Amid rumors of an imminent military take-over of the government, the dramatic warnings by military authorities to soldiers not to honor invitation by some politicians to stage a military coup have raised red flags that portend dire consequences for peace, stability and national unity. It is sad that Nigeria’s political class has not learnt any hard lessons from the country’s checkered political history. And it appears the ruling APC has failed to rise above its reputation as a nondescript contraption of strange political bedfellows. Despite holding commanding majorities in both houses of the legislature and controlling a majority of governor’s mansions, in addition to the presidency, there is a discernible power vacuum that has re-ignited ethnic tension and opened political fault lines; engendering a cocktail of wild speculations with some saying the alarm sounded by the army was a clear call by some Northern politicians on the military to stage a coup, ostensibly to protect Buhari’s presidency, which seems to be slipping away due to the president’s failing health and incapacity to govern.
After 18 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, Nigerians who thought their country had turned the page on coups and military rule were informed last week by Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Tukur Buratai that following President Buhari’s indeterminate medical holiday in London and the constitutional ambiguity over Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo as “acting president” some unnamed persons were inviting soldiers for undisclosed political reasons. In a statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Gen. Sani Usman, the Chief of Army Staff warned soldiers to resist the invitation to disrupt the democratic process. “The COAS has information about some individuals approaching soldiers and, on the basis of that, he has warned such persons to desist from this act.” He also reminded them that the Nigerian Army is a professional, disciplined, loyal and apolitical institution that has clear constitutional roles and responsibilities. Therefore, he seriously warned and advised all officers and men interested in politics to resign their commission or apply for voluntary discharge forthwith. Any officer or soldier of the Nigerian Army found to be hobnobbing with such elements or engaging in unprofessional conducts such as politicking, would have himself or herself to blame, the statement noted.
Well said! But it is just not enough to make such public a claim. There must be incontrovertible evidence to prove it; otherwise, the Army Chief would be deemed to be playing a fast one, in the circumstance, for reasons best known to him. Many Nigerians cannot even remember the last time the word “coup” was used in the country. And so, if the army chief is issuing warnings about a sinister plot or a call to arms to oust the ailing President and thereby derail the hard-won 18-years of uninterrupted democratic rule in the Fourth Republic, Nigerians should begin to worry; aware, more than ever, of the army’s repeated infractions and violation of its sacred mandate against the principles of democracy.
The last time that word “coup” was used to describe political events in Nigeria was on November 17, 1993 when Chief Ernest Shonekan, then head of the Interim National Government (ING) announced he was “stepping aside” to save Nigeria from apocalypse. The ING was a contraption created by former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) when he was forced out of power after a botched transition following the annulment of the June 12 presidential election widely believed to have been won by MKO Abiola. As it turned out, Shonekan did not voluntarily “step aside” but was elbowed out by Gen. Sani Abacha who subsequently seized power and instituted a reign of terror that lasted until his unexpected death from a heart attack.
Gen. Buratai’s warning comes in the wake of simmering tension within the polity amid inflammatory rhetoric by some Northerners who see in Buhari’s illness; a repeat of the dramatic events that culminated in the death of president Musa Yar’Adua and the emergence of vice-president Goodluck Jonathan, as acting and later president of Nigeria. Since May 10, when Buhari returned to London for his follow-up treatment, northern politicians have been assailing the polity with veiled threats on the need to consolidate the Buhari presidency as an urgent national imperative. A group calling itself Northern Elders has vowed to defend Buhari’s presidency against all threats; both internal and external. One such northern elder, Junaid Mohammed announced that the North has decided to keep the presidency under Buhari or any other northerner until 2027.
It is indeed perplexing that in the context of the failing health of President Buhari, some Northerners are blaming Southerners; scape-goating Vice-president Osinbajo, who they now consider as an undeserving usurper of the Northern throne. In the political calculation of Northerners, Osinbajo just a heartbeat away from Aso Rock is a well-orchestrated ambush by Southwesterners to snatch back the Presidency after Obasanjo’s eight years (1999-2003). This self-fulfilling prophecy is a fallacy that has been elevated to mainstream thinking of the Northern political establishment, who have vowed to defend Buhari’s presidency as if it was a personal estate. Since it remains unclear when and where it was decided that the defence of Buhari’s presidency was a matter only for Northerners, the question becomes: will this defence of Buhari’s presidency be extended to external factors like death caused by old age or illness?
Undoubtedly, the country is in the dark on Mr. President’s health situation and the secrecy has led to harried permutations and speculations in the social media. Buhari did not help matters, when he refused to address Osinbajo properly as Acting President in the letter he transmitted to Parliament before returning to London. We have not yet entered the realm of “Doctrine of Necessity” but in their obsession to upstage vice president Osinbajo and the Southwest, no Northern elder is clairvoyant enough to diagnose the challenges of a presidency that now operates as a business enterprise with offices in Abuja and London. The Northern elders obviously are not happy that Buhari is sick, but that does not warrant calls or invitation for military intervention.
The explosive potentialities of such a call, are very risky, and if not carefully managed, could push Nigeria to civil war. It is unpatriotic and utterly irresponsible for Northern politicians to be summoning soldiers to remind them of their previous pastime of staging coups. Nigeria has institutions to cater to exigencies arising from vacancy at the seat of power, including the death or incapacity of a sitting president. When people spend time doing hash tag of #IStandWithMyPresident, even when it is beyond argument that Buhari’s health disposition is clearly hurting the entire country, such people are certified enemies of the nation. Placing the interest of the president because he hails from a particular section of the country over and above the public interest is anything but patriotism. Nigeria is bigger than any president who is nothing but an employee of the Nigerian people who elected him. While you can easily replace the president, you cannot replace your country. If anything untoward should happen to the country, Nigerians should hold the ruling APC party and its ramshackle government accountable.
