Only if the post of vice president failed Mr. Ribadau, he would actually be the hot favorite initially considered by the party caucus as the vice president. As time and seasons comes and goes, the scenes kept changing. For close observers, the scenarios playing has gone beyond usual party caucus affair business. It was now contest to take the baton and control the soul of the state.
It has been a fight of conscience. Not long after his medical trip to Saudi Arabia and visiting his chains of wives and concubines, entertaining fear and refusing some calls and attentions. His fears were many and enormous, apart from his test for fitness, which was over before the election. His fear started from his being shifted aside from the list prior to the election to the fear that Mrs. Zack who though had lived with him for years could not legally change her name to his, then call from an unknown person in his private phone line.
There was really no earthly reward for this selfless service. He died without will and accomplishment.
 
 
*
 
 
Just like many political assassination in the country, a ruinously expensive court case and a hunt for the real killers were granted to the strictest security and judicial body. It was a long wait, with an effort which everyone hoped would be rewarding at the end.
For months the search and patience waned and resolved collapsed. Fresh facts have been collected to effectively throw light on the real killers.
The usual things have been done. The legal theme and commissions of enquiries have been briefed on the findings that had been connected to official duty, the new president had authorized them to commence contempt proceedings against any who bodily had hands in his assassination, with reward of money generated from aviation for a whole one year budget. Like many others cases of death, he could not allow it to gather dust or their investigations to be kept under lock and keys for long.
That morning, Black Maria zoomed in and with it were long timed detainees who had been condemned for long. Everyone who had been following rulings in the country knew them well. The courtroom was packed when the judge walked in . The available spaces had been taken . He was an old mouth in the bench and an expert in handling murder cases involving political killings. He would be the decider whom everyone looked unto. He was not a feeling -digger, he took cases first with facts and issues, characters and defenses, never tolerating justice in any form. He had taken time and firmness despite few distractions bringing out the cardinal principle of law.
Two young men presented themselves unaccused in the first day at the court. They had been bought and paid big for that from the real killers. Close look at them showed that they had been used by the ruling party as political pawns in the struggle for power. It was hard to reconcile their statement and their criminal admission of guilt. Everything about them was out of naturalness. In their speech and answers, contradictions and misinformation wounded their testimony and acceptance of the act.
“They have no hands in his death as much as I know and I can tell when the real killers are remanded. They should not make me fall for this trick.” Mrs. Zack said.
Her tone of voice spelled pity and hopelessness. Tears rolled her eyes. She picked herself and walked out through the court door in company of Pius and her other children.
Her exit from the court premises in pull of tears, lamentation, and agony marked the genesis of a legal Ping-pong that saw the former president behind bars in just three years afterward.                                                                                    
         
                      
 
                                                                                           
   
                                
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
                     
 Part 4
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Food for the vultures
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And here we stand
In no secret place
The vultures
The vultures
The bird without conscience
Have eaten us and dried us
Suck our blood
And ate our flesh alive
Our problems too many
Too many
Too many
From denial of self identity
We lost our precious values
Men learning more to be like women
Now we have become sleeping giants
 
*
Mr. President lost his position in politics totally when Gani agreed to take the realm of power after the death of Ribadau. He was the head of the upper house and from a different paerty. The ruling party lost totally to the opposing party many posts thereby making his mighty former Mr. President irrelevant in politics. He was ever ready to nail him as long as he had been faulted on many things.
          The country for sure still wails over criminality of kidnapping of oil workers, armed robberies and money laundering.
The first morning of the proceeding soon came and all the counsels were actively prepared.