By EMMANUEL AZIKEN

The cavalier snub of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s campaign to sack Speaker Aminu Tambuwal by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was to me, a timely reminder of the fickleness of political power.

About a month or so ago the former President had during a meeting of the party’s national caucus made his case for the duo of Tambuwal and his deputy in the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha to vacate their positions within two years for the purpose of restoring the party’s zoning permutations.

Tambuwal was away in London for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting and as such absent at that meeting that took place in the Presidential Villa. But I doubt that Obasanjo would have altered either the content or tone of his delivery in the presence of Tambuwal.

The former President penultimate Saturday took his campaign further at the Southwest strategic zonal meeting of the PDP in Abeokuta where he urged party members to mobilize for the return of the position of Speaker to the Southwest which he claimed rightly deserves it.

It was as such understandable that at his maiden media session with correspondents last week that the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje would be confronted with the Obasanjo-Tambuwal matter.

Asked of the party’s position on the issue, Baraje was quick to dismiss Obasanjo’s agitation.

“We have put the June 6 aberration behind us as all the key actors acknowledged their fault and apologized to PDP and to Nigerians. When a child accepts his fault you do not give them more punishment than it is due to them and they have served their punishment through the apology,” Baraje said.

It was undoubtedly another comedown for Obasanjo who only five or six years ago at the peak of his imperious reign was hailed as the founder and maker of modern Nigeria by Baraje’s predecessors.

Folks like Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Chief Ojo Maduekwe who preceded Baraje at the PDP leadership and had unique insight into President Obasanjo’s innovative style in statecraft and nation building obviously may have made a poor job in teaching their successors of Obasanjo’s gifts.

So it was rather remarkable for me that Baraje who at the height of Obasanjo’s supremacy was climbing the rungs of the PDP leadership would casually dismiss the observations of the former President.

It was indeed not meant to be. As he prepared to exit the Presidential Villa in 2007, former President Obasanjo had positioned himself for continued relevance in the polity with the amendment of the PDP constitution to make himself the most eligible person to become the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party. He equally inspired the empowerment of the BOT to encroach directly into party issues beyond its advisory role.

Obasanjo’s success in transforming the PDP into an embodiment of his person as we were to later discover even despite his stocky presence was easily undercut by the wily schemes of his physically frail successor, Umaru Yar‘Adua.

Obasanjo’s agitation against Tambuwal, nay for the sustenance of a zonal power equilibrium may seem patriotic. That is if it is believed that his aim is to satiate all geopolitical zones that may have been deprived of adequate political representation under the present configuration.

But against the background of his alleged bias for a particular candidate in the person of Rep. Muri Ajibola as Speaker, his campaign losses all steam. Besides Tambuwal’s fitness and popularity with members, one major drawback for Ajibola’s quest was the backing he received from Obasanjo.

Obasanjo may have made his point, but he need not carry it further and as Baraje said, the nation has passed the point of Tambuwal’s troubles. The PDP has positioned itself to work with Tambuwal, baba should do so.

The sharp rebuke for the former President by Baraje is another lesson for us all on the vagaries of political power and even life. What is life, but a vapour. It appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. Obasanjo, however, refuses to vanish!