APC change in 2014 turns to scandalgate in 2026, by Dele Sobowale

“In every community, there is a class of people profoundly dangerous to the rest. I don’t mean the criminals. For them, we have punitive sanctions. I mean the leaders. Invariably, the most dangerous people seek power” – Saul Bellow, 1915-2005, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 124.

“It was beautiful and simple; as all truly great swindles are” – O’ Henry, 1862-1910, VBQ p 239

Nigerians have been swindled by dangerous men who seek power.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, was eventually created from the alliance of four legacy parties – ACN, APGA, CPC and fragments of PDP – in 2013. But in actual fact, it was the brain child of one man; who formed a partnership with another in a historic visit to Daura, Katsina State. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Muhammadu Buhari were the founding fathers of APC. When a young man becomes a problem to society; the first question people ask is: Who are his parents? To go further into that part of our history, it is necessary to point out that Tinubu never before ran for president; he sponsored eventual losers. Buhari was candidate three times; lost three times and vowed never to contest again – until Tinubu approached him with a convincing winning strategy. A pact was sealed. School is still out on whether that was a marriage “made in heaven” or in the “darkest pit of hell”. Time will tell. But, we are in 2026 and the heat Nigerians are feeling cannot emanate from the Almighty’s abode.

LESSONS FROM A BOSTON SWINDLER

“If it is too good to be true; it probably is a swindle” – Boston Swindler, Jay (1973).

Millions of people globally, particularly those keen on following major crimes, have heard about the Boston strangler; the man who murdered over 20 women before being apprehended. Few have heard of the Boston Swindler, Jay 2, who made millions duping trusting individuals. Jay 2 had a brother, Jay 1, same mother same father – a Baptist Pastor. Jacob, Jay 1 was as poor as the proverbial church rat. Jason, Jay 2 swam in wealth fraudulently obtained. Jay 2 blamed his victims for being stupid; often wondering how they could believe his stories before handing over their life-savings. Each scam was unique and simple and effective.

Nigerian politicians have perfected the art beyond what Jay 2 could have imagined. The National Assembly, NASS, passed a bill giving financial autonomy to local governments. The president signed it into law. Most governors ignore it. Presidency, NASS and over 30 governors belong to the APC. If there is another name for that, I am ready to have it. Citizens are being swindled by those they elected promising change – without asking if it will be a change for better or worse. Jay 2 lures his prey into believing that their lives would be better by investing in his scams; until it was too late.

WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE 2015?

“Is APC the answer?” – Dele Sobowale (August 2014).

“Alliances are held together by fear; not by love” – Harold Macmillan, British Prime Minister (1894-1986), VBQ p 9.

Macmillan, for those who might not have read any history, was the one who drew global attention to “the wind of change blowing over Africa” as former colonies gained independence from colonial rule in the 1960s. Today, there is increasing evidence, including right here in Nigeria, that Africans have merely exchanged colonial chains for enslavement by their own people. To be quite candid, we were governed better and more humanely by the British than Fellow Nigerians – even now. The British Prime Minister has no fleet of aircraft at his service. The Nigerian President, governing a poorer nation, parades eight. That summarises the transformation from white servitude to black enslavement.

Despite being a strong supporter of Buhari since 2010, and knowing that none of the opposition parties could defeat the PDP in 2015, I was an enthusiastic promoter of an alliance to dislodge the ruling party. But, after the dust had cleared and the new party was unveiled, the veils also fell from my eyes. Most of the leaders were the same dubious politicians who have ruled and ruined their states, as well as the Federal Government. The emergence of Buhari, as the flag-bearer, provided a measure of hope. “Mr Clean” would very quickly rid the party of political parasites. Buhari, so I thought, would insist on fulfilling the major promises of the party’s manifesto, which, being so ambitious, left no room for corruption – given Nigeria’s extremely limited resources. I was wrong; dead wrong. Three cardinal promises in the party’s manifesto – health, job creation and zero tolerance for corruption — are recalled below. After eight years of Buhari and three years and three months of Tinubu, it is clear to what extent Nigerians have been duped.

On health, the party promised to establish one world class teaching hospital in each of the zones within four years; in order to halt health tourism – which was draining foreign exchange from Nigeria. When campaigning, Buhari routinely criticized Nigerian leaders going abroad for medical services. It was Jay 2 stuff and Nigerians fell for it. In office, he established no single world class teaching hospital; and, during his first term spent the longest time of any Head of State, military or civilian, abroad. He returned and shamelessly declared: “I have never been so sick in my life”. Despite that, no world class hospital was initiated. He availed himself of foreign healthcare several times after that. Serial hypocrisy had never been more openly demonstrated. That was, however, the mildest of his assaults on our commonwealth.

The promise to create six million new jobs every year – starting the first year – went beyond the customary politicians’ promise before elections. The APC must have drafted the best con-men money could buy to draft that portion of the salad bowl of illusions called manifesto. A half-decent administrator might have at least attempted to redeem the pledge. Buhari, given low educational qualification, didn’t even try.

Long before some of his top officials (and I will provide the names soon) were unmasked as the most vicious looters Nigeria had ever seen in government, I got published a series of articles in 2018 titled, SAI BABA AND THE HUNDRED POLITICAL RASCALS. That was not my original title. Mine was SAI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES. But, I was persuaded to water it down to avoid litigation. Before writing it, a whistle-blower in the Ministry of Justice had raised the alarm that properties forfeited by individuals to the FG were being misappropriated by top government officials – starting from the Ministry. Two weeks ago, a Federal High Court ordered the forfeiture of 48 properties linked to a top official of the Buhari administration. Need we say more about APC and what became of its vaunted CHANGE Agenda and how it contributed to bringing Nigeria to the brink of bankruptcy? But, unfortunately, there is more…

NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY WITHOUT LEGISLATORS AND JUDICIARY – 2

“You cannot adopt politics as a profession and remain honest” – Louis M Howe, 1871-1936.

Permit me to start where I ended last week by bringing back the last paragraph.

THEN CAME TINUBU

“Standing on the foundation emplaced by the current administration, we shall…” – President Bola Tinubu, RENEWED HOPE Document, p 3.

How anyone can stand on a foundation laid on quicksand and build anything enduring remains a mystery. Tinubu kept his words – including creating a rubber stamp NASS.

I took an entire week off in 2022, after receiving my copy of the RENEWED HOPE Document; lodged myself in a hotel and went through it several times; conducted analysis of data presented, cross-checked facts stated and drew a conclusion. Wait for it.

However, I almost stopped reading after coming across the statement represented above on page 3. It was extremely alarming. How anybody who wished Nigeria well could ignore the overwhelming evidence of ruinous mismanagement of the economy was baffling. More disturbing was the promise to build on that disaster. Granted, Tinubu was stuck between the deep sea and the hard rock, he was confronted with a political dilemma. Tinubu could not openly distance himself from the devastating Buharinomics and expect to clinch the ticket. But, he should also not have tried to portray the state of the Nigerian economy, under Buhari, as worthy of emulation and continuation. He was not being honest with Nigerians. When the president eventually had the guts to tell the truth about Buhari, it was like most cowards insulting dead majesty. Tinubu waited until it was safe to reveal the truth to Nigerians. By then, his own strategy for NASS-capture was already bearing fruit.

It was beautiful and simple. Nigeria’s newly-elected president forced the Senate, the senior chamber, to accept as their president a senator who had a pending case with the EFCC. In one stroke, a symbiotic relationship was formed. On one occasion, the poor fellow was even sent on an errand to represent the President of Nigeria on official State Visit to Lagos State. The contempt is obvious!!!

We are now in the Emilokan era of presidency; under which the subservience of the NASS is total. Nigeria’s democracy has taken several rapid steps towards landing in the dustbin of history. Was this the CHANGE we were promised in 2014-5?

Follow me on Facebook @ J Israel Biola.

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