{"id":3427,"date":"2011-01-22T16:23:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-22T16:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3427"},"modified":"2011-01-22T16:23:00","modified_gmt":"2011-01-22T16:23:00","slug":"divided-they-sink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427","title":{"rendered":"Divided, They Sink!"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_3428\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3428\" style=\"width: 186px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3428\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?attachment_id=3428\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"186,240\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"buhari\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gen. Muhammadu Buhari &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3428\" src=\"https:\/\/wip.ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"186\" height=\"240\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gen. Muhammadu Buhari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If by the end of next week the opposition parties in Nigeria fail to coalesce and adopt a common candidate for the April general elections, we might as well conclude that none of their candidates can beat Dr. Goodluck Jonathan \u2013 free and fair election or no free and fair election. This prediction is couched in my firm belief that at the moment, the so-called opposition parties are in disarray as far as presenting a formidable front in the polls is concerned, and there seems to be no real indication that they could get their act together within the next seven days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a clear desperation as the deadline for presenting names of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) draws near. It is borne out of the fear that now that Jonathan has secured the PDP ticket, he looks more formidable than he used to be before the primary election two weeks ago and looks set to win the big election in April. It is very clear now that unless the opposition parties come together and back one candidate, pushing Jonathan out would be a very Herculean task indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quite a number of discussions are taking place towards this end, but they don\u2019t seem to be ending in any satisfactory result. Yesterday, the papers were awash with the story of a \u201csecret\u201d meeting between Malam Nuhu Ribadu of the ACN and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the CPC in the latter\u2019s house in Kaduna. The meeting was held ostensibly to map out a strategy to snatch power from President Jonathan. The idea is in tandem with the ongoing moves to ensure that a northerner becomes president in the new dispensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But will that kite fly? Your guess is as good as mine. The opposition figures in the country are self-serving by nature. Each wants to be the one to reach the top, hence his inability to make a compromise in a power-sharing deal. Their meetings end in a cul-de-sac because each enters the meeting with a I-come-to-beg-you-to-leave-it-to-me agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reason for this is not far-fetched. Opposition politics in Nigeria is not what it used to be. There is a complete absence of ideology in the parties, which makes them to look the same except in name. In contrast, the strong parties of the good old days of the First Republic, such as the NCNC, NEPU, UMBC, and AG, as well as the UPN, NPP, GNPP, and PRP in the Second Republic were based on identifiable ideologies. The personalities leading or populating these parties were men and women that were consistent in their beliefs, not because they thought their beliefs would bring wealth or glory to them but because they felt without equivocation that, that was the best way to arrange the society and build the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Wikipedia, political ideologies have two dimensions: 1. Goals: How society should function or be organized, and 2. Methods: The most appropriate way to achieve this goal. That is why in the United States of America, you are either Democratic or Republican; in Great Britain, you are either Labour or Conservative. In between these lie just a few alternatives, which are invariably incapable of rocking the boat too hard because the two major camps tend to be adequate for the diverse opinions people hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mark you, political ideology is like religion: people don\u2019t just quit for cheap porridge. People come together because they believe in a set of ideas, which is the driving force behind their political action and manifesto. They don\u2019t gather in order to eat what is available on the dining table or share whatever they can get for their pockets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, the story is different. You have a colony of drifters and quitters wearing the badge of politics. No matter how well-fed they look, they are just hungry, and it is their hunger (usually for power and money) rather than ideology which drives their actions. Little surprise, then, that you find politicians who had made a name as members of a political party suddenly drifting to another party, including one they had spent most of their political life castigating. The word for this is decamping, and many politicians in our country do it with pride and gusto while pretending to be victims of a \u201cwitch-hunt.\u201d Examples are legion. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was elected as a governor under PDP in 1999 but when the game between him and Obasanjo soured, he founded AC, which won the election in Lagos State. Today, he is back in PDP, a party he wanted to see destroyed, and had sought to become its presidential candidate. Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, a top-notch member of the PDP, was a ranking member of the House of Representatives for many years. Today, he is a gubernatorial aspirant under CPC in Katsina State. Dora Akunyili was also a PDP member and had served as minister of information and communication under two presidents; today, she is a senatorial candidate under APGA in Anambra State. Dr. Abba Sayyadi Ruma, hitherto a leading member of the PDP, under which he served as commissioner and SSG in Katsina State and later minister of agriculture, is now seeking the governorship seat under CPC. Senator Adamu Aliero, another PDP stalwart, is now contesting under CPC. Malam Nuhu Ribadu, a senior official of the PDP government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is now the presidential candidate of ACN. Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa became governor under ANPP, decamped to DPP which he founded in order to run for president in 2007, and is now a ranking member of the ACN, under which he sought to contest the presidency. The list is almost endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These people and others like them are now giving the impression that they are martyrs who have just found their heavens. It is believed, however, that they decamped only because their chances had been blocked in their former parties and would return as soon as they have captured power or found no succour in their new parties. After all, party politics is no religion. They don\u2019t even recognise the word \u2018ideology\u2019. This is why they drift from one party to another without blinking an eye, like bees looking for flower from which to suck pollen. This is also exactly why it is difficult to forge an alliance capable of defeating an incumbent president in this country. We will see if the leopard can change its spots in the next one week or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8212;<br><em>Published in LEADERSHIP WEEKEND today<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_3427\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3427\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If by the end of next week the opposition parties in Nigeria fail to coalesce and adopt a common candidate for the April general elections, we might as well conclude that none of their candidates can beat Dr. Goodluck Jonathan \u2013 free and fair election or no free and fair election. This prediction is couched [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_3427\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3427\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-online-musings"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":16,"today_views":0},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Divided, They Sink! - Ibrahim Sheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Divided, They Sink! - Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If by the end of next week the opposition parties in Nigeria fail to coalesce and adopt a common candidate for the April general elections, we might as well conclude that none of their candidates can beat Dr. Goodluck Jonathan \u2013 free and fair election or no free and fair election. This prediction is couched [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-01-22T16:23:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg?fit=186%2C240&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"186\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"240\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nafisat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"IBRAHIM SHEME\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nafisat\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4\"},\"headline\":\"Divided, They Sink!\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-01-22T16:23:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427\"},\"wordCount\":1098,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/buhari.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Online Musings\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427\",\"name\":\"Divided, They Sink! - Ibrahim Sheme\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/buhari.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-01-22T16:23:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/?p=3427#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/buhari.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ibrahimsheme.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/buhari.jpg\",\"width\":186,\"height\":240,\"caption\":\"Gen. 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This prediction is couched [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427","og_site_name":"Ibrahim Sheme","article_published_time":"2011-01-22T16:23:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":186,"height":240,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg?fit=186%2C240&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nafisat","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"IBRAHIM SHEME","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427"},"author":{"name":"Nafisat","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4"},"headline":"Divided, They Sink!","datePublished":"2011-01-22T16:23:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427"},"wordCount":1098,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg","articleSection":["Online Musings"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427","name":"Divided, They Sink! - Ibrahim Sheme","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg","datePublished":"2011-01-22T16:23:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3427#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/buhari.jpg","width":186,"height":240,"caption":"Gen. 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