By Dele Sobowale

President Buhari may mean well for the country, especially on the matter of fighting corruption and indiscipline. But, his maiden media chat shows a man still sadly trapped in the past, a man moving along haphazardly into the future along a single track. He must be prevailed upon urgently to reform and mend his ways if democracy is to survive, let alone flourish.”

Take a guess who wrote those words. Was it Olisa Metuh? Fani-Kayode? Femi Aribisala? Ayodele Fayose? The answer is: none of the usual “suspects”. Then who wrote it? Step forward Akinlotan of the PALLADIUM, on the back page of the NATION, who on Sunday, January 3, 2016, fired what might turn out to be the first, and certainly not the last, salvo in a war for the soul of the APC. The exquisitely written article was accompanied with a cartoon of President Buhari, half in military uniform and half in mufti – undoubtedly designed to remind us of the President’s past as a draconian military Head of State.

When my vendour delivered the paper on that Sunday, folded with the cartoon showing, I actually thought he had mistakenly brought another paper instead of the NATION. Like most people, I was aware, even before the elections, that the contraption, called APC, will not last the distance. Too many individuals who should ordinarily not be seen together had jumped into the leaky boat. Unlike most people, I was sure that the alliance would not last till 2019 once the glue that bound them together – getting rid of Jonathan and the PDP – had been removed. But, I was not prepared for the break to occur so soon.

The PALLADIUM is not just another column; it has been one of the gospels of the ACN progressives. Its author had been one the architects and promoters of that political machine and its owner. Owner you ask? Yes, owner, because if there had been, in recent times, a political machine owned by one man, it was the ACN. Every decision, including minor ones like choosing Ward Councilors, had to be made at one address at Ikoyi. To that political “Mecca” or “Jerusalem”, everyone having any aspiration within ACN, trooped to be anointed. What of the Chairman of the party you ask? He had a name; but he was totally without a voice. An echo rang out more clearly than the poor metaphor for a figure-head. It was the PALLADIUM and SNOOPING AROUND columns who gave us a clear picture of what the owner was thinking. And, they are remarkably reliable. So, that piece on the first Sunday of 2016 left only one question in the mind of regular readers of that paper and who had the insight into the machine’s operations. Was PALLADIUM speaking the mind of the owner of ACN?

If he wasn’t, he had opened a breach between the “owner” of ACN and the President – and several other people within the party who would consider the piece disloyal. Consequently, the “owner” will have one of two choices to make. He will either stand by his columnist and undisguised mouth-piece or he will denounce him and re-pledge his loyalty to the President and party. There can be no other choice. Irrespective of what the owner does, his relationship with the President had been damaged. Granted, media practitioners like to make distinctions between the publisher of a paper and the contents of the paper. Politicians and “Mili-ticians” don’t. As far as they are concerned the publisher is responsible for what is in the paper.

But, what if PALLADIUM was speaking for the “owner” of ACN? That would be worse for the APC; because with just one column, the basis of the alliance between ACN and CPC, which formed the nucleus of the APC must have been removed. Distrust had become so deep that it can no longer be hidden from the public. If so, there are other consequences that follow such disagreements when they blow open. For a start, the ACN members now on the Federal cabinet, as Ministers, will face the same choices opened to Awolowo and Akintola supporters in the old Western Regional House of Assembly. Will they remain loyal to their former leader in ACN or will they join him in the trenches? Ah! PALLADIUM PALAVER!!!..

To be continued.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

“Metuh being investigated over N400m.” NATION, January 4, 2016.

“EFCC traces N400m to army officer’s account”. PUNCH, January 7, 2016.

They claim there are no sacred cows in this fight against corruption. When it is Methu or Bello, their names are mentioned immediately. An army officer obviously has no name to be mentioned. Abi?

Indeed, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”  George Orwell, 1903-1950. We are watching the new face of the corruption of the judicial process…