Somebody Tell GEJ That Refusal To Jail Looters Is An Impeachable Offence! By Ilesanmi Omabomi

They say the first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging. But not GEJ.  Like most of his other absurdities GEJ does not seem to get this simple logic. His entire campaign has been nothing but a production line for absurdities.

 
GEJ has been struggling to cope with the politically asphyxiating effects of his opponent Mohamadu Buhari’s anti-corruption driven campaign. GEJ has been under the hammer for running a corruption ridden government. In an attempt to defend himself he comes up with the most absurd argument possible. He tells the very voters he is soliciting their votes that he has failed to fight corruption because he does not believe in sending people to jail. This was obviously intended to be a shot aimed at his opponent GMB who jailed several corrupt politicians when he first led the country in the eighties. Given the anti-corruption atmosphere currently pervading the country, a competent campaign manager will be convulsing upon hearing his candidate commit this political hara-kiri. But not GEJ and his campaign team. As if he has been told that his response was well received, he runs around the country like a headless Christmas chicken dishing out the same repugnant explanation to voters who are hell mad about corruption and its debilitating effects of their lives.  

In his first sojourn as the head of state of this country from 1983-1985, Mohamadu Buhari launched the equivalent of a blitzkrieg against corruption. Politicians and their private sector collaborators were thrown into jail for stealing public funds. Given the excesses of the Shehu Shagari government and the greed of politicians like Umaru Dikko and custom-champagne drinking Adisa Akinloye, Nigerians wanted these corrupt politicians in jail and those who were unable to escape like the duo mentioned above were duly tried and sent to jail. The convicted politicians and their collaborators never denied stealing public funds. In fact many of them apologized and begged for leniency during their sentencing. The real owners of this country, the voters had no problem having these politicians in jail. But it looks like GEJ did. Not that it really matters now that he is facing his ultimate political humiliation in the hands of angry voters.  

GEJ’s supporters will be quick to, as always, blindly argue that the thieves were tried by special tribunals and as such the trials were invalid. The hypocrisy of their argument lie in the fact that the GEJ led government is currently trying hundreds of military officers through special military tribunals, and the tribunals have already sentenced tens of them to death. Despite members of the bar refusing to appear before GMB’s special tribunals one man whose patriotism, love for and loyalty to this country has been confirmed by even his jailers did. The late legal luminary Gani Fawehinmi represented an accused before one of these tribunals as a way of showing his revulsion for corruption.

Corruption is prohibited by countless laws in our criminal and civil laws and it is the constitutional responsibility of the President to enforce the laws of the country and the obligation is not discretionary. What GEJ has publicly confessed to is a deliberate refusal to enforce the laws of Nigeria despite his oath of office “…to uphold and defends the laws of the country.” You will expect his Attorney General to properly advise GEJ except that Adoke himself is too busy collecting oil block related bribes. The same GEJ who does not believe in jailing his friends for looting public funds does not have a problem when petty thieves and 419’ers are hounded down by EFCC and thrown in jail. Do not get me wrong. Every thief’s reward should be imprisonment, including petty thieves and 419’ers. But what is apparent from the dichotomy in enforcement of laws is that the real reason GEJ is refusing to enforce the laws is that his friends are the thieves. A refusal to send thieves to jail that is grounded in genuine philosophical belief should also operate to the benefit of petty thieves and 419’ers.   

In an ideal country, the National Assembly will commence impeachment proceedings against the president for his refusal to send looters to jail and use his public statements to that effect as conclusive evidence. But not Nigeria. It is either because half of those in the National Assembly do not know why they are there beyond the opportunity to steal or their reasoning is so warped that they believe the president has the right to enforce the laws of this country. They will fail to see the implications of his oath of office. 

In a presidential campaign in which in which accusations of corruption against thGEJ and his government has assumed the constancy of the Northern star, he chooses to appoint Femi Fani-Kayode, a man facing trial for the theft of billions of Naira of public funds as his Media and Publicity person. How daft does anyone have to be to know that appointing Fani-Kayode to that position just shows how myopic and disrespectful to voters GEJ and his campaign advisers have become. This man does not really believe that stealing is corruption but Nigerians do. And GEJ will find out harshly and shamefully on February 14, 2015. On a day set aside for the demonstration and reaffirmation of human love, the frustrated, cheated, defiled, disrespected and angry voters of this potentially great country will hopefully demonstrate their love for this country by voting President Goodluck Jonathan out of Aso Rock. And the process of reinvigorating this country economically, politically, culturally and socially can then commence in earnest under the able and exemplary leadership of General Mohamadu Buhari.