RIVERS State Governor Rotimi Amaechi must celebrate his re-election victory as Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) with humility and gratitude to God. This is because he who God has blessed, no President can curse. No force can change what God has decreed. In the midst of tension, the one God has ordained as most appropriate in the prevailing circumstance has won.
Amaechi’s victory is in actuality against all odds. The presidency working through Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio strained 19 governors to sign an open endorsement before the elections; but as God will have it, the governors voted with their conscience and returned Amaechi to office. Akpabio is now showing the world the pre-signed document where Governor Jonah Jang’s name was written as winner ahead of the election.
Amaechi’s political triumph has been a wonder of light, freedom and democracy above forces of darkness, despotism and dictatorship. Right from the episode of his aspiration to become state governor, he had been confronted with serial injustices, humiliations and embarrassments – just as it was in his desire for a second term as NGF Chairman. But in all, it has become perceptible that God has been favouring him. The irresolvable contention between Governors Ibrahim Shema and Isa Yuguda was not an error but occurred in order to pave way for him. On the other side, Plateau State Governor Jang who emerged at the dying moment when the two were forced to step down rightly lost to gain the position which he was not prepared for.
Yet, even as Amaechi has won the polls, the war is not over. The battle line for 2015 is being drawn and the hand writing is becoming clearer for people that have been blinded by sentiment and power. This is a test case on how 2015 will look like when forces of darkness will no longer comprehend the light of day. The governors, including those who voted against the winner might as well begin to see the non-viability of their contentious forum.
In reality, the NGF brouhaha is not profiting Nigeria anything. It is sad that PDP government has continuously wasted much of the nation’s time and resources in politicking than in growth and development. The forum, with Akpabio’s haughty carriage and other governors playing the devil’s advocate for the president has polluted political atmosphere across the land with detraction to securing power and position becoming the priority.
For Amaechi and the opposition, as 2015 approaches, more battles might be brewing which is bound to be dirtier. If Niger-Delta (ex-) militants and their leaders could be mobilized to protest publicly against Amaechi, requesting that he should step down as governor, the future of the nation, even if Boko Haram is extracted, is becoming unguaranteed.
Just like the opposition is trailing, Amaechi might need to use this opportunity to accomplish the vision for his mission. If not, the desperate presidency with its massive manhunt tools will incessantly work to pull him down the same way the nation is being dragged down. The target would be to deprive him and his people of enjoying the rest of his political life just like the masses today are hardly benefitting from the reward of democracy under the ruling party.
The merry-go-round Akpabio and his pro-Jonathan colleagues should realize that Nigerians are becoming wiser politically. Not many would because of ethnicity or regionalism still want to align with failure in 2015, even with the desperation to hold on to power. Just like some PDP governors denied the pro-Jonathan NGF candidate of their voting rights, many Nigerians in the South would not just vote for a failing southerner if there is a trustworthy achieving northerner in the competition. More and more, Nigerians are yearning benefiting from the good of the land above wasting their voting values on the basis of ethnicity.
This was why the progressive governors might have read the minds of the people by securing victory for Amaechi. The outcome is an indication that there is still light at the end of the nation’s dark tunnel.
The likes of Akpabio displayed how he has been governing the people of his state by false pretences. A leader who would always prefer to satisfy an individual in transitory power instead of commitment to selfless service to the people might not receive anticipated personal recompense at the end of the pursuit.
So thrilled that he was empowered as Chairman of a desperately-created PDP Governors Forum to tackle Amaechi, Akpabio has manifested himself as a typical wolf in sheep’s clothing. He hardly knew how not to throw stone as a resident in a glass house. After his group failed to satisfy the master’s personal political desire, he attempted to turn issues upside down by declaring the election which he engineered as invalid. He said Amaechi ought to have stepped down before the conduct of the election, adding that there was no way an incumbent could be in office while an election was being conducted. It was as if he has forgotten that in Nigeria, like he experienced when seeking for his second term as governor, incumbents do not leave office before elections.
If also he is still standing on his contention of rigging, emanating from the voting and verification of only 35 governors in attendance, then democracy still has a long way to go in Nigeria. The list he had prepared ahead of the election can never stand as authentic voting pattern. He might have counted the vote before it was casted. Whereas, he ought to know that some of those who signed on the list never did it on their minds but just to please him and his boss. Election is a game of numbers. All manners of manipulations used to be done during general elections, and might be thought as the way out in 2015 might not work again.
If Amaechi who was eventually voted for by most of the governors had had been declared the loser, Nigerians would have been greatly thwarted. Akpabio needs to be taught that God will always do what He wants to do, no matter what, because power belongs to Him and He gives it to whom He wants. Evidently, Akpabio needs some education to know why he could not even deliver despite all the threats and arm- twisting. Let him understand why he and his team gambled and failed.
Indeed, the reality of the NGF election is that it is a technical knockout for anti-Amaechi politicians. After several months of intrigues and politicking, the president failed to convince his initial candidate to step down for a newly-chosen one, and could not also convince his party governors to vote for his even tually chosen candidate. This inconsistency means that he has been weakened politically by the result of the election. He picked the wrong battle and was not ultimately honoured.
It is distasteful that Mr. President, the number one citizen could not gather enough support within his own political party to defeat his perceived opponent. He should now be much more bothered how votes from South East and South-South will return him to Aso Villa in 2015. The fact is that nothing seems to be working in this regime. South-South is only supporting him because he is their son; not much practical benefit with impact on the life of the people.
We must imbibe the lesson that the political future of Nigeria is greater than that of any individual. Nobody can become the authentic president of Nigeria without the support of majority of Nigerians. Most Nigerians has been crying in all corners that President Goodluck Jonathan is not performing pleasingly. It does not matter his address to the nation this week granting self acclamation for achievbements, what will impress the people is the level of positive impact of his practical performance on their lives.
The wisdom might be for him to put sentiments and desperation aside so that he can move Nigeria forward. The nation that once had the potentiality of greatness has been stagnant for too long.
