FAYOSE’S ADVERT AND THE DEATH OF BUHARI

By: Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

The death advert of APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari on two national dailies (punch and Sun Newspaper) by a sitting PDP Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose is no longer a news. We all saw it, we all read it. While some people take it to be a mere desperate move by the Governor to further demonize Buhari who is obviously the favorite to win the 2015 presidential election, I wish to draw the attention of the general public to certain revelation that must be carefully considered based on the message of the advertorial. The purpose of this publication is not to criticize General Buhari’s death advert or its sponsor since many have done that already, my concern is to ask vital questions about the motive behind the advertorial. According to the advert placed on the front page of the two national dailies, the Ekiti State Governor featured 3 past head of states from the north, namely Murtala Muhammed, Sani Abacha and Musa Yaradua who died while serving as commander in chief. Please note, none of the 3 past head of states mentioned in the advert were up to 60years when they died,neither did any of them have records of ill health except Yaradua. So, why were the less than 60 year old dead leaders who died in controversial circumstances be compared to a 72year old aspiring president? It was expected that, if the concern of Mr. Fayose is about the health of general Buhari, he wouldn’t mentioned Murtala and Abacha who were assassinated and poisoned respectively, he would only mention Yaradua who died of ill health, but the Governor went ahead to mentioned Murtala, who was assassinated at 37years, Abacha, poisoned at 55, plus Yaradua and then put a question mark on the head of general Muhammadu Buhari, indicating that he his the next who may likely suffer similar faith as those three (3) previously mentioned. We must then ask, what message is Governor Fayose passing across to the nation? If Fayose his saying General Buhari is ill based on the false media propaganda about his health, was Sani Abacha whom Fayose mentioned in the advert also ill before he was reportedly poisoned? Was Murtala Muhammed who was also assassinated ill? certainly no. There is more to the message than a mere campaign desperation, the APC must act quickly to prevent any negative agenda against General Buhari. For the records, Governors Fayose mentioned Murtala Muhammed who was assassinated in 1976 at the age of 37, he was young and healthy. General Murtala Ramat Muhammed (November 8, 1938–February 13, 1976) was a military ruler (Head of the Federal Military Government) of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976. Fayose mentioned Sani Abacha who was reportedly killed by poison at the age of 55. Abacha died in June 1998 while at the presidential villa in Abuja. He was buried on the same day, according to Muslim tradition, without an autopsy. This fueled speculation that he may have been executed extrajudicially by way of being poisoned by political rivals via prostitutes. Then, Governor Fayose also mentioned Musa Yaradua who died of ill health. The question all well meaning Nigerians must ask is that, Is Fayose telling us the 3 likely means in which General Buhari might be killed should he emerge president of Nigeria in the presidential poll? or, is he telling us that those 3 he mentioned who previously died in office were murdered by certain forces? The same forces who might likely do what they did before to General Buhari? Is Fayose simply telling us that if Buhari fail to die as a result of ill health like Yaradua, he would be poisoned like Abacha? And if he fail to die via poison like Abacha, he would be assassinated like Murtala. Am asking, what message is Fayose passing to Nigerians? Isn’t right if we ask Ayo Fayose, who killed our past leaders he advertised in his death advert for General Buhari? Who assassinated Murtala Muhammed? Who poisoned Sani Abacha? I believe Fayose must have answers to this questions. Murtala was assassinated at 37, why did Fayose mock his death by comparing him to a 72 years old man? What did Buhari have in common with Murtala to warrant the comparison? Yes, Murtala died in office, he was assassinated. Will Buhari be assassinated like Murtala? Abacha was poisoned at 55, why did Fayose mock his death by comparing him with 72 year old Buhari? What did they have in common to warrant such comparison? Yes, Abacha died in office, he was reportedly poisoned. Will Buhari also be poisoned like Abacha? And again, Yaradua died of ill health, is there more to it? We must ask Fayose. If Buhari didn’t die with ill health like Yaradua, will Fayose poison him like Abacha? If he refuse to die, Will he be assassinated like Murtala? We need answers to this question. On this note, let me call on all Nigerians not to take this death advert likely, there is more to it. I also call on the security agencies to get to the root of this situation. It was on record that, Murtala Muhammed was killed, aged 37, along with his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa, on February 13, 1976 in an abortive coup attempt led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka, when his car was ambushed while en route to his office at Dodan Barracks, Lagos. He was succeeded by the Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ Olusegun Obasanjo, who completed his plan of an orderly transfer to civilian rule by handing power to Shehu Shagari on October 1, 1979. Today, his portrait adorns the 20 Naira note and Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos is named in his honor. Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian Army general and politician who served as the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998. Early in 1998, Abacha announced that elections would be held that August, with a view toward handing power to a civilian government on 1 October. It soon became apparent, though, that Abacha had no intention of permitting an honest election; by April he had strong-armed the country's five parties into endorsing him as the sole presidential candidate, but he died before the date. The government identified the cause of his death as a sudden heart attack. It is reported that he was in the company of two Indian prostitutes imported from Dubai. It is thought that the prostitutes laced his drink with a poisonous substance, making Abacha feel unwell around 4:30am. He retired to his bed and was dead by 6:15am. Follow me on twitter @Abdool101