The King’s Sojourn and the Cabinet’s Cold War
- While these skirmishes raged within the king’s court, King Bola himself did journey to a far-off land, even unto Saint Lucia, an island of beauty and tranquility. And the scribes whispered that this journey was but a decoy for a secret medical consultation, arranged by Gilbert, the son of Chagoury, a close associate of the king, who also served as honorary consul for Saint Lucia to the Vatican.
For it was said that the king’s health had been a matter of much concern, and such foreign sojourns served as a veil to obscure his true purpose from the prying eyes of the kingdom. Yet, the king’s heralds declared that his visit was to strengthen ties with the Caribbean nations, a part of his “Four D’s” foreign policy.
But the common man did murmur, saying, “Behold, the king doth abandon governance to frolic in distant lands with our monies, leaving his drunken clown Wike to entertain us with distractions until his return!” For the sight of the king’s absence amidst the mounting troubles of the land did not sit well with the suffering populace.
And in the absence of the king, the subtle in-fighting and betrayals within his cabinet grew bolder. For the ambition of men knows no bounds, and when the watchful eye of the sovereign is distant, the beasts of contention are loosed.
For many among the king’s ministers, though outwardly loyal, harbored their own aspirations for the contest of 2027, and they watched keenly for any stumble of their brethren, or any sign of weakness in the king’s grip.
The Minister of Works, Dave, who was called Umahi, a man of strong will, was heard to defend the king’s projects vigorously, claiming that a great portion of the road constructions were in the northern lands, yet the cries for improved infrastructure resonated from every corner of the kingdom.
And as the coalition of opposition, led by Atiku and Peter Obi, coalesced under the banner of ADC, it provided yet another distraction for the “zombies” to revel upon, while the true matters of governance lay fallow, awaiting the king’s return.
Thus, the cabinet of King Bola was not a unified body, but a collection of ambitious men and women, some loyal, some scheming, all vying for influence and positioning themselves for the political battles that lay ahead, even as the people groaned under the weight of their daily burdens.
For Akpabio was busy in the courts, fighting a woman who dared to accuse him, even as Wike, with his loud pronouncements, sought to diminish Akpabio’s standing and expose his past deeds, thereby serving the cause of discord within the king’s very camp.
And the murmurs continued, “Will the house divided against itself stand in the coming storm? Or will the machinations of those within shatter the very foundation upon which the king’s rule is built?”