HOW OBASANJO USED JONATHAN, ALAIBE, EBEBI, AGBEDI, OTHERS TO HUMILIATE ALAMIEYESEIGHA OUT OF OFFICE....What Bayelsans, Ijaw Nation Must Know

HOW OBASANJO USED JONATHAN, ALAIBE, EBEBI, AGBEDI, OTHERS TO HUMILIATE ALAMIEYESEIGHA OUT OF OFFICE....What Bayelsans, Ijaw Nation Must Know

By Dr. Ebitimi Alfred

Coordinator of The Bayelsa Truth Movement for Southern Ijaw Candidate for PDP

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

With political activities gathering momentum ahead of the primaries of the People’s Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress and the gubernatorial election scheduled to hold on November 16, 2019, it has become pertinent to peep again to the travails of our First Civilian Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

The late former Governor fondly referred to as the Governor General of the Ijaw Nation was a phenomenal advocate of Ijaw interest. That perhaps earned him the admiration of the Ijaw people who gave him the title of Governor General. However, political differences between him and the then President Olusegun Obasanjo resulted in a dangerous political conspiracy which was painstakingly supervised to humiliate him out of office and indeed bury his political destiny. Sadly, the shock of his impeachment was too much for him to overcome. He died as a sad shadow of the influential man he was. He evoked pity as a man-made metaphor of corruption.

When former President Olusegun Obasanjo moved against Alamieyeseigha, his political machinery devised a plot to use the political leadership in Bayelsa State especially from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to humiliate him out of office. Obasanjo who was implacable at the time mandated Alamieyeseigha’s main political opponent at the time, Chief Timi Alaibe, and his Deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to impeach him within a period of three weeks. Obasanjo’s ultimatum was laced with a threat to declare a state of emergency in Bayelsa as the alternative option in the plan to crush Alamieyeseigha. Specific directives were issued to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Edmund Dakoru, and the Federal Forces to ensure that the plot against Alamieyeseigha was effectively executed.

The Presidency-backed high powered conspiracy against Alamieyeseigha, involved top Bayelsans who controlled the political space at the time. These were his Deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the then Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Chief Perebowei Ebebi, the Chief Judge, Justice Igoniwari, former Chairman of the PDP, Hon, Fred Agbedi, and others.

To set the stage for the final onslaught on Alamieyeseigha, who had become embattled, Chief Timi Alaibe, provided the funds obviously from the Niger Delta Development Commission to a group led by Mr. Peres Pereto to prepare the coffins for the pre impeachment demonstrations in Yenagoa. We know that youths were mobilized by Alaibe’s supporters led by Peres Pereto, a known Alamieyeseigha supporter who later betrayed him to support Alaibe. It was Peres Pereto and Heineken Lokpobiri, key beneficiaries of Alaibe and NDDC who organized and led the coffin carrying protesters to the gate of Government House. We have the photographs and video evidence of what happened at the time which we shall release to the public in due course.

Alaibe and Jonathan used his contacts in Abuja which include the pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the current Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and the Special Adviser, Domestic to Obasanjo, Chief Andy Uba, to actualize the plot to oust Alamieyeseigha from office.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who was pencilled to take over governance as the greatest beneficiary of Alamieyeseigha’s political misfortune, his wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan and his Royal Highess King AJ Turner also funded demonstrations in Yenagoa. Also, several nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations enraged by the manner of Alamieyeseigha’s escape from London and the gravity of the allegations made against him also demanded answers

We cannot pretend not to remember that Ijaw traditional rulers, who were enraged by the activities of Alamieyeseigha’s traducers, carried out traditional rites and placed a curse on Alaibe, Jonathan, Ebebi, and Dakoru for their startling role in the humiliating removal of the former Governor. The traditional rulers most of who are dead carried out a lot of traditional rites after which they placed a curse on Alaibe. The traditional rulers believed that Alaibe tracked Alamieyeseigha, and got the details of the transactions which were relied upon by Ebebi to impeach him.

Many people believe that these curses and traditional rites have been at the root of the political instability in the Bayelsa State until recently when this jinx is now set to be broken by Dickson.

It is interesting to note that since then Alaibe’s political journey has not been smooth. He has not been able to emerge as the flagbearer of any political party in a general election in spite of the massive resources and contacts at his disposal. He has never succeeded in politics beyond where he was at the time the curse was placed on him for pulling down a fellow Ijaw man. We don’t believe that Alaibe has as much resources as he had as at the time he joined the ruthless conspiracy against Alamieyeseigha.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan was handpicked by Obasanjo as the replacement for Alamieyeseigha. He became Vice President, and letter President. However, Jonathan was caught in the trap of the curse against second term. Against all expectations, he has gone down in history as the first incumbent Nigerian President to lose an election organized by him.

It is even doubtful whether Jonathan’s reputation on issue of corruption is not worse than the allegations made against Alamieyeseigha. Today, His wife Patience is the ready example of corruption by a wife of public office holder in Nigerian history. Several billions of Naira traced to her have been seized by various courts of law in Nigeria.

Peremobowei Ebebi who was rewarded by Obasanjo with the position of Deputy Governor for moving against Alamieyeseigha was himself ignominiously impeached by the same House that he once led and several of his properties seized for alleged corruption.

Throughout Jonathan’ rule as President, his former deputy, Ebebi, never benefitted. He was treated as an outcast. He is now a shadow of his former self and has never won an election. Turner, Jonathan and their group have recruited him as the Campaign Director of Alaibe Campaign Organisation. What an elevation!

On the other end, the late Justice Igoniwari a trusted ally of Alamieyeseigha, who was appointed over his seniors against all advice, died suddenly in a mysterious way after Alamieyeseigha impeachment. The late Justice Igoniwari, HRH King Turner, Nelson Azibolanari were those rumoured to have made serious rituals to take over political leadership from Alamieyeseigha, through fetish means. It is rumoured that several of their kinsmen who participated in this unholy acts have confessed and died. Bayelsa should expect more confessions.

While Jonathan stepped in as the Governor after the impeachment of his boss, the then Speaker, Peremobowei Ebebi, who incidentally is the new Director General of the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation, was compensated with position of Deputy Governor for his efforts.

The politicians who allowed themselves to be conscripted into the plot and their counterparts who spearheaded the campaign against Alamieyeseigha are alive to speak on the roles they play in the shocking impeachment saga.

Bayelsans shouldn’t forget in a hurry that another political figure who played a critical role in the impeachment saga was Hon. Fred Agbedi, who suspended Alamieyeseigha from the PDP in obedience to instructions from Obasanjo, Alaibe, (his boss) and his men when he was Chairman of the party.

It is also fresh in the memory of the politically active Bayelsans and those who have sustained interest in major happenings in the state that King AJ Turner and Justice Igoniwari who coordinated the impeachment of Alamieyeseigha were accused of carrying out grave fetish rituals meant to destroy Alamieyeseigha. Speculations were rife that these rituals were behind the deaths of Igoniwari and the former Commissioner for Information, Nelson Azibolanari.

The Jonathan/Turner group which is currently backing Alaibe is scheming to repeat yet another grisly political history in Bayelsa. God forbids! This unholy alliance is reputed for destroying people, destabilizing the state, and pulling down perceived political enemies for their own interest. Bayelsans have a responsibility to be watchful.