By Jude Eze
Tuesday last week defined more concretely our previous assertion here that 2023 general election may be the most critically decisive poll in the annals of our national history. I was having a rough time, trying to tie off a tragedy that befall my family two weeks ago, when barrage of messages filtered into my WhatsApp, followed by torrential calls. It was so urgent, I had to mute notifications.
But when the buzzing became unbearable distractions about to tear my already clocked day apart, I peeped into the preview panel on the task bar only to see: “Archbishop Kaigama Endorses Shettima. “Another version of the same message paraphrased it: “2023: I’m Attracted To Shettima’s Qualities” — Archbishop Kaigama.
It was a tsunami on information superhighway for two obvious reasons. First is the timing. The message circulated barely 48 hours after APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom David Hundeyin described allegedly as a ‘Drug Lord’ in an evidence-laced essay titled: “From Drug Lord To Presidential Candidate,” sneered at the sensibility of Nigerian Christians and chose a fellow Muslim, Sen. Kashim Shettima of Borno as his running mate. Everyone had expected express condemnation of such socio-religious insensitivity from Christian leaders. But bizarrely, what was circulating was a contrary document, much to pubic dismay. It raised the basal temperature of our political ecosystem.
The second reason for the riotous reaction that trailed the purported statement was the edged emotional state of the electorate, who, for the first time, were at crossroads of indecision as Peter Obi’s Labour party has finally provided the much-craved third force which has presently broken the Siamese monopoly of PDP and APC going into an election year. Each party is antagonistically waiting for the other to slip to lynch it. And when Tinubu goofed in the choice of running mate, foxes were released for the feast, only for Archbishop Kaigama’s alleged statement to stir the hornets nest.
Those who knew my “Catholic-ness” as well as my acquiescence to personnel of the Archdiocesan social communication commission were calling to confirm. Some were already organizing a protest march against Kaigama. They were only waiting for a confirmatory note to strike. I was frenzied. Instantly, I sent a message to Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Patrick Alumuku who heads that department of the Archdiocesan curia, copying the workaholic deputy editor of the Good shepherd — the signature newspaper of the Archdiocese, Mr. Samson Adeyanju, for their immediate reaction.
They refuted it promptly, and produced an official rebuttal within 24 hours. And nerves were calmed. A sound bite from the disclaimer read: “It has come to the notice of the Department of the Social Communications of the Archdiocese of Abuja a false news which has gone viral on the endorsement of Kashim Shettima as the APC Vice Presidential candidate.
This fake news is coming after the nationwide outcry that graced the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) since Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s announced the former Governor of Borno, Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election, the loyalists of the ruling party have been at their wits end explaining to Nigerians the soundness of their choice.
One of their antics to give credit to the much criticized choice, has been to use the good names of reputable Nigerians to launder the image of Shettima. One of such futile attempts is dragging the name of Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, into the fan base of APC. Recently, the social media was agog with the skewed news of such spurious endorsement.
To set the records right, at no point has the venerable archbishop either in his personal capacity or as the Metropolitan of Abuja Ecclesiastical Province made such comments. Those familiar with the norms of the Catholic Church understand that Canon 285 § 2 admonishes that “Clerics are to avoid those things which, although not unbecoming, are nevertheless foreign to the clerical state.”
Nigeria is at precipice. No doubt about it. But the church has to be attentive to the pulse of her faithful and be actively involved in the political process. Fr. Mbaka has been subjected to vow of perpetual silence, thanks to the rage and deionizing heat of this exceptional pre-election season. Christians all over the country are united in one voice condemning this divisive APC tickets. Many youths, wishing to ventilate their anger on the rot of APC/PDP years, are leveraging on Peter Obi’s ambition as an extension of #EndSARS protest.
Today, Archbishop Kaigama may have succeeded in setting the record straight on his side, but the leadership of Christian body CAN owe it a duty to protest this exclusion politics being visited upon us by the Tinubu-led APC train. Let CAN take cue from the fact that in their place and situation, MURIC would have been releasing intercontinental ballistic missiles from all standpoints. A certain Gumi would have notoriously dragged himself to front pages of newspapers, daily chastising such choice.
This takes us to another notable compromise dotting our political landscape, welling into 2023. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which had infiltrated the nation with secession dirge has suddenly grown cold. They have ostensibly been pacified by overwhelming acceptance which Mr. Peter Obi’s candidacy is enjoying across all strata of our national bloc. Despite Obi’s body language clearly showing a detribalized figure, many of his young compatriots back home take his popularity as an indirect apology from Nigerian establishments for their ostracism over the years, which climaxed in President Buhari’s clinched fist against the zone. I’ve always maintained that IPOB is a creation of bare-faced tribal alienation of Ndigbo by the centre.
Biased critics like former presidential aid, Reno Omokri, had for two weeks been crying wolf over what he called “intolerance of Peter Obi’s supporters to dissenting opinions.” He is not smart enough to distinguish between the voice of Jacob and the body of Esau (Gen. 27:21-22). He spent useful time maligning Obi, but unknown to him, many irked IPOBians who had taken patriotism pills from Obi’s candidacy got irritated at such jeering, and they fed him a dose of his own concussion.
The same man who for seven years arrogated to himself the title of “Buhari Tormentor” is today playing victim in his own terrain.
The third notable compromise that is shocking to many as the nation gear down to 2023 is the surreptitious manner in which people who had built cult followership as vanguards of national unity peace and progress are descending the ladder of glory with frightening speed.
Sen. Orji Uzo Kalu, who, few months ago, cheaply courted the fancy of Igbo youths especially those who take abode in social media, when he advocated for a president of South-East extraction has since last week been an unpaid defender of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
But the next shocker was the subtle manner, another respected opinion holder, pen god and media guru, former presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, refused to condemn the obvious injustice of APC’s same faith ticket. During “The Morning Show,” a three-hour prime-time breakfast magazine programme on ARISE News Channel, which serves as a platform for analysis or commentary on diverse sociopolitical, cultural and economic issues of the day, Reuben struggled to mutter justification for such brazen unjust venture.
It took the starlight-talking Rufai Oseni to politely counter him. In the words of veteran journalist — Charles Ogbu: “the inimitable and irrepressible Rufai Oseni is always a delight to watch on Arise News morning show. He is always handy to counter Dr. Abati’s pro-establishment narratives and set the record straight. Imagine Abati suggesting religion doesn’t matter just because he wanted to defend Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket. I’m glad the fearless Rufai was able to silence him with fact.
Rufai is to the broadcast media what David Hundeyin is to the Print and New Media. Although some would argue that David has no comparison.
The delectable, brainy Tudun Abiola is another breath of fresh air. Always glowing and blushing at intelligent people. Tudun is the exact definition of fairness, neutrality and balance in the media.
Reuben Abati: erudite, experienced with a touch of arrogance but always eager to please the establishment. More often than not, he betrays his bias in the course of running analysis on the live show.”
As a lawyer one would have expected Dr. Abati to acknowledge the fact that the Tinubu-Shettima charade contradicts section 15. (1-2) of 1999 constitution dealing with our national political philosophy.
2023 has revealed enough already and more might be loading.
Jude Eze, a public affairs analyst can be reached via ezejudeogechi@gmail.com
