By Matthew Mahmood
Freedom fighter, ex-militant leader and warrior of the creeks Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari is the ‘adopted’ political brother of President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria. Jonathan’s ‘adopted’ political mother is Annkio Briggs while his ‘adopted’ political father is Chief Edwin Clark who remarried recently at 86.
As soon as critics said that Asari should be arrested for treason he fired back and dared the police to arrest him. Asari claimed that Nigeria would break up if Jonathan does not become Nigeria’s President again in 2015. His threatening statements infuriated the House of Representatives and Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State. They promptly ‘called’ for his arrest via the Inspector General of Police. Asari thinks his arrest would turn Nigeria into a historic country that no longer exits. It will be recalled that Asari was arrested and detained during the Olusegun Obasanjo regime but it did not lead to the end of Nigeria.
Asari and other pardoned ex-militants of the Niger Delta have gained contracts from the Jonathan led government therefore it would not be business as usual if Jonathan failed to remain Nigeria’s President in 2015. We have nothing against Asari although we have a different opinion on who should rule Nigeria in 2015. We strongly believe that whoever democratically wins the presidential election excluding Jonathan should rule Nigeria in 2015.
President Jonathan 'nailed' himself while canvassing for votes in the 2010 Presidential election. He gave the electorate the impression that he would not re-contest according to his reported interaction “with Nigerian diplomats working in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union (AU)”. A good leader would not fool the electorate but abide by his promises. We would like Alhaji Asari to reconsider his statement on the 2015 election regarding Jonathan not contesting. Jonathan said he is not contesting the 2015 election. Asari’s current stance contradicts Jonathan’s statement. Some pastors have advised Jonathan not to contest the 2015 presidential election because of prophecies that it would break Nigeria. It is important to note that the CIA allegedly predicted that Nigeria may break up by 2015. 
It is myopic that Asari cannot see the faults of his political brother in office despite the fact that they disagreed on private issues behind closed doors. It must be emphasized that Asari lived like a king even before he rose into prominence as a freedom fighter in old Rivers State. He has always being a fearless leader from a young age. He is from a very rich family and has never experienced poverty. His community members hold him in high esteem.
We would agree with Asari on the issue that the Northern oligarchy is not in support of a Southerner leading Nigeria and consider the leadership of the country as its birthright. However, Jonathan is not leading Nigeria as he should. He had a big opportunity to unite the country and perform in office but nay. He refused to appoint the best technocrats. To call him a weak leader is absolutely correct. Recently, Jonathan's social media spinmeister Reno Omokri 'replied' UK Guardian on an article about Jonathan’s weak performance in office. No amount of spin can camouflage bad governance.
Asari should stop making inflammatory statements because such statements are better tabled at a sovereign or constitutional conference which should start this year. Asari should be fighting for a Sovereign National Conference before attempting to fight for the President. That is what a fair freedom fighter should do. At this juncture, we humbly await a Sovereign National Conference in Nigeria where Asari et al can iron their creased grievances. Beating the drums of war ahead of 2015 imposes the image of a troublemaker and national bully on Asari since Chief Edwin Clark said that nothing will happen if Jonathan loses the election in 2015. Chief Clark should also tell Nigerians what he thinks would happen if Jonathan does not contest the 2015 presidential election.
At the same time, Jonathan’s ‘adopted’ political mother Madam Annkio Briggs should stop blackmailing the nation by saying that the oil pipelines would be destroyed if Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015. Nigeria’s major revenue is from crude oil in the Niger Delta. A Sovereign National Conference may be the best place for Madam Briggs to get her pound of flesh instead of using blackmail aka ‘oilmail’. She should pipe down on the threat for militants to resist the arrest of Asari and Kingsley Kuku because they are yet to be arrested and were unlikely to be arrested since most people that made similar statements in the past were not arrested. Her abrasive comments heated the polity. It will be recalled that she previously went against Jonathan with claims that he disappointed Nigerians. Why is she backing ‘disappointment’ now? Nevertheless, we still recognise the previous attempts of Asari and Briggs to defend and protect the downtrodden in the Niger Delta.
Nigeria should be ‘tribe less’ when it comes to leadership otherwise we may never be able to move forward. In the UK, nobody wants to know if the Prime Minister is from Scotland, Ireland, Wales or England although Prime Minister David Cameron had Scottish ancestors. The allegation that former British colonial masters supported the Northern domination of Nigeria since the inception of Nigeria needs to be addressed and President Jonathan should call his ‘adopted’ political family to order especially Asari and Briggs!!
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Not Madam Briggs but Madame was strikingly beautiful and had affairs with the top brass. She was the mistress of a soldier who later became a powerful military ruler. He gave her a property in a popular area. Somehow, they broke up but her affinity with military men refused to diminish.
She had fertility problems and suffered from an ailment that needed constant medical attention. She fell for one of the best gynaecologists in the country. He is from a prominent family in one of the most popular towns in the world, in terms of African artefacts. Despite the fact that he did not study medicine early he was an expert. He often got upset when women die in some hospitals due to lack of medical expertise.
He loved Madame, built her second house for her and made sure that she received good medical treatment. After years of ‘marriage’, Madame took him for granted and dated a young powerful military man. It was a 'crazy' love affair and Madame assumed that the young passionate officer would marry her. She hid her medical problems from him and presented herself as a single rich woman. She claimed that she built the house by herself.
According to the doctor, he went to Madame’s house one day and was surprised to find uniformed soldiers guarding her house. He was stopped at the gate. A soldier asked other soldiers if it was a particular car number plate as if they were ordered to shoot the car aka Operation Number Plate. The doctor reversed at high speed and was physically shaken for days. He felt that if he had gone to her house in another car he would have been assassinated. The soldier quoted the number plate of his ‘favourite’ car. Who gave the soldiers the instruction to identify and shoot at sight? Was it an assassination attempt or bullying scenario?
Madame and doctor broke up. The doctor petitioned the authorities and the young officer had to dump Madame after he was scolded by his boss on the issue. The young officer later fell in love with a journalist. He said she looked like a younger version of Madame. It was love at first sight. As powerful as he was, he had to make friends with people close to her in order to date her. Although he was ‘power drunk’, he was also ‘love drunk’.
Somehow, Madame fell ill and was hospitalized. She forgot to take her medication appropriately and lacked medical care. Nobody like the doctor was available to look after her properly. He was her carer, physician, friend and lover. She ended up in a church for deliverance and repentance after a nervous breakdown. The doctor simply moved on with a broken heart.
