-election and can show capacity to win again.
It is therefore necessary to understand the circumstances of the recent dangerous political alignments and the overdose of hate comment from politicians and their allies, benchmarked on the pitiable health of the president.
The unfolding scenario is made worse by the recent timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), signaling that politicians can go into the field with whatever arsenal is at their disposal for the political war.
And that is exactly what the politicians are doing by using the poor health, sadly, of Buhari.
One with political discernment could understand why some Nigerians whom I prefer to tag professional agenda setters, and who spoke on diverse issues did, and why that will be the political trajectory the nation will witness, perhaps till the end of Buhari’s first term.
That is if he has the grace of God to remain alive and continue in office, going by feelers from different parts of the country over his health.
From Professor Wole Soyinka’s advice that Buhari should disclose his health status; to TheophilusDanjuma’s “our nation is on fire”; to AngoAbdullahi’s “Nigeria is in a mess”; and Bola Tinubu’s “this is the time for action and not lamentation”; something monstrously dangerousis on the political scene.
Two other statesmen, MaitamaSule and BisiAkande, were among the group that seemed to have played politics with Buhari’s health with their comments.
Others, like Ebun-OluAdegboruwa, a lawyer, are canvassing a total paralysis of the system on account of Buhari’s health.
During the week, the three retired military musketeers –OlusegunObasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida(IBB) and AbdulsallamiAbubakar – met in Minnain the guise of visiting IBB, the self-acclaimed evil genius, over his own failing health.
But what they discussed is a shock – the state of Nigeria, the failing health of Buhari, and what should happen nextin case of an eventuality in Aso Rock.
I am pretty sure there are Nigerians who want Buhari out of the saddle now. They strongly believe the retired general does not have, in their estimation, the intellectual resources to pilot the affairs of the country as presently constituted.
To suchcitizens, seeing Buhari out of the way, even if it means through sudden death of whatever means, will give them the joy and satisfaction they assume have eluded them since he became president.
From every corner of the country, the rabid haters of the president and his style of leadership abound, and they make no pretenses about their views on him.
Some evenloath to hear that one is praying for Buhari based on the Biblical injunction that we should pray for those in positions of authority.
The last thing they would do is pray for him, notwithstanding that their faith as Christiansadmonishes them to do so.
They believe the only prayer Buhari deservesis the one that can facilitate his death, and perhaps get Nigerians out of the stranglehold of Buhari whom they think is the architect of all the problems Nigerians are passing through.
But do you really blame them?Ours is a nation in distress. Nigerians are dying in their numbers from avoidable hunger and starvation induced poverty in the midst of plenty.
They are perishing as a result of Boko Haram and herdsmen attacks, corruption, high-handedness, impunity, arbitrariness, unemployment, diseases, infrastructure decay, unstable power supply, among otherissues that require a focused leadership.
As our nation’s leadership is presently constituted, those on the driving seat are far from providing that much desired leadership that made Nigerians queue behind the Buhari-led APC.
Instead of purposeful leadership, the teeming population is served lies, propaganda, deceit, re-looting of loots, greed, avarice, and any other “meal” that satiate only the appetite of those in power and others in the corridors of power such as their family members and cronies.
The permutation that should Buhari die so that another set of power brokers will emerge is not new to our country.
During the era of the late President UmaruYar’Adua, we saw a similar scenario play out when the doctrine of necessity was rammed down our throat by the same Senate that has today not seen the need to deal with the 2017 budget.
I am talking about a National Assembly (NASS) that thinks more of its members than those they represent.
With the so-called doctrine of necessity, the rest they say is history as we continue to rue the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan whose era gleefully opened the treasury to mainly his Northern allies in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
They took as much money as they wanted so as not to work against his presidential ambition in particular and political interestin general.
In the end, however, Jonathan was not only conned, but they sabotaged him, and made nonsense of both his presidential return bid and his political ambition.
We are on the march again on a familiar turf. Our nation is in dire straits and those who ought to know are dishing out hate speech and holding late night meetings on how to reap from its final ruin.
As I wrote on this page recently, Buhari’s death will not change anything.
What his sudden demise will alter, instead, is the composition of his kitchen cabinet because the new sherriff in town, whoever it will be, will set up his own kitchen with all paraphernalia of utensils.
Pray they are not more dangerous than the ones Buhari reportedly used in his own kitchen.
Today’s political horizon makes me shudder. The desperation to hold unto power should Buhari extinguish as a result of his poor health can throw the nation into unimaginable chaos.
Much asI sympathise with him – a man I have no doubt means well for the country, but may have gone about it the wrong way – I also sympathise with his Deputy, YemiOsinbajo, for his loyalty which many of Buhari’s loyalists may not reckon with if push comes to shove.
Those who have given the deadline when Buhari will eventually die must bear one thing in mind – God is the author of all lives. He gave Hezekiah additional 15 years when he prayed, repented and asked for God’s intervention in his circumstances(Isaiah 38:1-5).
God is still in the business of dispensing grace and mercies, particularly when it concerns those who genuinely repent and seek His face over an unfinished assignment.
Buharimay as well have an unfinished business with the Nigerian poor and electorate that he is yet to bring out of their current situation.
God may decide to preserve him for that purpose and to enable him hand over to a more sincere person in 2019 instead of these political criminals scattered all over the country who are both devilish and selfish.
