ANY person, employed to control the way people see or perceive an opinion on an issue, or try to influence what people think about the issue, is officially called the spin doctor. By definition, the spin doctor is in work to give a favourable interpretation of events to the media, be it on behalf of a government or a political party. Since the second quarter of last year, yours truly has been engaged by the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, to sit on the saddle of it’s spin doctor.
Ordinarily, and by virtue of this position, I am supposed to be all out projecting the good works of the party, and promoting those behind the works, especially the works that are done by the party leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the overall leader of the APC. Those who know me, or happened to be familiar with my write ups, would attest to the fact that I am an unapologetic Buharist.
Whatever has to do with Munammadu Buhari, takes precedence over logic or common sense, in my bias inclination or prejudice for Buhari. In short, in my craptastic constitution, Buhari is like my mother, who cannot go wrong. Because, with me, there are two extremely important rules in life. Rule number one says- my mother is always right. Rule number two says, even if my mother goes wrong, please refer to rule number one. My love for Buhari, makes me elevate him to sit on the fringes of those rules.
Since last month, pursuant to the unfolding of many events, principal of which is the hardship Nigerians are made to go through, occasioned by the nonsensical currency confiscation, under the guise of currency swap, I have been compulsorily compelled to take a difficult decision, or make choice between two alternatives. One is my unblemished love for Buhari and the second is my conscience.
After consulting widely with my self, and after a review of Muhammadu Buhari’s record, especially his reputation on the moral sense of what is right and wrong, I opted to opt out of that unblemished love. So, unlike my mother, I have grounds to relieve him of the privilege of enjoying my fundamental rules of life. He has gone wrong and no one should refer to rule number one. Again, I am only writing in my personal capacity, and not the party spokesperson.
In his first coming as a military Head of state, Buhari made us to understand that they met Nigeria in a terribly tattered state, so bad that the late Nigerian actor, Enebeli Elebuwa, who played Andrew, wanted to check out of what he called, this ‘gaddem’ country. Buhari appealed to him to stay, saying, we have no other country but Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together. Buhari’s actions gave special meaning to the meaning of sacrifice.
In his second coming as an elected President, who arrived at a time when the country was besieged by rising cases of Boko Haram insurgency, armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual murder, bribery and corruption, he made a very powerful pronouncement on the very podium he was sworn in, viz: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”.
To clear the doubts of the doubting Thomas’, he went on to say, “there would be no paying off old scores”. This cleared the fears that on coming back to office he would go after some persons. “Those fears are groundless, the past is gone”, he said.
Buhari’s record also showed that he had put his life on the line for the unity of Nigeria, by participating in the country’s civil war to preserve Nigeria as one.
In fact, while delivering a speech at the 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium to celebrate the 69th birthday of the APC Presidential candidate, Buhari urged Nigerians to embrace peace and unity, saying that the theme of the event – Our Common Bond, Our Common Wealth – indicated that “Nigerians are better today, and even strong.” The understanding then was simple- he was ready to make sacrifices that would unite the country and do away with ethnic bigotry and nepotism,
However, since the emergence of Tinubu as the APC flag bearer sometimes last year, the body language of Buhari has been everything but sincerely supportive of that phrase, – Our Common Bond, Our Common Wealth. The same body language seems in conflict with the expression of, “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”. There are concerns to suggest the President has a preference, for someone, somewhere.
I am not privy to any agreement, but I learnt there was one, and looking at the concomitant commitment of Tinubu to the course of the APC in general, and the success of Buhari as our President in particular, even if he is diabolical, courtesy demands that we adhere to the proverb that says, “There should be honour even among thieves.”
The tension in the land is lending credence to all manner of suspicions, including the drive to devide the country. Until Buhari is able to purge himself of that suspicion, I, can not but say, my man is in a monumental mess. And this is a personal opinion.
Ibrahim is the director, publicity for the APC.