By SUNDAY ODIBASHI
Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are at it again; rolling out the propaganda machine for blackmail and stigmatization. Ironically, while propaganda machine worked effectively when APC was in the opposition, the same trade mark cannot serve 2015 per-election purpose with ease now that APC is in government. Nigerians have seen it all and have developed self-consciousness of the realities in the polity.
Over the past three years, every failure governance was either attributed to former President Goodluck Jonathan or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The failure of the party leadership and mangers of the federal government to admit their failure and make adjustments costed the party the ability to proffer the appropriate solutions to its internal conflicts, leading to loss of valuable members, who also turned victims of APC blackmail for stigmatization.
APC leaders relished their propaganda trade mark after the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, sent the investigation interim report to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo wherein the sacked Director General of the State Security Service (SS), Lawal Musa Daura, was indicted by the Police of conspiracy, intimidation of the lawmakers and colluding with some high ranking politicians to pursue self-interests. The APC leaders had articulated contrary views that the SSS boss intervened to forestall plot to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari by some lawmakers. The same President Buhari was said to have approved the dismissal of the SSS DG for carrying out unauthorized security operation that embarrassed the entire country and the international community.
While the operations went on last Tuesday, APC Senators were gathered somewhere in Abuja outside the National Assembly; raising eyebrow that they were either unaware of the impeachment plot and the need to be present at the chambers to challenge their colleagues involved and frustrate the process, or the impeachment may be coming from the APC lawmakers.
More so, when APC Senators were gathered to have assembled at the office of the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, during the saga which raised public suspicion of their plot to impeach the Senate President, Dr, Bukola Saraki, who some APC senators vowed to remove except he resigns.
The illogical argument sounded ridiculous because with APC 54 senators, impeaching Buhari is absolutely impossible except the party leaders have conspired or betrayed the president within their fold.
Unfortunately, APC leaders had something credible to celebrate; the immediate action of the Acting President to sack the SSS DG, and the consent of President Buhari who is on 10 days holidays in London, the United Kingdom. The action added tremendously to the leadership credential of President Buhari and is capable of erasing some of his errors Nigerians complain of. The dismissal of the SSS DG clearly presents both Buhari and Osinbajo as strong believers in the presidential system and all the rudiments of separation of powers and checks and balances. The leaders further demonstrated their strong belief in democracy and due process of changing leadership.
The exposition of APC leaders that what transpired in the SSS invasion of the National Assembly is the federal legislature’s affairs is bizarre; SSS are not members of the National Assembly, neither is violence or use of guns part of the culture or processes of legislative activities.
It was more unfortunate that APC leaders failed to recognize the strength of the positive action of the presidency as a basic advantage for the ruling party to be celebrated. They went for the unconvincing. These contradictions show that the APC propaganda machine is in need of thorough service and lubrication in the party’s preparations for 2019.
National Daily gathered that APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu, joined the bandwagon of believers in the SSS barricade of the National Assembly to frustrate impeachment of Buhari. Unfortunately, the Police report indicated that the sacked SSS DG claimed that the unilateral action was taken when they Service got intelligence about plot by some persons to carry dangerous arms into the National Assembly; which contradicts APC leader’s impeachment of the president’s claims.
Tinubu, at the formal defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio to the APC on Wednesday, at the Ikot Ekpene township stadium, was gathered to have said that it was not “possible for a lizard to wrestle an antelope”, warning that those plotting to impeach Buhari will fail.
Tinubu noting that PDP failed in 16 of governance, scolding former President Olusegun Obasanjo, had stated: “Their old papa is writing letters, saying Buhari must not run again, because he does not know that Nigeria is now digital. No more letter-writing. People now use e-mail, WhatsApp and text messages, but Obasanjo is still writing letters that Nigeria is going bad, but it is not true.”
The APC national leader subtly indicted APC leaders. The SSS barricade operations at the National Assembly had wide live coverage with the use of digital technology all over the country and the international community, leading to spontaneous responses by Nigerians and foreign governments.
The British Government responded immediately, warning against plot to derail democracy in Nigeria. The European Union (EU) did not hold back either.
The reality Tinubu had made obvious is that Platonian grand lie is no longer feasible in modern politics. Thus, the philosophy of taking the battle to the door step of the enemy in defiance of facts and realities is no longer fashionable in modern world of information super highway under the globalization regime.