Is Bulama Bukarti Suffering From “Compulsive Condemnation Disorder ”, by Maiwada Dammallam
POLITICS DIGEST- Barr. Bulama Audu Bukarti is a lawyer and a prolific activist with a rich background in conflict resolution particularly religious extremism. Notwithstanding, his background as a lawyer, his insensitivity to, especially, judicial issues, his tuff, is very disturbing considering his followership and reputation. His penchant for creating confusion where there’s none leaves enough room to question the sincerity of his consistent advocacy on good governance and social justice. I once had reason to rebuke him when he accused Governor Masari of refusing to release from detention Mahadi Shehu after he was granted bail by the court. I questioned how Governor Masari could refuse to release somebody who’s in the lawful custody of the Nigerian Police when he’s neither the IGP nor is the IGP answerable to him. That’s by the way.
This time around Barr. Bukarti’s anger is aimed at President Buhari whom he labeled a fraud for visiting Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in London, in a house allegedly owned by a Southern Governor which featured in the recently unlocked Pandora’s box rocking the elitist Nigeria to its core and interestingly, a house which Barr. Bukarti confirmed President had obtained a court order to freeze. In his bizarre opinion, Buhari has violated a court order for visiting a house mired in a mega scandal which he has obtained an order to produce. This is an unforgivable aberration coming from even rookie lawyer much less, one with years of experience whether as a field or courtroom lawyer.
Perhaps, Barr. Bukarti is suffering from “compulsive condemnation disorder” otherwise, he should appreciate that London is not the Daura where Buhari is more likely to know every street and every house for the purpose of attaching names and faces to every property just so he could know which house to avoid for being quarantined by a court and which not.
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It’s very unprofessional and of course, very unfair to drag the name of President Buhari in the mud for this very forgivable aberration and nobody could agree more with this than Barr. Bukarti given his absolute silence about the more damning citation of former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in the Pandora papers. Barr. Bulama Bukarti is an analyst in the Extremism Policy Unit of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and, according to Pandora Papers, Blair and his wife, Cherie saved €312,000 stamp duty in property deal when buying a €6.4 million London townhouse.
One could only wonder, why is Barr. Bukarti so forgiving in the case of Tony Blair while not only unforgiving but disrespectful in the case of President Buhari. Is it an oversight that Barr. Bukarti chose not to comment about a more serious aberration by Tony Blair or is it the usual selective justice common with most Nigerian activist regardless of their status? If none, then it’s a more serious case of “compulsive condemnation disorder” earlier suspected in this piece.
Bulama’s silence about Blair and Cherie on one hand, and his strong rebuke against President Buhari on the other is indicative of either carelessness to details or injurious solidarity. Many people will agree Barr. Bukarti’s silence about Blair and Cherie may not be unconnected with his job as an analyst in the Extremism Policy Unit of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change which was named after Mr. Blair and possibly Mr. Bukarti would not like to infuriate Mr. Blair or those who find him fit to have an institution of global reputation named after him. If this is the case, then it’s unfortunate. These are tendencies activists should not be caught experimenting with.
Fairness and justice should always be the watchword of any activist. No sense of justice will ignore Blair’s Pandora’s tax evasion case only to go berserk; attacking President Buhari for visiting a friend in a house with legal issues attached. In any case, before President Buhari’s visit to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the house under review, many reputable Nigerians were seen visiting Tinubu in the same house including a group of Nigerian lawmakers (lawmakers as in those who make laws for Nigerians) yet, Barr. Bukarti didn’t see anything illegal to worry about. Why? Because he knew they did nothing wrong. Why his patriotism went into overdrive with Buhari’s visit is something he may explain to save his reputation. Certainly Nigerians will love to know if truly Buhari is a fraud for visiting a friend in a house he’s trying to recover for Nigeria.
