my watch

7/18/2019 MY WATCH

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MY WATCH

I n his latest book ti tled My Watch scheduled to be launched in L agos thi s morning,

former President Olusegun Obasanjo has chronicled the genesis of the uneasy

relationship between him and his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as well as how

his aides planted moles within Atiku’scamp to monitor him.

Obasanjo, who denied ever seeking Third Term in office, blamed Atiku for what he

described as a campaign of calumny against him on the issue after buying up the media.

From Obasanjo’s account, it would seem that his relationship with Atiku began on a sour

note:

“By the Constitution, I had to inaugurate or prorogue the National Assembly on June 4,

1999. The most important officer in the National Assembly is the senate president and

that office had been zoned to the South-east. And here was where Atiku Abubakar, my

vice-president, first showed his hand and his character.

“Without seeking my view or approval, he started planning the installation

of Chuba Okadigbo as the senate president. I did a background check on Chuba including

his past as a student and made enquiries about him in the National Party of Nigeria

(NPN) under (President Shehu) Shagari and no one would recommend him for the post of

senate president.

“I left Atiku to go on his chase while I carried out a meticulous and detailed investigation

and background check on each senator from the South-east. The one that appeared

most appointablewas Evan Enwerem. I canvassed the senate across the board for his

election and he was elected.Atiku did not expect it and he felt sore.

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“He began to strategise for Enwerem to be removed and Chuba Okadigbo to be installed.

His strategy worked because I was at Abuja airport to receive a visiting head of state

when the news reached me that the Senate had impeached Enwerem and elected

Okadigbo. I was not perturbed. I came to understand from some senators including

Florence Ita-Giwa, who later became my Special Adviser/ Liaison Officer to the National

Assembly, that Atiku distributed US$5,000 each to some senators to carry out the ‘coup’.

“That was the beginning of bribing the legislature to carry out a particular line of action

to suit or satisfy the purpose or desire of an individual or a group. The National Assembly

had tasted blood and they would continue to want more. From the day I nominated Atiku

to be my vice, he set his mind not for any good, benefit or service of the country, but on

furiously planning to upstage, supplant or remove me at all cost and to take my place.

“That was what I brought him for, but he was impatient and over -ambitious. He was not

ready to learn and to wait. His marabout, who predicted that despite being elected as

governor, he would not be sworn in as a governor, which happened, also assured him that

he would take over from me in a matter of months rather than years.

“All his plans, appointments of people and his actions were towards the actualisation of

his marabout’s prediction. Once I realised his intention and programme, I watched him

like a hawk without giving any indication of what I knew and letting down my guard. I

could not succumb to the distraction, diversion and malevolence of an ambitious but

unwise deputy.

“The work in hand was more important than a confrontational relationship with my

deputy, a man over whom I knew I had far more experience and outreach in all matters.

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To alert him of what I knew he was up to, would only lead to lying, denial, more

mischievous plans and more duplicity on his part.

“He was better managed that way. What was important was not allowing myself to be

surprised or outmanoeuvred by him. I must always seize the initiative and know what

was going on if not in his mind, but at least in his camp. That I did very effectively.

“Sometime in the fourth quarter of 2004, an associate of Atiku came to my residence at

the Aso Villa from Atiku’s official residence. He felt uncomfortable and I tried to make

him feel at ease. Then, he settled to tell me the story of what had just transpired in

Atiku’s residence. I listened with rapt attention.

“He went on to say that Atiku told him that for him to become the President of Nigeria,

the 2007 elections were only a formality.

“The seven ingredients he needed for his enthronement were already in his hands. He

controlled the National Assembly because both the President of the Senate and the

Speaker of the House of Representatives were in his pocket. He controlled twenty-eight

out of thirty-six governors. He had control of the media. His influence over the judiciary

was overwhelming.

“What he needed was foreign endorsement and for that he had employed two lobby

groups in the US and one in the UK. And finally, the money for the elections was in his

purse.

“When the man finished, I thanked him without passing any comment. The man was

surpr ised at my reaction and asked, ‘You have nothing to say to these?’ I said that I had

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nothing to say and I immediately called my ADC, Chris Jemitola, to play a game of

squash with me.

“On our way to the squash court with my ADC, I said, ‘People at times mak e plans and

leave God out of their plans.’ My casual remark struck Chris and he said, ‘Sir, that was a

profound statement.’ I said that I made the statement because of what I had just heard of

Atiku’s plan. I was not convinced he had put God in his plans.

“Atiku was confident and God was laughing. Most of Atiku’s ingredients soon started to

fall out of place one by one. The first was the party, PDP.

“He thought I was powerless and had no clue about the execution of his plan with his

group; part of his attack on me was for national chairman of the party to give the first

salvo, then other things would follow as his grip on the party would be firm and

consolidated.

“That salvo came in the form of a letter to me from the chairman of the party, Audu

Ogbeh, who had fully defected with (Iyorchia) Ayu to Atiku.

“The letter, which was not the product of any issue or matter discussed with or at any

party meeting, came suddenly. When I received it, I could read the sinister intention

behind it.

“I spent that night writing my reply and I sent it in the morning. My reply was clear. I

wondered why Atiku and his group did not realise that with my reply, the battle line was

clear or maybe they thought that the seven ingredients would remain intact to the end.

“My assistants had moles within the Atiku group. Anything that they planned would be

reported. That was the case after Ogbeh’s letter. They decided that Ogbeh should appear

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remorseful and come with the National Working Committee to apologise to me. It was

not from their hearts, but to lure me to a ‘killing ground’.

my watch

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