My passion to see a better and greater Nigeria was extended to the next line of leadership in our democratic government after the Executive; the legislature. Senate leadership precisely. My sentiment for a Senate President of southeast extraction was fired by what my experience was on my trip to Umahia, Abia state, to witness the inauguration of Dr Alex Oti, as I earlier reported in my article titled; 10th Senate Presidency: My Appeal to PDP Senators.
My appeal did not fall on deaf ears, as I was privileged with audience by PDP Senators. Politics is a game of number played with cards of interests. You therefore must have an idea of the interests of persons or groups with whom you are seated at the negotiating table. My presentation to many of them was centered around the militarization of the south east region of Nigeria, which I found quite embarrassing in a democracy. I told the story of the dehumanization that commuting passengers are subjected to while crossing from one state to the other. Nothing different from the experience at Aflao a broader between Togo and Ghana. Crossing from Anambra to Imo was like attempting to cross from Togo to Ghana the only difference is nobody asked for our International Passport. Passengers had to get down from the vehicle and put their luggages on their head and walk a stretch of over 100 metres in some cases to reconnect with their buses, sometimes they are stopped by the military and their wares are searched, that is the fate of the passengers in Igboland in the nation called Nigeria. I was moved and touched by plight of everyday people who in their hustle for survival must transverse the region for their daily needs to be supplied.
In my estimation the marginalization of the region was a function of not having representation in Government to sound the need of the region. Best efforts in that regard was put forward by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South. The region has not had the privilege of a face in Government that could plead its course. The need to negotiate South East stay in Nigeria should no longer be undermined politically. Every attempt must be made to play down the things generating tension. The quest of the region to leave Nigeria for me stands justified.
Failure of Government to embrace negotiation is fanning the undue popularity of the minority IPOB members who are championing disengagement from Nigeria, against the majority in and from the region. I believe if government opens talk today, the influence of IPOB will whittle down.
This is the only way to dislodge few men in the region who constitute themselves into such impunity and lawlessness.
Negotiations have been part of the house Nigeria, between Yar’adua and the Niger delta militants, we saw a negotiation, between Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and even the North- East islamist Jihadists. Why is the opportunity for negotiation not open to the southeast? With this burden, I headed for Abuja, my first point of call was with Senator Binos Yaroe, Adamawa Central, whom I have met in a very strange circumstances of my standing up to a bill that I’ll later know of its benefits to the church of Jesus in Nigeria, we made acquaintance and continued to exchange texts and messages from time to time, and when we eventually met, he gave me the load down of the situation in the Senate and the fact that the Senators are determined to ensure that one from among them, decided by 108 members will become the President of the 10th Senate. I shared with him my thoughts and we left it hanging. I left him to go see a Brother of mine in the Lord who apparently introduced me to Osita Izunaso, one of the Candidates from the south east. On meeting him I was impressed by the gentleman who sat across the table but without the kind of war-chest that can deliver the Senate Presidency. Somehow, I still believe in him, looking young and efficient, I thought a man who had been the national organizing secretary of APC and has done a good job of it should stand a chance, I left him promising to work with him, and then from him I went over to Senator Ade Fadahunsi a man I have known since his day back in the Nigeria custom service, I met him in such a wonderful opportunity provided by my Apostolic platform, I had several outreaches to his village and he was a supporter of everything in my hand, I owe so many things to him but typical of an Ijesha man we have our ups and down, we can fight in the morning and make up in the afternoon, that had been our pattern, he is a wonderful man to be with. My last born Shalom Adenigba Efe Akinyemi is named after him, the name Adenigba, Adenigba is now 19 years old so you can imagine how long we’ve been together.
On the Senate intervention, he believed in me and he took me from Senator to Senator, from one caucus meeting to another, introducing me to senators that matters in the politics of the Senate. His role was indeed that of a father, I remember when i met Senator Osita and he asked me who are the Senators that I have met, I told him that I had met senator Binos Yaroe and I have met Senator Ade Fadahunsi and he described senator Ade Fadahunsi as “that Elderly man.” I said No, he is a young man because I am trusting God that he will live for many more years to come. At the entrance of the Senate as we were coming out of his office together, there were young men there, hailing him..”FATHER, FADA, FATHER of the Senate, FADA of the Senate, the name FADA coming from the first four letters of his surname FADAhunsi, F.A.D.A was dated back to his days in the Nigerian custom service where people called him FADA, I remember when he was going into politics, I developed a concept from the same acronym F.A.D.A, Fadahunsi Agenda for Development And ……….., it flew the kite of his first attempt at the Senate, which was never to be, based on the strength of political Mago Mago against him for which himself had become a master at the trade, his assistance on this intervention is unbelievable, I owe so much to him and I pray that the Lord will strengthen him more and more, he never attempted to arm twist me off my position but like a FADA indeed, he took me through the intricacies of all the caucuses and I knew that what I had held in my hand cannot stand because the people for which I was fighting have been overwhelmed by the external forces against southeast, and have accepted the Deputy Senate President position in the spirit of one-senate. I was left with two options; Yari or Akpabio, knowing very well that I will not compromise the stand, ethos and ethics of Democracy which demands that there must be separation of power, I don’t see an Akpabio presidency separating power from a B.A.T led government, Yari does not look like the option that I will support because I was in the forefront of no Muslim Muslim ticket in the presidency, unfortunately some persons in the church thought otherwise and I know that if we go that route, we will pay dearly for it, because what we should not accept as 200 million people will be difficult for us to enforce over just 108 people who are classmates and who within their class must determine who their leader will be.
At one of the caucus meeting I witnessed, 68 senators were in attendance with 12 giving excuses and the meeting was holding at the same time that another caucus in the senate were holding their meeting, I was amused that on the side of Yari was the majority of the class knowing this I gave in to the right of the class to choose who their leader will be.
This trip as challenging as it was gave rise to FADA commiting a Sin that I may never forgive him in time for, what is this sin? He had invited me over to Transcorp Hilton hotel for breakfast, I got to the Bukka and I ate a breakfast of just four Bean cakes ( Akara mérin pere) and after I was done, because that was what I wanted to eat they gave me my bill, when I opened it, 175,000 Naira was staring at me, I asked myself even if it was not Akara I wanted to eat how could I in one sitting have eaten 175,000 Naira, then I thought of several thousands of people I could have fed at a Koko joint with a bowl of Koko and four pieces of Akara which should go for about 175 Naira, at 175 Naira if used to divide 175,000 Naira, I would have fed 1000 ( one thousand) mouths, for this sin I may never forgive the FADA of the Senate.
