Animal Farm is an original work of George Orwell (1945). In his essay, ‘Why I Write’ (1946) Orwell explained that the main reason he wrote Animal Farm was to "to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole".
Thus, I beg to borrow Orwell’s reasoning as I write about the political shenanigans in Abia state, Nigeria. Abia State, in all honesty, can only be described as an Animal Farm.
The characters in Animal Farm called Abia State are as follows
Animal Farm: Abia Sate
Farm owners: Abia State Indigenes
Steward: Dr. Alex Otti
Goat: Political Mandate
Lion: Dr Okezie Ikpeazu
Hyena: Dr. Uche Ogar
Arbiter: Supreme Court
In 2015, Abia indigenes (farm owners) gathered (in an election) and gave Dr. Otti (Steward) a goat (mandate) from their farm to kill and prepare a meal for the generality of Abia indigenes.
While Dr. Otti (steward) was still on the farm collecting the goat, a pride of lions (Dr. Ikpeazu and his fellow PDP marauders) invaded the farm, chased away Dr. Otti, and mauled the goat.
As the lions prepared to eat the goat, a pack of Hyenas (Dr Ogar and the other half of PDP freebooters) barged into the same farm and a big fight ensued between the Lions and the Hyenas over the ownership of the goat.
Let me tell you a bit of rivalry that exists between Lions and Hyenas in the jungle.
Hyenas don’t run as fast as other predators in the jungle. Thus, hunting in the jungle becomes a big challenge to them, except for rodents that they occasionally kill for meals. And so, they rely solely on dispossessing other carnivores of their killings.
As such, Hyenas wait patiently for other predators to kill their prey before they pounce to dispossess them of their killings. Usually, big cats such as Chetas, Tigers, and their like are Hyenas' victims.
But the Lions will always let the Hyenas know that they (Lions) rule the jungle. And in most cases their tussle results in a stalemate. And they will simply share the meal if the catch is a big prey like a Buffalo.
True to the nature of a Hyena, Dr. Ogar waited patiently for Dr. Ikpeazu and his godfathers to rig themselves into power. Now, Ogar is laying claim to the goat in the Animal farm. But the Lion (Ikpeazu) will not give up his kill without a fight. Just like in the jungle, there’s a stalemate between the two PDP beasts on the Animal farm (Abia State).
However, the struggle between the beasts (Ikpeazu and Ogar) in Abia State (Animal farm) has been noticed by other farmers in the larger Animal farm called Nigeria. As such, an Arbiter (Supreme Court) has been drawn into deciding who gets the goat between the two marauders (Ikpeazu and Ogar).
Meanwhile, everybody seems to have forgotten that Dr. Otti (the steward) was the man that the owners of the Animal farm (Abia indigenes) initially gave the goat (mandate) to slaughter for the benefit of all Abia indigenes.
As the case may be, Dr. Otti (steward) has asked the Arbiter (Supreme Court) to be included in the discussion as to who owns the goat (mandate). Nevertheless, the Lions and the Hyenas are vehemently opposing the inclusion of the Steward (Dr. Otti) in resolving the matter.
In fact, the mere mention of Dr. Otti is the only time the PDP Buccaneers (Dr. Ikpeazu and Dr. Ogar) will present a united front.
I am not, at all, surprised because that’s exactly what happens in the jungle when there’s a tussle between Lions and Hyenas over a kill. No third party is allowed near the kill otherwise such a third party could become a meal.
All the same, the goat (mandate) is at the moment in the hands of the Lions (Ikpeazu and co) until the Supreme Court rules.
In the meantime, some of the Hyenas in Abia State are re-positioning themselves, hoping that the leader of the pack (Dr. Ogar) will eventually be awarded the ownership of the goat (mandate) so that they will start sharing the meat in the same PDP way.
These followers of the leader of the pack (Ogar) are all over the internet, writing and shouting at the top of their voices to the attention of their leader. They tell us that their leader is fighting for justice. They want to get justice from injustice. And in the process feign ignorance that whoever that goes to equity must go with clean hands.
And their leader (Ogar) is supposedly a born-again Christian, and he’s trying to reap where he did not sow. Let me ask; in all sincerity, could Dr. Ogar swear that he didn’t know that the mandate he’s laying claim to was stolen from APGA and Dr. Alex Otti?
Besides, the moment you present the truth to them or a divergent opinion, they will rain insults on you from every direction. They’ll be quick to ask you; ‘when was the last time you visited Nigeria?” Without waiting for an answer from you, they conclude that ‘you are not on the ground’.
Meanwhile, they share on their Facebook pages breaking news from Sahara Reporters that are domiciled in New York. Sahara Reporters are not on the ground but they break the news to the people who are on the ground.
Obviously, you see clearly when you are over ground and that’s why the US is not on ground anywhere in the world but knows about everything that happens everywhere in the world.
Overall, as uncertainty continues to becloud Abia State, we patiently wait for the Arbiter (Supreme Court) to rule who the goat (mandate) belongs to. It will end in praise if the goat (mandate) is eventually returned to the Steward (Dr. Otti) otherwise; it will be a big DISGRACE.
Nonetheless, one thing is certain, “all animals are equal but some are [definitely] more equal than others” in the Animal Farm called Nigeria.