GEJ and his powerful visitors: From ‘clueless’ to ‘champion’ by Buchi Obichie (Opinion)

macfranc007 August 31, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Buchi Obichie

Editor’s note: In storytelling form, the writer, Buchi Obichie, narrates how Goodluck Ebele Jonathan went from being a laughing stock in the political space, to a man whose counsel is now being sought by the high and mighty.

Aloooohhh oohhhh, Aloooohh. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I want to tell you a story about how the rejected stone became the beloved stone. Open your ears and draw wisdom from my tale.

Some time ago, in a land of many peoples, tribes and tongues, there was a king. He was not loved by many, but was not particularly wicked as well…he was simply clueless. He watched as his men plundered the fields and looted the treasury; and seemed too weak to lift a finger and call them to order.

The man was soft…too soft for a leader. Some even whispered that it was ‘gin’, ‘tumbo’, ‘kaikai’ that made him that way. They said all his advisers needed to do was wait for him to get so intoxicated and then put papers before him to sign…he would forget himself and do your bidding!

Others said he was a ‘wuss’…a supposed man under the influence of his boisterous wife. They said it was ‘she’ who really ruled the land…she, with the disjointed grammar, who was queen, but was in actuality, ten times more powerful than her king!

The man was deemed a disgrace; and the people - plus the ‘hidden figures’ - ensured that he was thrown out. They made sure he was defeated by the fierce, thin, tall former warrior from the North.

However, time, they say, is the great revealer…just as it is also the great healer. The deeds of men done in yesteryears which were deemed as failed ventures can miraculously become great feats, with the passage of years.

In this case, all it took was about 2 years into the tenure of the new king, and the land became restless. The thin, tall, fierce former warrior turned out to be a ‘wrong choice’; and the former king was suddenly being hailed as a hero.

They said the man was a true statesman…that if not for the way he graciously conceded defeat, the land would have been thrown into turmoil. The people also remembered how they could at least afford the small pleasures of life in previous times. They were not rich at the time, but at least, they were not this wretched either!

The old, retired king then began to travel far and wide, with his signature black hat, portraying himself as the hero of democracy…the savior of his land.

But then, something else happened. Not only did his stature change, he also became a ‘go-to statesman’; and suddenly, his ‘riverine palace’ and his 'mansion in the land's capital' became places of pilgrimage for those seeking to lead.

The man who had ‘swept him away’ – literally – just a few years before, when he was the leader of one of the northern enclaves; the man, who now sits in the Assembly, and wants to become overall ruler of the land, came calling.

Don’t you know him? Okay, let me describe further.

He is the one whose followers wear the ‘red cap’, even though they are not of the eastern tribe. The one who suddenly turned around to express regret for paving the way for the thin, tall fierce former warrior. Yes, that man. He came…red cap and all…to pay homage to the former king.

The short, loud, comical man with the ‘farm’ and ‘place of books’ also came. He, the former leader who had previously written epistles against this ‘clueless fellow’. He came. After backing the tall, thin, fierce former warrior, he also discovered – just like the others – that it was all a fluke. And true to form, he also wrote epistles against the tall, thin, fierce former warrior who became king.

The thin, tall, fierce former warrior was all talk and no substance…but unlike the other king, this one was quite ruthless. He had no heart, moved to his own beat, and couldn’t be bothered about what the people said.

Then, as the crowd of unusual visitors continued with their procession, the former king also received one other would-be ruler. The land’s ‘number three man’…the one whose home and mighty Assembly had been invaded by the spy chief; but whom, like the fabled cat, always lived to fight another day. He came…all smiles, with his side kick- the one who jumped from the van that was leading him to slaughter - in tow.

They all came. They paid homage. They pled their case.

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The former king now stands proud. Each day, he awaits a new visitor. He sits calmly in his palaces, ready to give counsel to another former foe, now turned follower and friend.

Oh, this former rejected stone has become the cornerstone. How things change.

So, here is the moral of the story: Nothing is permanent, history is constantly being re-written, and politicians are as fickle as they come. My child, a tale is enough for the wise.

Aloooohhhh ooohhh, Allooohhh!

This opinion piece was written by Buchi Obichie.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of NAIJ.com.

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