Once upon a time I was an unrepentant admirer and fan of Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, President of one of the factions of the Odua Peoples Congress and now Chairman of the newly formed Unity Party of Nigeria even though he is an ethnic bigot and irredentist.
I admired Fasehun for his outspokenness, courageousness and forthrightness on issues of national importance. Generally I admire all men and women of good-will who sacrifice their personal comfort and risk their lives and that of members of their family to speak the truth to those in power and authority.
However Dr. Fredrick Fasehun started losing my admiration and respect when it was reported in the media two years ago that he had won a contract from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Controlled Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Good-luck Jonathan running into millions of dollars to use members of the Odua Peoples Congress to police oil pipelines in the South West Region from vandalisation.
It was widely reported in the media that Dr. Fasehun was among those selected from the South West Region by President Jonathan to enjoy patronage from his government in order to break the political stronghold of the irrepressible and indefatigable National Leader of the All Progressives Congress and hardnosed prodemocracy Activist, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in the South West Region.
To that effect it was reported that Dr. Fasehun was going to resuscitate the defunct United Party of Nigeria (UPN) founded by the great Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory in 1979 but which was proscribed when the military took over the reins of governance in December 1983 and disbanded all democratic institutions in the country.
The new United Party of Nigeria has since been registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission as one of the political parties in the country.
Sadly but not unexpectedly since its formation, Dr. Fasehun has turned the United Party of Nigeria into one of the appendages of the Peoples Democratic Party and one of cheer leaders and couriers of President Jonathan.
I do not have any problem with Dr. Fasehun and his United Party of Nigeria supporting the PDP and President Jonathan but what I find rather strange, uncharitable and distasteful is the recent outburst and acidic and vitriolic attack on the person of General Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that was published as an advertorial in the Guardian Newspaper of Sunday the 4th January, 2015.
I was hugely disappointed when Dr. Fredrick Fasehun went to the ridiculous and low level of lying against General Buhari just to impress his sponsors that he deserves his pay. But a man of principle and conscience should never lie brazenly against anybody no matter what.
Undoubtedly Dr. Fasehun lied when he stated that General Buhari had boasted in 2011 that he would make the country “ungovernable” in the event he does not win the 2011 Presidential Election.
To add salt to injury Dr. Fasehun went on to suggest that soon after General Buhari’s statement that he would make the country “ungovernable” there was an escalation of attacks by the mindless and murderous Boko Haram on innocent Nigerians!
To add salt to injury Dr. Fasehun went on to suggest that soon after General Buhari’s statement that he would make the country “ungovernable” there was an escalation of attacks by the mindless and murderous Boko Haram on innocent Nigerians!
Nothing can be farther from the truth than the statement made by Dr. Fasehun concerning General Buhari’s purported Statement that he would make the country “ungovernable” and the escalation of attacks by Boko Haram.
It is clear that Dr. Fasehun is on a mission to blackmail, defame and misinform undiscerning Nigerians as part of the campaign of calumny, lies, distortion, propaganda and character assassination packaged and orchestrated by President Jonathan and the PDP to stem the rising tide and wave of disillusionment and discontentment among Nigerians of his lacklustre and dismal performance in office as the 14th February 2015 Presidential Election loom large.
We all know that General Buhari never boasted that he would make the country “ungovernable” in 2011. General Buhari is a man of uncommon integrity and discipline. General Buhari believes in the Rule of Law and constitutionalism.
In 2003 and 2007 when he felt cheated after contesting the Presidential Elections he challenged the result in the Presidential Election Tribunal and fought determinedly and doggedly all the way to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Again in 2011, the defunct Congress for Progressives Change that sponsored General Buhari to contest the 2011 Presidential Election felt that there was electoral fraud in the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission in favour of President Jonathan and so challenged at the Presidential Election Tribunal the said election and fought it all the way to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
If Dr. Fasehun was not blinded by bias, emotion, sentiments and hatred he would have known that those who threatened that they would make the country “ungovernable” are PDP mandarins and President Jonathan’s co travellers in his Party when they engaged themselves in a fratricidal exchanges over the Presidential Ticket of the PDP in 2011.
Indeed, the statement that Nigeria would be made “ungovernable” was made by Alhaji Lawal Isa Kaita, a former Governor of old Kaduna State and who was a then prominent member of the PDP, on the 23rd October, 2010.
Indeed, the statement that Nigeria would be made “ungovernable” was made by Alhaji Lawal Isa Kaita, a former Governor of old Kaduna State and who was a then prominent member of the PDP, on the 23rd October, 2010.
This is why Nigerians were not surprised what the former National Security Adviser, late General Andrew Owoye Aziza told an audience in a Summit organised by PDP Governors from the South/South Region in Asaba, Delta State, that the deadly escalation of attacks by Boko Haram after 2011 was as a result of a fallout of the intense and unprincipled struggle for power by members of the PDP.
Some months after this startling revelation by General Aziza he was killed in helicopter crash in Bayelsa State in December, 2012.
Some months after this startling revelation by General Aziza he was killed in helicopter crash in Bayelsa State in December, 2012.
Another compulsive lie told by Dr. Fasehun in order to give the false impression that General Buhari was sectional when he was Head of State was that he jailed only politicians from the South such as Ambrose Ali, Bisi Onabanjo, Jim Nwobodo and Adekunle Ajasin while their “Northern counterparts had liberty to roam free”.
I shudder that a man of the age and stature of Dr. Fasehun can lie so brazenly and unrepentantly just because he wants to create the wrong impression that General Buhari is an ethnic bigot.
It is terrible that Dr. Fasehun at his age would elect to tell plain lies to his children and other young Nigerians about the events that transpired in the country between 1984 – 1985 just to steal a match from General Buhari.
It is terrible that Dr. Fasehun at his age would elect to tell plain lies to his children and other young Nigerians about the events that transpired in the country between 1984 – 1985 just to steal a match from General Buhari.
However I am not the least surprised because Dr. Fasehun has an unenviable record of fanning the embers of ethnic and sectional fray as tools and weapons to divide Nigerians to get what he wants from the system. It is his stock in trade.
We know that General Buhari’s Military Regime constituted Special Military Tribunals to try politicians from North and South, East and West who had stolen from the public treasury.
There was no discrimination against politicians from the South. Almost all the Special Military Tribunals were presided over by Military Officers from the South.
There was no discrimination against politicians from the South. Almost all the Special Military Tribunals were presided over by Military Officers from the South.
One of the prominent politicians that were jailed was the late Alhaji Mohammed Abubukar Rimi. He was the Governor of Kano State from 1979-1983. Another prominent politician jailed from the North was Alhaji Abba Musa Rimi, Governor of old Kaduna State (Deputy Governor of old Kaduna State from 1st October 1979 to 23rd June, 1982) from 1st June, 1982 to 1st October, 1983. On the 28 March 1985 a Special Military Tribunal sentenced Rimi to 21 years in jail for corruptly enriching 96 Legislators of the State House of Assembly by N500, 000.00. Rimi in his defence said he had given the money to the Legislator “for keeping the law and order in their constituencies”.
Colonel Peter Obasa from Kwara State was the Director General of National Youth Service Corps. He was jailed for several years for corruption and abuse of office after he was convicted by a Special Military Tribunal. We all know that Kwara State is in Northern Nigeria.
Another prominent politician that was jailed for 88 years by General Buhari’s Regime from the North was Chief Solomon Lar. He was Governor of Plateau State from 1st October, 1979, to 31st December, 1983.
Another politician from the North that was jailed by General Buhari corrective regime was Aper Aku. Aper Aku was the Governor of Benue State from 1st October 1979 to 31st December 1983.
Another politician from the North that was jailed by General Buhari corrective regime was Aper Aku. Aper Aku was the Governor of Benue State from 1st October 1979 to 31st December 1983.
It is clear that Dr. Fasehun mischievously, intentionally and deliberately left out politicians from the North in his highly jaundiced and hysteria calculated advertorial that were jailed by General Buhari’s regime because he has the mindset to mislead to achieve his predestined agenda of maligning General Buhari. It is a shame that at Dr. Fasehun’s age, he can be this mischievous.
Undoubtedly, ethnic bigots such a Dr. Fasehun who are beneficiaries of the deprave and morally bankrupt social and political order under President Jonathan are jittery of the rising profile of General Buhari as the candidate to beat in the next elections, and so are determined to continue to peddle lies and falsehood against General Buhari thinking these lies would cut ice. The likes of Dr. Fasehun are advised to change their tactics as Nigerians have seen through these lies and are more than ever determined to massively vote for a change come February 14th 2015.
OKOI OBONO-OBLA