By Toye Olori
LAGOS, Nov 24 1997 (IPS)

Not one of Nigeria’s politicians said they would run for president at elections in 1998 until last week when Gen. Sani Abacha invited them to do so in a broadcast marking the fourth anniversary of his regime.

Since then, at least two have come forward, apparently in answer to Abacha’s words: “all those who may feel a calling to the political service of our nation should find a place within the existing political dispensation to fulfil their ambitions”.

The general belief here is that the five political parties registered by the state had refrained from announcing their candidates for fear of stepping on the toes of the 56-year-old general, who, though he has not said it, is believed to be aiming to become the country’s next elected president.

For more than a year, there have been clamours from top government officials and politicians for Gen. Abacha, who seized power in November 1993, to take off his uniform and contest the presidential poll to be held before Oct. 1, 1998 under a transition-to-democracy timetable set by his regime.

But his broadcast seems to have given some politicians the courage to stand up to be counted.

The Congress for National Consensus (CNC) last week named its candidate as Olusola Saraki, who was speaker of the senate during the Second Republic, which lasted from 1979 to 1983.

Saraki had said publicly some time ago that if Abacha was contesting he would not run “as such would amount to knocking one’s head against a rock”, but the CNC said in a statement that “Dr. Saraki has at no time informed anybody or group of people that he is no more interested in the presidential race”.

The other declared hopeful is 64-year-old Tunji Braithwaite, who had been a presidential candidate in 1979.

Braithwaite, a lawyer, declared his intention to run for president at a press conference held here last Wednesday,during which he said he was aware of plans by some parties to endorse Abacha as their candidate.

“Whether Gen. Abacha is adopted by three or four of his registered parties, I shall in due course by the grace of God seek nomination from one or the other remaining parties to contest in 1998 the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he declared.

Asked what he would do if the five parties unanimously chose Abacha as their candidate, Braithwaite ruled out that possibility. “I can’t believe that Nigeria is a nation of zombies,” he said. “I do not believe Abacha will be unanimously adopted by all the parties but if that happens, I will still seek nomination for the presidency.”

He stated that Abacha had the personal right to stand for election provided he did not manipulate the electoral process or allow his henchmen to corrupt it.

Braithwaite also sought to dispel doubts, expressed by critics, about the seriousness of his announcement. “I do not do things for the sake of doing them,” he said. “I am one who has contested election (in 1979) against giants like (Nnamdi) Azikiwe, (Obafemi) Awolowo, Aminu Kano, Shehu Shagari and Waziri Ibrahim. I am not a man given to sensation. I declared my intention because that is what I must and am prepared to do.”

Braithwaite described the Abacha regime’s transition programme as a chance for Nigeria to achieve democracy. “As far as I can see, this is one chance that Nigeria must not fritter away to democratise,” he said. “If we do not democratise now, the only alternative that might be left which people will clamour for is confederation.”

Other politicians have praised his decision as a healthy development and a display of courage. Some said they believed elder politicians should have done that long ago despite the speculation that Abacha wanted to run for president.

“Now that Gen. Abacha has told everybody that he is not interested in politics, I want to believe that the old politicians would now come on board to salvage this country by contesting and occupying the highest seat in the land,” said Fariu Arebi, Lagos Secretary of the National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN).

Organising Secretary of the Grassroot Democratic Movement (GDM), John Okusanya, also lauded Braithwaite’s declaration.

While many would-be presidential aspirants shy away for various reasons, including “fear of being arraigned before the failed bank tribunal or failed contract tribunals, forthright persons like Tunji Braithwaite are coming out because they have no blemish,” said Okusanya.

People convicted by tribunals set up by the government to investigate shady contracts that led to the collapse of many Nigerian banks have been jailed, while property acquired with dubious bank loans has been confiscated.

Some observers believed the tribunals were aimed at forcing people who might have political ambitions but were not favourites of the ruling classs to refrain from contesting the election.

“Now other hitherto cowed aspirants can pick up courage and queue up behind Braithwaite,” Okusanya said.

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