The super grass of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, Chief Au-for-do Ogbeh in a confidential letter dated December 6, 2004 exclusively obtained by our correspondent (while scouring the pages of Nigerian Punch Newspaper for boring, commonplace or leaked news items), informed his boss President Obasanjo what the Nigerian grassroots are saying about his administration behind his back.

Party top grass Ogbeh who described himself as an old friend and loyal defender of the president stated in no uncertain terms in the letter that public anger has reached its peak because the president’s administration “folded its arms” and did nothing while the “most scathing and blistering attacks” were visited on Anambra state government by well-known hoodlums. He warned that a repeat of the public’s curse as was inflicted on second republic politicians was imminent, if something was not done urgently to avert it.

But trouble started for Ogbeh, when the president failed to see the content of the letter as undercover work but as an excuse to insult and attack his “integrity” as the president of Nigeria and the leader of the party.

Reactiing to the letter, the labour leader of the Grassroots and Strike Actions, Adams said he was actually surprised that Ogbeh whom they thought was deaf and harmless was capable of such an act.

“What do you know?” the labour Strike dealer said. “This Howdu Ogbeh of a man is not even one of us! I tell you, we didn’t think anything of him until this letter. He had always attended our conventions and from the way he pranced about with deadpan expression on his face, we believed he was deaf like the President who sent him and incapable of hearing or listening to our complaints. But there you go!”

“The only thing is,” he continued. “I feel sorry for him because this time the president himself (this being too personal and sensitive to assign to his spokesman Gani-Fayode) is bound to have a go at him for daring to bother him with idle talk. God so good, the President is idle and has plenty of time on his hands to engage him hand-to-hand. Audu has definitely stirred up a hornet’s nest. And as a Guardian cartoonist once said: those who live in grass houses should not throw flames.”

Read Chief Ogbeh’s letter to the president.