President Goodluck Jonathan has declared his intention to contest next year’s election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mixed reactions have trailed the declaration. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the issues that will shape the contest.
President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for a second term is generating mixed reactions from Nigerians. There are those who believe the President has failed in the last six years to provide leadership, fight corruption, protect lives and property, reduce poverty level, and put in place the building block for genuine democracy. They also accused him of enthroning impunity. To them, another term for him may throw the country into chaos and disintegration.
But, his supporters said that he deserves a second term. They claim that the Transformation Agenda is on course.
The critics also blamed him for declaring his re-election bid a day after 37 pupils of Government Science Secondary School, Potiskum, Yobe State, were killed in a suicide bomb attack. Analysts say the President’s action betrayed the mood of the nation. They argued that such ceremonial event could have been postponed in honour of the deceased and their parents.
Even more disquieting was the statement made by the President at his declaration that he has fulfilled all his electoral promises to the electorate. In spite of the fact that his administration has come under intense criticism over its handling of the security challenges and for not doing much to arrest corruption, he told his audience that if re-elected he would do everything humanly possible to defeat Boko Haram and stamp out corruption.
Many Nigerians are however not impressed with what they described as the President’s desperation for a second term. For instance, former Senate Minority leader Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora said the President should have cancelled his declaration after school pupils were massacred in Potiskum, Yobe State. He said: “It has been the character of Mr President and his party, not minding the mood of the nation, not minding what had happened in recent time, to go about holding rallies when Nigerians are in tears. Remember, he held a rally in Kano shortly after a bomb attack that killed many people in the city”.
Mamora said President Jonathan was quoted as saying that he does not care about the incident. “Clearly the 1999 Constitution states that the security and welfare of the people are the primary responsibility of the government. Where the government fails, it is a breach of the fundamental right of the citizenry. To me, the timing of his declaration is unfortunate, inappropriate and insensitive. Whenever there is a tragedy of that magnitude in the country, the President becomes the chief mourner,” he said.
As to whether he deserves a second term, the former Senate Minority leader is of the view that considering his performance in the past six years in office, the President should have quietly retired to his home town. He premised his argument on the fact that most of the achievements the President is claiming are not visible.
Mamora said: “The chorous boys in the system have been mouthing or talking of so many achievements, but the question here is, has Mr. President been able to secure lives and property? The answer is no. Insecurity is not about Boko Haram insurgence alone. We have rampant cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and a lot of violent crimes in the country.
“They feed us with lies on radio, television, newspapers and social media. They tell us that thousand kilometres of federal roads have been constructed across the country. You start wondering whether those roads are in Nigeria or abroad. They keep telling us the economy has been rebased and that Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa. What does that translate into in the life of ordinary Nigerians? Has it improved their standard of living? They claim million of jobs have been created, yet we have an army of unemployed youths roaming the streets in search of jobs that are not there. The health and education sectors are in crisis.
“The economy is in shambles. The United States that is the biggest buyer of Nigerian oil has turned to other sources of energy. Our earnings from oil export has declined. In spite of several warnings, government has failed to diversify the economy in anticipation of this kind of development. I am not saying that Mr. President has done nothing. He has recorded some achievements in agriculture and renovation of some airports. But, the total assessment of his performance in the past six years is below average. I will put his performance in the last six years at three and half on a scale of 10 or 35 per cent, which is not a pass mark.
“Based on that, I will say that he does not deserve a second term. We will wait for Nigerians to decide his fate. That day of reckoning will surely come in February next year, Mamora stated.
Legal luminary Emeka Ngige (SAN) believes Nigerians through their votes will decide whether Jonathan deserves a second term or not. He said: “The issue of whether the President deserves a second term is a matter for the electorates to decide. If a free and fair election is conducted in 2015, Mr. President will get the answer he deserves. I think the issue goes beyond whether he deserves a second term. The issue is simply whether he ought to continue in office, in the interest of peace, unity and continued existence of this country. This is based on the promise he made to rule for only six years; a promise he freely gave to members of his party, particularly former President Olusegun Obasanjo and northern politicians.
“To me, there should be honour in politics; our words should be our bond and personal sacrifices can be made to promote the continued peaceful co-existence of this country. I remember in South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, the Deputy President to President Thabo Mbeki became the President, following the latter’s sudden resignation as President of the Republic of South Africa. During the election following the resignation, he ran as running mate to Jacob Zuma and when the ANC won the election he reverted to his position as Deputy President! Can such a thing happen in Nigeria? A President reverting to his previous position as Vice President, it is impossible.
“So, that is the opportunity Nigeria is missing, with the President’s insistence that he would rule for 10 years. If I were him, I will keep to the pledge and not run; I will use the present opportunity to enthrone accountability in government and fight corruption and ensure that peoples vote count in all facets of our electoral process.
Former spokesman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Anthony Sani is of the view that the Jonathan Administration has lost the fight against corruption because it has failed to bring those involved in high profile corrupt cases to book.
He said: “As long as Nigerians do not see actions taken on known cases of corruption like fuel subsidy scandal, pension scam, the bullet-proof car contract scam involving former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, Siemens contract scam, and the missing funds in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerians are bound to conclude that the government has not done much in the war against corruption.”
Sani said Nigeria has been carting home gold medals in misery indices in recent times and bringing up the rear in human development index. “Mr. President himself is aware of major security challenges and whether the government has delivered on its mandate to protect lives and property is there for all to see and pass judgment, he added.
Mamora also faulted Jonathan’s promise in his declaratory speech to fight corruption. According to him, the President is not committed to anti-graft war. He said: “What is the basis for us to believe his promise. It is the same promise he made years back and failed to fulfil.
“Corruption is endemic in the society and Mr. President has not shown demonstrable fight against it. I remember the Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, made a statement while he was still in the PDP that Mr. President’s body language does not depict someone who wants to fight corruption. It is the greatest indictment on Mr. President. I don’t believe anything will change. Corruption would get worse under Jonathan’s second term. Nigerians should not take him serious on the issue of fighting corruption.”
Former Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, described corruption in Nigeria as unprecedented. He said: “Corruption is in every nation, but Nigeria’s own is number one. If we are not careful, this nation will go down the drain. You can’t get assistance from people without offering bribe.”
On Jonathan ‘s second term bid, Okogie said: “If I were in his shoes, I would hide my head. You can see from all that is going on, some people have been saying that he signed for one term. I am not a prophet, but that is what my mind is telling me.”
Civil Rights activist Comrade Moshood Erubami is very categorical that Jonathan does not deserve a second term because his six years in office has failed to impact positively on the life of Nigerians. Erubami noted that under Jonathan the whole institution of governance have collapsed as government cannot meet its primary obligation to provide for the welfare and security of the people.
Erubami said Jonathan came on board accidentally and unprepared for the challenges of governing a complex nation like Nigeria. He said: “As a result, he did not have needed blueprint for creating the environment for sustainable human development. He has failed woefully to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty. He has remained unconcerned about the need to enthrone the rule of law, property rights, running open and accountable government and creation of access to justice to Nigerians through an independent judiciary.
“He has failed reduce poverty, boost infrastructure, fight hunger, disease and insecurity with conscious effort made to diversify the economy through investment in the non-oil sector to kick-start growth and development.
“The spate of attacks, ambushes and kidnapping that have continued in spite of the one sided ceasefire announced by the Federal Government attest to the fact that government has been lying. President Jonathan once told us that the government was closing on the insurgents in the country, only to turn round again to tell us that the insurgents were faceless. Worse still, the injustices that gave rise to the insurgency in the country are yet to abate and the masterminds are still in government showing no remorse. Yet, the government is not demonstrating any capacity to remedy the situation.
“The truth is that, under Jonathan’s presidency, the country has graduated from militancy in the Niger Delta to kidnapping in the South and to Boko Haram insurgency in parts of the North. It is believed that unemployed youths are using these avenues to seek redress for justice.”
However, Afenifere views it from a different perspective. As far as the Chairman of Afenifere, Lagos State chapter, Chief Supo Shonibare, is concerned, “if Jonathan successfully emerges from his party’s primaries, then that would be an indication that he deserves the opportunity and consideration over all other potential candidates.” Shonibare is of the view that at this stage, everyone, including President Jonathan, is entitled to seek the privilege and opportunity of managing the collective wealth and wellbeing of Nigerians.
“For those of us that are not members of the PDP or the APC (which is the other party with several state governments), the question will be which of the candidates is more likely to be effective in addressing the economic, security and national cohesion issues to ensure a stable polity and rapid development?
“That can only be determined when the process of primaries and nomination is settled and we know the leading candidates and or options. At that stage, we will consider the attributes and baggages of the leading candidates in coming to the determination of our preferred candidate and the person who deserves our support. We are still watching the development in the polity to enable us come to a decision on our choice for the Presidential elections, as we will not be sponsoring any candidate ourselves,” Shonibare added.
