Thursday, March 17, 2005

How Ben Obi's travails shocked Blair's wife, by Anyaoku
From Alifa Daniel, Abuja

SENATOR Ben Obi stood tall again on Wednesday as prominent Nigerians poured encomiums on him for fighting injustice to its last breath.

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Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku's accounts of events that occurred during Obi's 19-month legal battle was more insightful, because it reflected the ripples created by the saga outside the country's shores.

Anyaoku told the audience at a dinner in Abuja to honour Senator Obi by his friends that the wife of British Prime Minister, Mrs. Cherie Blair was rattled when she heard that it took Obi 19 months to regain his mandate.

Mrs. Blair was a special guest at last year's edition of the yearly Anyiam Osigwe Lecture in Lagos.

One of the moderators at the event, former Minister of Information, Chief John Nwodo, according to Anyaoku, launched into the numerous court cases that Obi won but was yet to be sworn as a senator.

Apparently finding the story incredible, Mrs. Blair leaned over to Anyaoku and whispered "can all that be true?"
Anyaoku told the audience that he answered in the affirmative.

"When I heard the news of your victory, I must tell you that it gave me particular pleasure to telephone Cherie Blair to tell her that you had become a senator," the former Commonwealth scribe said.

Guests at the dinner included former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe; a former Secretary General of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim; Ismaila Isa Funtua; former Inspector General of Police Mohammed Gambo Jimeta; as well as Senators Uche Chukwumerije, Udo Udoma, Arthur Nzeribe, Chris Adighije and Emmanuel Agboti.

Others were Dr. Haroun Adamu; Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof. Joe Irukwu and former Foreign Affairs Ministers, Chief Matthew Mbu and Maj-Gen. Ike Nwachukwu. There were also Senator Mike Ajegbo; former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) chairman, Alhaji Mahmud Waziri; former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife; and the traditional ruler of Umuanya in Anambra, Igwe Chris Onyekwuluje.

In his speech, laced with anecdotes that elicited throaty laughter from the guests, Anyaoku called on Nigerians to give the National Political Reforms Conference a chance to restructure Nigeria.

Irukwu, expressed philosophical views, observed that Nigeria had sinned against God and was in the throes of God's punishment.

He expressed optimism that God was ready to forgive the country but warned that the people must turn a new leaf.

Like Anyaoku, Irukwu commended the resilience of Senator Obi in recovering his mandate.

Speaker after speaker extolled the political virtues of the Senator, especially his consistency and refusal to be intimidated to drop his struggle.

Said Anyaoku: "For me, it is a very pleasant evening. An evening that combines what can be described as a triumph of justice in the establishment of Ben Obi as the now undisputed Senator . He is taking over from Mike Ajegbo, my fellow townsman".

Ajegbo was the Senator that represented Obi's constituency between 1999 and 2003 before Ikechukwu Abana was sworn-in and later removed by the court.

Anyaoku continued: "Ben Obi did not win the victory for himself but for justice."
Commodore Ukiwe also lauded Obi over his electoral and legal victory even though "they nearly denied him with all evils working together."
He said that it was not easy to survive what Obi endured.

"It is due to his nobility of character and his public relations attitude," Ukiwe said.

Ukiwe, who was second-in-command to military president Ibrahim Babangida, called for the sustenance of the unity that brought prominent Nigerians from diverse backgrounds to the dinner.

Delving into the history of political crisis in Nigeria in the 1960s, Chief Mbu joined Anyaoku in calling for support for the national dialogue.

"The day we come to the stage of beings proud of electing the people we prefer, that day we would have made it," Mbu said.