Jonathan: The Presidency And The Northern Debacle
As i write, His Excellency Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has just declare officially, his intention to run for the 2011 Presidential election. This has put to rest all speculations. Before now, the polity had been unnecessarily over heated by debates of weather the president should/would run. I am very sorry readers; we are talking about zoning in the PDP. But hold it. ls PDP Nigeria? Why is it that our opposition parties have gone under? The noise around in the country sounds as if we are in some one party state. Should the electorate assume this position? If not, why is it that everyone seem to shout Jonathan, IBB and Atiku alone as if they are the only viable option in the country dotted with huge human resources?
Pretentiously, as always, the period of reckoning is before us again. The list of individuals lining up before most of the intending candidates for the 2011 election is already giving us the type of leadership the north expect in the person they trust in IBB and Atiku and of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Knowing the greed level of IBB, his tradition of double speak, deceit, as well as underground moves reference here are the Dele Giwa's death, several killings during his eight years of misrule and the like, any one standing behind him certainly would have informed us by implication that he/she would not be part of the dream of the new Nigeria we clamour for. IBB the greatest beneficiary of freedom of speech which he never allowed in his tenure is insulting our sensibility with salvo by informing us that he is contesting because the youth of Nigeria do not posses leadership qualities. Who train them thus? Who is to blame for the failure of the youths largely untrained useless and restive? Why does he think that at his age, he is the messier Nigerians need? Or do we still need any binoculars to see the man who in eight (8) years ruled this country and is not sorry for his definite misdeed? We must be out of our minds to follow such a fellow.
Until recently, former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had been my man. At every bend during his fight with the main cone man Uncle Sege, l doffed my hat most times he would out manovour almost everyone to freedom. He did it with the Assembly men when his case was driven there; repeatedly in the courts he succeeded, so l found in him the man who not only was knowledgeable to give the PDP the great fight. My argument then was that he could not have committed all the bales of offences without the connivance of OBJ. His faithful in the People Democratic Movement (PDM) then were glad they had a man they could rely on. It was easy therefore to join hands with him to form the Action Congress Party (AC) (now Action Congress of Nigeria CAN) with the likes of Former Governor Bola Tinubu. Today all that is gone.
Now, Atiku has jumped ship, cross carpeted and gone his separate way, he is warming up to contest an election against the party of his creation. What a shame. What a lack of integrity. So what is the unique selling point of Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar? As far as I am concerned, he has lost it and has proved that he and whosoever joins him in his new adventure have lost focus and should be dumped in the directionless political sea of imbeciles. When the 'great' Anini the terror armed robber of Benin City in the 80's was to be executed for robbery, he gladly went to the stake and die he did. But Osumbor (his die hard chief of staff ) who face the bullet same day, was like Atiku, a shame full of regrets and blaming others for his actions. No. Nigerians are not in need of deceitful, directionless and woeful failures again. The men/women are those who can raise their head in all circumstances. Nigerians, if you need a man with great sense deceit, indecision and the like, join Atiku Abubakar to election 2011. Good luck. When Alhaji Yar'adua became sick and was air lifted first to Germany then to Sandi Arabia, God started rewriting the history of this country. Jonathan remained Vice Presidents without powers to act in almost all circumstances. The Nation became worried and members of the Kitchen cabinet raised the bars giving all legal backing and impetus when desired and discounting the power and might of the ready man Jonathan.
The scheme continued and we had an acting President in Hajia Turai - wife of Yar'adua (unofficially), the only one who could se the sick president. The North was pleased all through her antics with the kitchen cabinet, and for so long as Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was schemed out and completely sidelined. Then the lower higher chamber of the National Assembly quaked at the kitchen cabinet and the ignored man was made acting President. Suddenly the President died but rather than let the vice transform to the upper seat, which constitutionally was imperative, a negative search was conducted for an alternative or replacement for Jonathan as if he got to power on a separate ticket.
Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan became the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of Yar'adua's PDP and was yet to settle down for the National assignment when actual politicking began.
The North, yes the Northern Nigeria, became uncomfortable with Jonathan because a southerner seem to have usurped their position or is it birth right? Rather than let the man do his job, an urgent machinery was put in place to cause all unnecessary distractions to so he can be discredited as a non performer.
The north has produced many candidates already to justify the remove or replacement of Jonathan. But with due respect, as far as this writer is concerned, Babangida is irrespective of his follower, expired. He has no new tricks up his sleeve in fact in his own words ( what did he forget in ASo Rock ?) Atiku is expired, believing in him is a disservice even to his organizing committee and as for Buhari, despite his position is not favoured even by him Kits and kins - the North.
But the real fear of the North is not only that Jonathan is running, but that he could be a candidate for the party after completing the terms of Yar'adua and so disenfranchise them for the length of time. The real issue to me is what is wrong with Dr. Jonathan's Northern candidature? Why is the North keen on giving this country aberration all the time? Why can't some one in this country stand up for the truth for once? Why are our legal luminaries not standing up when the need arises? These are salient questions not being addressed by the PDP, the North and Nigerians in General?
The PDP ceded the Presidency of her party to the North in 2007. Given therefore, is the fact that a beneficiary of that arrangement, whoever it is or from where ever he is from, is representing Northern interest that's the truth!
I saw tabulations some where in the political circle showing that south-south and south-east are yet to produce a President true talk. But does that make Goodluck Jonathan a candidate representing south-south interest? The loud answer is NO! The sane question to ask is, where Yar'adua to be alive, would he not have contested on the same ticket with Jonathan as Vice? Whose tenure is Jonathan continuing? How many terms in the PDP constitution were they to complete? Atiku has cried wolf over the weaver granted Jonathan and same has been granted him too. Why would the North whose tenure by the political arrangement, Jonathan is completing, be contesting with or against itself? At what point in Nigeria's political history was it decided that it is now the Southsouth time to produce the next president if not by divine intervention?
The North must stop this double speak yet accuse others of heating up the polity. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the northern candidate for the 2011 election within the PDP. He should not be foist on the Southsouth who never agitated for the position knowing that come 2015 it is their turn. For now, it is the North that has the mandate to finish its term and it is on course. This reality must be swallowed the North hook line and sinker for real peace to reign.
We have basic pretention in Nigeria politics today. The conference of opposition parties is dead what with ANPP'S Umezuoke letting son to serve in PDP Government with his party unable to discipline him.
Now Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) is on its way to extinction if great care is not taken by the likes of Bola Tinubu. Why, because nationally no human exist without a head. Atiku is gone in his wild goose chase for the presidency. Which party is left to fight the octopus called - PDP? Now we are faced with almost a one party country. That is the truth. But it is not Alleuyia yet for the PDP because it by the last count PDP is not the party that will lead us to glory. The peoples army is coming and growing in leap and bound. Today it is ignored no doubt but that is the best attempting it should expect from a people who t he gods first make mad before they are destroyed.
Finally if Babangida, Atiku and Buhari are the only surprise from the Northern arsenal, then they must permit me to say that the game is up. The North has nothing left to show for their mis-rule of this nation any of longer. But we have the EI Rufais, the Ribadus and a few others in the seeming race to the top (others may suggest). Yes. The truth remains too that that they are still in the leadership school created, development and sustained by the south, from which Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has graduated.
Come 2015, the Southsouth will be ready to take its place and present its candidate. If by then, it is Dr. Goodluck, then good luck to the Southsouthers!!! For us the plebeians, it will soon be uhuru. Mike Akpati wrote from Port Harcourt