President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday met with Peoples Democratic (PDP) governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting described as “private”, started around 8.00pm.
It was unconnected with moves to resolve the crises that hit the party and to finalise preparation for today’s Jonathan’s declaration at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology Senator Bukola Saraki has decried yesterday’s attack on a school in Yobe State, which left dozens of pupils dead.
Saraki, who is representing Kwara Central in the Upper Chamber, said by attacking the innocent pupils, Boko Haram is seeking to break the cords that binds the nation together.
He accused President Goodluck Jonathan of focussing his energy on how to keep himself in power beyond 2015, than trying to fix the country.
He called on the President to take all necessary action to end the insurgency, saying the presidency has been silent for too long on the Boko Haram’s uprising.
Saraki, in a statement in Abuja, said: “My heart goes out to the families of the students affected by the bomb blast on an assembly ground in Yobe State this morning.
“These children are the future of Nigeria, and again, we have witnessed the fact that by attacking the young and innocent in our society, Boko Haram is seeking to break our united Nigerian spirit through their evil and cowardly acts. This shall not stand.
“In the past few weeks, we have seen for ourselves how Boko Haram has rampaged through the Northeast of Nigeria – going as far as being audacious enough to tempt our sovereignty by hoisting up a dark flag to signify conquest.
“Our men and women on the frontlines have performed valiantly, with many of them giving their lives in the struggle to ensure that the evil of Boko Haram does not spread across the country.
“Amid this rampage, Nigerians have stood together to support those that fight on our behalf. But we are at a loss when it comes to what united direction we must take as a nation to combat these recent developments because the Presidency has been silent on this insecurity for far too long. We deserve better.
“We deserve better because against the backdrop of the insurgency, amid the abductions of the Chibok girls, President Jonathan has been focusing more energy on trying to keep himself in power after 2015, than in trying to fix Nigeria for Nigerians.
“This is not the sort of leadership that Nigeria needs. No-nonsense, get-things-done leadership is needed at the moment to send a clear and loud message to the terrorists: ‘Wherever you are, we will find you and hunt you down.’
“Nigerians too want to be reassured that we are not gradually disintegrating into dark days that will define our success as a nation.
“In this regard, as we battle this scourge, and unite around those affected by today’s attacks and all victims of this scourge, we must demand that President Jonathan take all necessary action to end Boko Haram’s menace once and for all, instead of using security forces to intimidate perceived opponents.”
Things are not looking up for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid ahead of the 2015 general election as his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now battles a fresh wave of intra party crises in some states across the country hitherto considered as the party’s strongholds.
These crises, given the issues and personalities involved, according to political observers, are capable of making the PDP and President Jonathan to lose much needed votes in the affected states come 2015.
This is just as senators are spoiling for a fight with President Goodluck Jonathan for allegedly working to frustrate their re-election bid.
The senators, at a recent plenary, accused the president of conniving with PDP governors to undermine their re-election by allowing the states’ helmsmen to have their way in the party ward congresses, which held nationwide penultimate Saturday.
Some of the senators even threatened to compile impeachable offences against the president. Although the leadership of the Senate has met with the president to table the grievances of the senators who have vowed to shut down the government, party sources said nothing came out of the parley.
One of the senators told The Nation that it would be difficult for Jonathan to ride on the back of the senators to victory in 2015 as he did in 2011 following his attitude towards their current plight.
“One thing he seems to be forgetting is the fact that we lawmakers are the real grassroots politicians. We are the representatives of our people. The governors rely on us to reach our people. The president would have to find another means of getting votes from the grassroots once we make up our mind to abandon his re-election project.
“We threatened to shut down the government by frustrating executive bills pending before the Senate because the President and the party surrendered the party’s structures in the states to governors. Majority of use would be denied re-election should the results of the last congress stand. Yet, the President is not worried. He is joking with his re-election too,” the senator said.
The Nation learnt that discussion between Jonathan and the lawmakers failed because the senators are demanding for automatic return ticket. But with many Governors’ eyeing Senate seats in 2015, the President’s hands appeared tied.
States where the PDP’s future is made uncertain as a result of renewed hostilities amongst leading chieftains include Plateau, Cross Rivers, Ondo, Benue, Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Abia, Jigawa, Oyo, Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta.
Plateau
In Plateau State, the last congress which held in 15 of the 16 local governments areas while that of Pankshin Local Government Area was postponed upon alleged disagreement among PDP chieftains in the areas. This has thrown up so much bickering within the ruling party.
Currently, the outcome of the congress is a subject of many disputes as leaders of the various groups within the party are calling for its cancellation in the interest of the party.
“This congress has further divided us. The greed of a few people is threatening the continued existence of our party as a ruling party in Plateau State. Unless this is corrected, I fear for PDP in our state,” Abba Gaya, a former state official of the party said.
The PDP chieftain added that unless something is done urgently to placate those estranged by the exercise, the PDP will find it difficult to win votes in the state next year.
“What we have in our hands is a situation where the likes of Jimmy Cheto, Sir Fidelis Tapgun, Sen. Joshua Dariye, Jonathan Sheni, John Alkali and many others will be up against the PDP and President Jonathan in 2015 here in Plateau State. A situation like that is a threat to Mr. President’s re-election bid,” he added.
The tussle in Plateau State is mainly between the two leading politicians in the state namely Governor Jonah Jang and his predecessor, Senator Joshua Dariye. The two have been battling for the control of the party in the state for months now. This political struggle has torn the PDP in Plateau State into two.
While Dariye and his supporters are insisting they have returned to the PDP from the Labour Party which they defected to years back, the Governor is insisting they are yet to formalize their return.
Following alleged sharp practices, party chieftains opposed to the Governor have called for suspension of the state’s ward congress, even as they accused Governor Jang of bulk purchase of delegate forms.
“There is no way this will stand. PDP belongs to all of us. Jang was in the ANPP when we laboured to build the PDP in the state. He cannot dictate to us simply because he is the Governor.
“We are optimistic that the national leadership of the party will wade into the matter and ensure the right thing is done. Failure to do this, I fear that the PDP may lose the next elections here. In the interest of the party, Jang and his gang must be curtailed,” Gaya said.
Trouble erupted between Jang and Dariye recently following a statement by the state secretary of the PDP, Prince Pam Sale, to the effect that some of the aspirants using the party logo to print campaign materials, to desist, as the party regards them as impostors. According to Sale, “They are those who had left the party to other parties, fought the party in the last elections and today want to contest without being officially received as returnees.”
“The likes of Cheto, Tapgun, Dariye, Sheni and Alkali should kindly save themselves from embarrassment by not involving themselves in any of the party’s activities in the state for now. They were free to join the party after the PDP primaries in the state,” he said.
Suspecting that the statement is to prevent him and other returnees from taking part in the primaries, Dariye approached the national leadership of the party and got approval that he and his people enjoy the blanket waiver offered defectors to the party nationwide by the President.
That was the beginning of the fresh crisis that is threatening the very existence of PDP in Plateau State.
Gyang Goshit, a former lawmaker and House of Representatives aspirant on the platform of the party said there is urgent need for the party to put its house in order if it must win the next elections.
“PDP is currently an endangered species here in Plateau. If we must win elections, we must put our house in order. The current face-off among our leaders threatens our chances at the poll.
“Already, there are talks of mass defection should a faction have all its way. There are also talks of violent primaries. All these will only pave the way for the opposition to garner votes in the Plateau come 2015,” he said.
While chieftains of the troubled party continued to hope for a quick respite, it appears the opposition is waiting in the wings to benefit from the crisis within the PDP.
Simon Lalong, the former House of Assembly Speaker, who recently picked the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination form for 2015 governorship poll in the state, said there is no way the PDP, as divided as it is currently, will not be trounced roundly at the general election in 2015.
“There is need for urgent change in the Plateau. The PDP is too divided to win the next election in the state and APC is ready and willing to offer the people the change we all need.
“Plateau must change its political leaders if we must move forward. APC is in the best position to bring sanity to the state because of his experience,” Lalong, a former member of the PDP, said.
Cross River
Although thousands of the loyalists of Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State trooped out to major streets on Sunday to celebrate the outcome of the just-concluded ward congress election, there are indications that the celebration is short lived.
This followed allegations that a new set of result may have been handed over to the national leadership of the party in Abuja contrary to the wishes of party members in the state.
For the governor’s loyalists who had seen the earlier outcome of the exercise as a re-affirmation of Imoke’s leadership of the party in the state, the alleged new results is an attempt by some recent entrants into the party, led by former Governor Donald Duke, to use their closeness to some people in government to shortchange the people of the state.
The member representing Yakuur/Abi Federal Constituency, Bassey Ewa, while insisting that the earlier result is the authentic one, said “I can tell you that the PDP members in Abi/Yakurr federal constituency who were given opportunity to file out and queued behind their delegates voted for the our people in spite of moves by non- party members to disrupt the exercise and we were able to control the situation.
“Imoke is our leader and we the supporters have demonstrated that by participating actively in the ward congress election and ensured that we emerge victorious in all local government areas.”
The development, sources within the party in the state said, might not be unconnected with the political struggle between the Governor and some chieftains of the party over the 2015 governorship, senatorial and other tickets of the party. Although Imoke is not vying for any position, his aides say he is “nonetheless determined to ensure that the state get a set of performers to continue after his exit.”
“Imoke’s current struggles with these gladiators have nothing to do about any personal ambition. It is largely about entrusting the state into safe hands as he leaves in 2015,” an aide told The Nation.
The crisis peaked when the state chapter of the PDP, on Friday evening, suspended frontline governorship aspirant, Goddy-Jeddy Agba, alongside twelve other members of the party..
According to the State Chairman of the party, Ntufam John Okon, the members were suspended because they failed to exhaust all available conflict resolution mechanisms within the party and had gone contrary to the party’s constitution by dragging the party to court.
He maintained that following the just concluded delegate election, a lot of issues occurred and some members ridiculed the party by dragging the party to court against party rules.
He said that the PDP in the state would have suspended Ndoma-Egba and the member representing Ikom in the House of Representatives, Chris Eta, but do not have the power to do so. They have referred their case to the National Assembly.
In recent times, there has been no love lost between Imoke and the Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba over the battle for who controls the central senatorial zone where both hail from.
While the Governor’s supporters insist he has nothing against the senator or his ambition to return to the senate for a fourth term, there are also complaints from the senator’s camp accusing Imoke of attempting to stall the planned return of Ndoma-Egba in 2015.
Consequently, the duo had a frosty relationship leading to the last congress. The party also suffered as the loyalists of the two leaders continued to hold separate meetings especially in their native Central senatorial district.
The appearance of Duke at the rally held by governorship aspirant, Goddy-Jeddy Agba in Calabar during the week confirmed his membership of the clan of chieftains up in arms against the Governor.
Duke had at the rally made statements that are very critical of Imoke, his erstwhile friend while trying to garner support for Agba. But pundits say should the PDP national leadership sacrifice Imoke’s camp for the Duke/Agba faction, the party may find it difficult to win votes in the state.
“Both Duke and Agba cannot deliver votes for Jonathan or PDP in Cross-River State. We all listened to Agba at his rally. The problem now is that our people wanted him to tell them what his agenda will be as Governor. He said nothing of such. All he and his godfather did was to pour venoms on Imoke for more than two hours.
“I don’t think our people will follow such people. Our fear now is that Duke’s return to the politics of the state from his self imposed exile may also mean the return of violent politics for which we remember his era as Governor. Otherwise, his speech would be full of so much bile against Imoke,” a party official said.
Ondo
Trouble is still brewing in Ondo PDP as two factions conducted separate ward congresses to elect delegates that will participate in the party’s primaries. The two groups laying claim to the party structure are the dissolved State executives Committee led by Ebenezer Alabi and the newly constituted Caretaker Committee headed by Dare Adeleke.
The current situation is a fall-out of the lingering crisis between the defected Labour Party (LP) members led by Governor Segun Mimiko and the old PDP members under the watch of former national Legal Adviser of the party, Olusola Oke, over who should be in charge of the party structure.
The furore in the party assumed frightening dimension last week as two members of the state House of Assembly defected from the party to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). The two are Gbenga Edema (Ilaje) and Vincent Olaseinde (Ose).
The defections were fallout of the dissolution of the state executive committee of the PDP in the state by the National Working Committee, NWC, following the defection of Mimiko from the Labour Party to the PDP.
The dissolution was in flagrant disobedience of an Abuja Federal High Court ruling that the status quo should be maintained in a suit filed by the Ondo State PDP executive committee, seeking to restrain the PDP national leadership from dissolving the Ebenezer Alabi-led state executive committee to pave the way for the total takeover of party apparatus by Mimiko.
There is serious tension in the party following the stalemate over congress. The two camps are awaiting the position of the national leadership of the party on the development even as both sides have vowed to resist any attempt by the PDP to recognize the other one.
“The situation is that we will not have newcomers placed over and above us in our own home. Rather than suffer such ignominy, we will fight to the very last of our breadth. We urge our leaders not to throw the party in Ondo State into further crisis by recognising newcomers as our leaders,” a party chieftain said.
Meanwhile, the old State Secretariat, along Oyemekun road, Akure, the state capital, has again been sealed off and taken over by policemen after two groups of party youths clashed.
The building, which had been serving as the State PDP secretariat for the past 16 years was once sealed by the Police immediately the party National Working Committee (NWC) dissolved the State executive and constituted a caretaker committee.
Speaking with reporters, Alabi insisted that the congresses conducted by the new PDP were illegal because they were in control of the party. He said the future of the PDP in the state lies in the hands of its original members.
But, the caretaker committee chairman, Dare Adeleke, believed to be loyal to Governor Mimiko, said everybody has the right to say anything, but he is very sure that it is their own congress result that would be recognised.
•Ethnic nation threatens to deny President 1m votes
President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will lose over 80 per cent of the votes from Delta State in next year’s elections, if the party fails to field an Urhobo as its governorship candidate.
This was part of the resolutions in the communiqué issued yesterday by the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), the umbrella body of the largest ethnic group in the state.
The communiqué, which followed the union’s congress at the Urhobo Cultural Centre in Warri, was signed by UPU’s President-General, Chief Joe Omene.
It criticised Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for taking a stance against the interest of the Urhobo.
The communiqué also accused the governor of disrespecting his deputy, Prof Amos Utuama, an Urhobo man.
UPU accused some politicians of working against the interest of Urhobo, especially those working with Uduaghan.
The union threatened to sanction them until they turned a new leaf.
It also said the union would soon take a stand on its relationship with Uduaghan, especially because of his position against the political interests of the Urhobo.
The communiqué, which Omene read yesterday at the congress, said: “It would be recalled that in March 2014, the Urhobo nation, under the auspices of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), took a position and stated that all registered political parties, including the PDP, the ruling party in Delta State, should pick their governorship flag bearers/ candidates from the Urhobo nation. This was duly condensed into the ‘Uvwiamughe Declaration’.
“In the 2011 general elections, for instance, the average numerical votes delivered by the Urhobo people for the President (Goodluck Jonathan) was well above 820,000. This figure is almost comparatively double of the votes realised from the North and South senatorial districts of the state put together, which were hardly up to 500,000 votes. In fact, that of Delta North, to be more specific, was 149,000 votes only. It must be emphasised here that ‘democracy is a game of number’.
“Consequent upon the above undisputed facts, the Urhobo, resident within the shores of Delta State and beyond, still insist on the Uvwiamughe Declaration that ‘we will vote for any political party that gives its governorship ticket to an Urhobo person’. This we will do in the various elections, including the presidential.”
After several months of suspense and drama, President Goodluck Jonathan has finally declared his intention to seek re-election next year. And last week Thursday, he made a triumphant-esque appearance at Wadata Plaza, the national headquarters of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in Abuja, to pick his party’s nomination and intention forms. A day before that, the arch-rival opposition party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, held an Extra-Ordinary National Convention at the Old Parade Ground, also in Abuja. There, the party welcomed into its fold, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who had just dumped the PDP to pitch his tent with the APC. With these two events, the campaign trails towards the 2015 general elections seem fully laid out.
However, Jonathan’s formal entry into the race for a second term as President of Nigeria did not come as a surprise. It is coming more than a year since several groups that were daily mushrooming over the country’s political landscape, had been holding rallies complete with all forms of acrobatic display and break dancing, to highlight what they consider to be Jonathan’s unique selling points. But getting the President to pick up his party’s nomination for the Presidential ticket did not come without intrigues. First was a break-away faction of the PDP which initially featured seven sitting PDP governors and some other top officials of the party. Eventually, five of the aggrieved governors defected to the rival APC. On the heels of this, Bamanga Tukur, the then chairman of the party, was unceremoniously eased out of office and compensated with the post of chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation after he refused an offer to be sent to ‘Siberia’ as Nigeria’s Ambassador to China.
Next, the President’s minders turned their attention to Sule Lamido, the Jigawa State governor who, for several months, had put up an uncompromising stance over his 2015 ambition to become President on the platform of the PDP. He was made to recoil into his shell. Of course, we are all aware of the gargantuan harassment that was unleashed on Rotimi Amaechi, the governor of Rivers State, who was initially rumoured to be gunning for the post of Vice-President to Lamido. It was the same tug of war that led to the bastardization and eventual balkanization of the Governor’s Forum into two factions.
The scramble for and partition of the once-stable Governor’s Forum was preceded by the formation of a hitherto non-existent PDP Governor’s Forum headed by the loquacious Godswill Akpabio, governor of Akwa Ibom State and an unapologetic presidential megaphone. Several other acts of cajoling and alliances followed in the bid to clear the way for Jonathan, culminating in the multiple PDP stakeholders’ endorsement of the President as the party’s sole candidate for the election. While all this was going on, the President kept mum on his actual intention even though his body language made it clear that he had made up his mind to run. His strategy to seek re-election was all-too-clear to see with his foot soldiers orchestrating various forms of it at every forum.
Now, with Jonathan in the fray, the roller coaster for next year’s election is in full swing. That this coincided with the defection of Tambuwal to the APC shows that the two dominant parties, PDP and APC, have unwittingly transformed the country into a two-party state, as they are set to lock horns in the 2015 elections particularly the presidential election. With the array of political juggernauts in the APC, mostly those who once wined and dined with the PDP and have, therefore, mastered the election ‘winning’ tricks of the PDP, the coming election bears the imprimatur of a keener contest than most previous ones. This will be a sharp departure from the elections of previous years, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011, in which the PDP as the outright dominant party, dictated the tune all over. For the first time in the history of elections in this country, the conservative octopus seems vulnerable to defeat at the hands of a seemingly formidable progressive opposition.
However, like most elections, many factors will influence the outcome of next year’s polls. For the presidential election, which will come first and which is the Holy Grail the two mega parties have trained their sights on, Jonathan obviously has an advantage as a sitting President. His party has been in power since the country’s return to democratic governance in 1999, almost 16 years ago. During this period, the party has monopolised power at the centre as well as being in dominant control of nearly two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation. Therefore, the party can boast of significant presence all over the country and this will come in handy during election because democracy is a game of numbers. Also, the party has stupendous financial muscle which gives it a huge war chest for the elections. Besides, the party has unfettered access to the machinery of government including propaganda machinery and all coercive apparatuses in the security and non-security services.
On the other hand, though the APC parades hordes of tested and influential politicians with huge followership at national, regional, state and local government levels, the party is yet to make up its mind on who to field as its presidential torch-bearer. Right now, those jostling for the party’s ticket are from the npart of the country. In actual fact, whoever finally emerges as APC’s presidential candidate, will determine how far the party can go in its quest to wrest power from the hands of the monopolistic PDP. And except the party has some fast cards in its kitty to play in this high stakes game, the PDP may have built an unassailable head start in the campaigns using its well-oiled propaganda machinery. In this case, the APC must work assiduously to get its message of redemption and national re-birth down to the electorate all over the country with lightning speed.
At no other time since the end of the country’s civil war – 1966 to 1970 – has the country become so much divided, so much polarized, along tribal and religious lines than now. This is because politicians continue to whip up primordial sentiments all over the place in order to woo supporters for their narrow, selfish interests of winning election at all costs. For Jonathan and his Ijaw ethnic group in the South-south geopolitical zone of the country, winning the forthcoming election is like protecting a finally-discovered treasure having searched to the end of the world to find it. Much of the oil that is the mainstay of the nation’s economy flows from the creeks of the South-south. As a result, the people of the region sees the retention of the Presidency by a son of the region, for another four years, as a legitimate claim having been zoned out of the power equilibrium of the country since independence in 1960.
For the northern part of the country, the region is still brooding from the political ‘calamity’ of losing the presidency in 2010 owing to the untimely demise of President Umaru Yar’Adua, a development that paved way for Jonathan, who was Yar’Adua’s deputy, to assume power. This, perhaps, was one of the remote causes of the widespread violence, arson and brigandage that greeted the presidential election in some parts of the north in 2011. Since the APC is bent on featuring a northerner as its presidential candidate, there is a very good chance that the coming presidential contest will be a North/South and Christian/Muslim affair. In that case, whichever way the pendulum swings, it could trigger some catastrophic consequences for the country. If this happens, it will be the proverbial fight between two elephants in which the ordinary man on the street bears the brunt as the metaphorical grass. The only antidote to this is to ensure free and fair elections next year. But with the type of desperation being exhibited by our politicians, this may appear to be a mere wishful thinking or a tall order. May God help us!
It may qualify as the most systematically planned and methodically controlled pursuit of power in the country’s history of democratic politics, speaking of President Goodluck Jonathan’s choreographic approach to next year’s presidential election. However, this should not be seen in positive terms.
Consider his unprecedented exclusive endorsement for re-election by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee, which practically foreclosed the conventional presidential primary to choose a candidate.
Add to this picture the reinforcing activities of the obsessive self-defined non-governmental organisation known as Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), which insists on an incomprehensible objective: “the continuation of transformation by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ).” What the group makes of the concept of “transformational government” remains a puzzle because the Jonathan administration has been anything but that.
Also in the picture is the screening and evaluation of the various Jonathan support bodies for the battle ahead. It was instructive that Jonathan’s Political Adviser, Prof. Rufai Alkali, who coordinated the activities, said: “As 2015 approaches, we note that the circumstances and fundamentals facing us are somewhat different. The opposition is different; the political landscape is different; the players are different and the issues are different.” Alkali continued: “To address these issues, the reorganisation of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG) has become imperative. I have, therefore, decided to set up a special GSG reorganisation committee to study all issues concerning the organisation and propose a reorganisation structure that will allow us position for 2015.”
The long-running entertainment show featured enthusiastic sycophants begging Jonathan to agree to be the PDP presidential candidate in the 2015 general elections. Among the amazing array of Jonathan backers, apart from the highly visible TAN, were Team Goodluck, Presidential View and Endorsement Platform, PDP Women Support Group for GEJ 2015, Youth Coalition for Goodluck, Goodluck Jonathan 2015 Online Group and Light Network for Jonathan 2015. What about The Jonathanians? What a fascinating coinage!
Possibly the most strikingly intriguing backing was by a certain Ezemagu Sunday Nnamadi, said to be a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who reportedly donated N10, 000 in support of Jonathan’s campaign even when he was yet to express any interest in re-election. A statement on the gift issued by Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said: “Your gracious gesture is particularly gratifying.” It would appear that the suspicious donation further exposed the capacity for creative orchestration in the presidential corridor.
Jonathan’s ultimate joke concerning his open concealment of his presidential ambition must be his performance at his party’s September 20 “Southwest sensitisation rally.” He could not resist wearing that familiar mask of deception. In his speech on the occasion, he referred to the various endorsements and introduced a calculated complication. He said: “I also have the right of refusal and I thank the party for giving me the opportunity.”
Whoever thought he might exercise this “right of refusal” must be living on another planet. So, news that he had set up a Presidential Declaration Committee to work towards a November date when he would formally declare his presidential ambition was unsurprising.
Given the antecedent events, it would be a dim triumph of reptilian sneakiness when Jonathan eventually pronounces his hunger for power.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sack the duo of Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Aliyu Gusau (rtd) and National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dansuki (rtd) for failing to contain terrorists in the North east.
Its National Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake, said the former Military tacticians have failed to justify their inclusion in the President’s cabinet following rising attacks in Mubi and other parts of Adamawa State in the last few days.
The umbrella Christian body said Gusau and Dansuki were appointed to tame the rising insurgency but pointed out Boko Haram attacks have increased with frightening ferocity under their watch.
In a statement by Asake yesterday, CAN said: “The major task handed down to Col. Dasuki and Gen. Gusau is to tackle Boko Haram insurgency, which was already threatening to spread into other regions of the country.
“But the question in the lips of every Nigerian Christians today is: What changes have these two military tacticians brought to bear since they were appointed?
“What is the wisdom of entrusting the nation’s security in the hands of two relations from the North West?
“Why have these two relations from Sokoto and Zamfara states not changed their tactics in accordance with the presidential mandate given to them to root out the insurgents in the North East geo-political zone?
“Is this a game plan to eliminate people in that region and put them in perpetual subjugation?”
Asake said Christians are no longer comfortable with their continued inclusion in the cabinet.
He said the Islamic terrorists have not only changed tactics severally but have conquered more territories and established more caliphates in the North East during their regime than at any other period.
He wondered why they have not contained terrorism in the north east despite the huge budgetary allocation for security under the watch.
While calling for their resignation, Asake stated that recent happenings in Adamawa have confirmed CAN’s position all along that the Islamic group has no other mission than to annihilate all Christians in the region and install an Islamic regime.
•President opens N9.6b Governor’s Office
President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the people of Kano State not to allow a repeat of the 2011 post-election violence.
The president spoke yesterday in Kaduna at the opening of the new Governor’s Office, valued at N9.6 billion.
He said selfish politicians should not be allowed to instigate violence in the state.
Jonathan said: “Don’t allow anybody to use you to cause chaos while he and his family remain untouched. Peace is initiated and maintained by the people. If the people are determined to live in peace, there would be peace, and if we live in peace, we will see more development coming to the state.”
He said no amount of security personnel could maintain security without the cooperation of the people and communities.
The president hailed Governor Ramalan Yero’s efforts to improve security and for projects executed by his administration.
On the victory over Ebola, he said the governors of Lagos and Rivers states, the health minister and health workers deserve special thanks.
Yero said the project was one of the numerous accomplishments of successive administrations under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said the project was executed in six phases, adding that Phase 1, which provided basic infrastructure, was awarded on October 6, 2008 at N2,984,575,579.
Yero said: “The second phase was awarded on September 3, 2009, to provide infrastructure and other provisions at N2,363,764,980.33. Phase 3 was awarded on March 3, 2011, at N2,856,460,259.72 to provide for Utility Compound. The fourth phase was awarded on March 12, 2012, to cover for Variations on Phases I and II at N896,903,268.33.
“The fifth phase for furnishing of the building was awarded on June 5, 2013, at N277,179,269.85. The final phase for the provision of Sewage Treatment Plant was awarded on June 10, 2013, at N257,694,784.18.”
Praising his predecessors for initiating various developmental projects, Yero said: “I consider it a privilege to have seen to the successful completion of this legacy project, which was conceived in 2008, by Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, who was at that time the governor of our dear state.
“This new Governor’s Office was one of the major projects initiated at that time with the aim of providing our people with critical infrastructure that supports efficient delivery of services and good governance. It was in the same year that the 300-bed Specialist Hospital at the New Millennium City and the 150MLD Zaria Regional Water Supply Project were also awarded.
“I am pleased to announce that while the New Governor’s Office has been completed, the other projects are at various stages of completion. The 150MLD Zaria Water Project is 88 per cent complete and the 300-bed Specialist Hospital is 67 per cent complete.
“These achievements have been possible through the continuity of government policies and projects. On behalf of Kaduna people, I thank Mr. President for completing the Galma Multipurpose Dam at Kuzuntu, which is the Federal Government component of the Zaria Regional Water Project.”
Perhaps only President Goodluck Jonathan can say with exactness why he decided to go on another pilgrimage to Israel this month. It was the second time in his four-year term, which he is, from all indications, praying to elongate through re-election next year. When he played the pilgrim last year, it was not without controversy, especially because of the involvement of Stella Oduah, then Minister of Aviation, who was at the time at the centre of a financial scandal that drew a loud public demand for her sack.
However, it is not difficult to guess that Jonathan’s repeat pilgrimage may not be unconnected with the 2015 presidential election. The man, whatever his alleged shortcomings, appears to have a definite religious conviction and faith that his prayer for continuation in office would be answered in the holy space of Jerusalem.
Jonathan’s itinerary in the sacred land included a visit to the Wailing Wall, where he was expected to pray privately before going to Mount Tabor and Mount Carmel, and other spiritually significant sites. Interestingly, the highlight of the pilgrimage was a prayer for Nigeria at an interdenominational church service with the theme, “A day with Jesus for Nigeria in Israel”.
It is not clear whether Jonathan believed that he needed to be in Jerusalem to have a day with Jesus. If that was the case, he missed the point. Or maybe he thought that his apparently uppermost ambition, to remain at the Presidential Villa for another four-year term, was more likely to be realised if he prayed in Jerusalem. If so, he again got it wrong.
It is revealing that Jonathan seems anxious to employ every possible means, including the secular and the spiritual, to advance his pursuit of power. Equally noteworthy is the spiritual support he may be getting from certain quarters. The striking presence of some notable religious leaders among the accompanying crowd spoke volumes about the quality of the prayers that were probably offered on his behalf. In Jerusalem with Jonathan were: Chaplain of the Presidential Villa Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba; Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide; Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh; and President, Christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor.
But did they have a day with Jesus? Or, more importantly, did Jesus have a day with them? It may be clarifying to quote Jesus on the Mount of Olives. In Mathew 25, he spoke to his disciples about the judgment of “the sheep” and “the goats”. Jesus said: “Then he will say to those at this left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me…Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.”
If Jonathan’s record in governance should be judged by the words of Jesus, whom he ostensibly travelled to spend a day with in Jerusalem, he would probably be qualified to be where Jesus referred to as “at this left hand”. In other words, his performance in office, which has observably deepened the country’s harrowing socio-economic conditions, places him among “the goats.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for next year’s election. The nation now awaits the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flag bearer. Five aspirants are in the race. Who gets the ticket? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the search for a credible and nationally acceptable opposition candidate and issues that will shape the shadow poll.
The die is cast between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Both parties are preparing for an epic battle. Many believe that next year’s presidential election will determine the future of the fledgling country. As the election draws near, the parties must confront some challenges. Although the two parties are the main players, there are other contending interests and issues that will shape the contest.
Issues
President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been endorsed by the ruling party, has accepted to run. The Commander-In-Chief in leaning on the power of incumbency. But, the core North, which is insisting on the unwritten zoning or rotational principle, is mobilising against his candidature. Two groups-the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, are mobilising against his candidature. Although a nominal party chieftain, Dr, Abduljahi Balewa, son of the late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, has unfolded his presidential ambition, there is no evidence that he is being backed by the Northern establishment.
The strategists in the North are not indifferent to the power of incumbency. A section of the conservative bloc has proposed a sort of negotiation with the Presidency over 2015. A source said that some powerful politicians loyal to the President are mounting pressures on him to dump his deputy, Vice President Namadi Sambo. “If they continue with this pressure, the President may yield, just as he agreed to dump the former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,” added the source.
The second ambition of the President has not only polarised the North, but also the entire country. In recent times, stakeholders are playing ethnic cards, with the Southsouth reminding the North that oil, the source of the national wealth, is domiciled in the region. But, the President has hurdles to cross in the Southsouth. In Rivers State, the miracle of ‘two million votes’ for the PDP cannot be repeated next year. Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s propaganda against the President and the PDP is effective. A PDP governorship aspirant in the state said: “It may not be easy for the two parties in Rivers. The PDP was the dominant party. But, Amaechi is a factor. Therefore, Rivers will be another battle ground between President Jonathan and the APC.”
Next year’s presidential election will also be a battle of ego. Some critics have accused Dr. Jonathan of desperation. Since former military Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari declared his presidential ambition, the reality has dawned on the President that he has a major challenger. A source said that the crowd of supporters at the Eagle Square was intimidating to the PDP. The fear is that, if the APC can put its house in order and there is no post-primary crisis, the party will give the PDP a tough battle.
Unlike 2011 poll, the support base of the President has ebbed away. There is no proof that the masses of the Southwest are rooting for him. In fact, the opposition against his second term ambition is stronger in the Northwest and the Northeast. In the Southsouth, some people loyal to former Governor James Ibori indifferent to his re-election bid. In Rivers, some people are not happy that some oil wells were allegedly ceded to Bayelsa State. Also, cross Rivers indigenes are kicking against the alleged hijack of oil wells by Akwa Ibom State, based on presidential support. In Bayelsa State, which has the least voting strength in the Southsouth, there is division in the PDP over moves to raise a formidable candidate against Governor Seriake Dickson at the primaries.
However, it is to the advantage of the President that the “political principals and principalities” of Nigeria, who are against his second term, have not indicated their interest in any aspirant in the APC. This group power barons wield an enormous influence over the polity. Despite their interest in power swift, they are at crossroads. Reflecting on the influence of these power brokers, a politician said: “These people do not want President Jonathan, but they are also afraid of aspirants in other parties. They want an aspirant that can protect their interest. They want an aspirant with a military background. They can’t instigate coup, but they want an aspirant who will not trouble them. That is why one of them is wiping the sentiment that a Muslim-Muslim ticket is not good for Nigeria because he is afraid that the union of the former Head of State and the former governor of Lagos will shake the PDP and result into power shift, “ he added.
Challenges
According to the PDP, Nigeria requires continuity. Its National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, said another four years for President Jonathan will give him an opportunity for the consolidation of his Transformation Agenda. However, the APC presidential aspirant, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has described Dr. Jonathan as a clueless President, saying that he has failed the country. He said another four years will lead to the extension of the lean years. Also, Buhari observed that the challenges are overwhelming, adding that the poor economy, failed budgets, insecurity, energy crisis, bad roads, soaring unemployment and corruption may kill Nigeria.
Fifteen years after the restoration of the civil rule, the country is at a standstill and the future appears bleak. Although he Federal Government’s transformation agenda is beautiful on paper, its faulty implementation has led to disaster. The greatest challenges are the poor economy and the insecurity. Despite the rebasing of the economy, its impact is not felt. Thus, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the PDP-Federal Government lied. He emphasised that the economy has not improved, stressing that poverty has been on the increase.
But, more distressing is the insurgency in the North and kidnapping and armed robbery in the South. For almost 200 days, the abducted Chibok girls have not been liberated by security agents, despite the huge investment in security. Frowning at the menace of Boko Haram sect, Lagos APC spokesman Joe Igbokwe said the inability of the administration to end the insurgency has underscored its lack of will and capacity to restore order into a state of pandemonium.
Waiting for APC
Eyes are on the main opposition party. The party parade heavy weight and credible politicians across the six geo-political zones who can lead the country. However, there are indications that the APC has zoned the slot to the North. This is because on chieftains from the North have unfolded their presidential ambition on the platform of the party.
APC presidential aspirants include Buhari, Abubakar, Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso and Leadership Newspaper publisher Sam Nda-Isaiah. Actually, the Turaki Adamawa defected from the PDP to the APC to revive his presidential ambition. In the last few months, he has been on the tour of the country for consultation with his stakeholders. But, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remarks about his suitability for the exalted position has affected public perception about his ambition. The former leader was full of bile when he explained whey he could not hand over to his former deputy at a lecture in Ibadan last year.
House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal may also be aspirant. But, he is in a dilemma. He has not defected from the PDP, but he was sighted at the Sokoto State APC stakeholders’ meeting last week. A woman legislator from Lagos State said the Speaker may be However, the last key defector. However, if he defects, the PDP may push for his impeachment. Many APC chieftains are trying to draft him into the presidential race because he has a national spread. But, sources close to Tambuwal disclosed that he is interested in the governorship race in Sokoto.
Ethnicity and religion
The task of selecting a presidential candidate without blemish is challenging. In the APC, there are two strands of opinion that may shape the presidential nomination. A section of the party is pushing for generational shift, claiming that presidential activities nowadays are very rigorous. They believe that young, dynamic, brilliant, credible and fertile minds are better equipped for the rigour. But, another section is of the view that the criteria should exclude age, adding that merit, antecedents, credibility and public record of an aspirant should be considered.
APC chieftain in Ondo State, Hon. Bola Ilori, said that age is not an issue. He said: “Ajasin became the governor of Ondo State in 1979 at 70. He performed more than governors who were in their forties and fifties. It is about vision and character.”
In 2015, three factors are also important. For political expediency, the parties will be responding to pressures and constraints imposed by religion, ethnicity and contradiction within the parties. It is gradually becoming a norm that, if a Muslim from the North is the presidential candidate of any major party, his running mate will be a Christian from the South and vice versa. This, analysts contend, has become a stumbling block to merit. Instructively, pairing two people from the religious divides together for presidential elections is not a guarantor of good governance. The potency of religious balance is also debatable. In 1993, the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) Muslim/Muslim ticket of the late Alhaji Moshood Abiola and Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe defeated the National Republican Convention (NRC) Muslim/ Christian ticket of Alhaji Othma Tofa and Sylvester Ugoh.
Last week, Buhari said that politics should not be shaped by religion, adding that he was prepared for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. But, Obasanjo, who is opposed to his presidential ambition, said in a statement that religion is an important issue, urging the members of the political class to be sensitive.
Internal democracy
There are two dominant views on how the presidential candidate of the APC should emerge. A section has called for consensus candidacy to prevent the tension and confusion triggered by primaries. It is believed that, if this route is taken, Buhari will be the beneficiary. Those opposed to consensus are rooting for democratic primaries. To them, this is the key to internal democracy, But, it appears that critics and party leaders have divergent views about what constitutes internal democracy. In the PDP, the President is likely to intimidate other aspirants at the primaries, if they insist on struggling for the ticket with him. In the APC, it is not yet clear how this vexed issue will be handled. But, a party source said that, judging by the antecedents of its founding fathers, the APC leaders will be ready to give concessions and build consensus within the organisation.
APC aspirants
Buhari
He is now an experienced politician. He is a statesman. He is an incorruptible figure in a society that has produced many soldiers of fortune. Buhari fought gallantly on the federal side during the civil war. Shortly, after the war, he became the governor of the defunct Northeastern State. When the late Gen. Muritala Muhammed became the Head of State, Buhari was appointed as the Federal Commissioner for Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). In the Second Republic, he was the General officer Commanding (GOC), Third Armoured Division, Jos. On December 31, 1983, Buhari became the Head of State.
The former Head of State had a mission. He wanted to get rid of corruption. He also wanted to restore public discipline. Thus, he stepped on toes. Buhari presided over an administration that intended to return Nigeria to its glorious past. He paid the national debt and ensured that the nation did not incur a new debt. Many corrupt politicians were tried for graft. He also restored national security, which had been threatened by the rising wave of armed robbery. In running the country, he was assisted by a diligent deputy, the late Gen. Tunde idiagbon. Although the regime was accused of high handedness, it was undeterred in its focus and mission to enforce discipline and public morality. However, he was toppled in August 1985. Buhari was in detention for almost two years. In retirement, he led a quite life. When he became the Chairman of the Petroleum Tax Fund (PTF), he fought the infrastructure battle nationwide without enriching himself.
The Daura-born soldier-turned politician is a veteran presidential candidate. In 2003, Buhari joined the fray. Obasanjo government had started to drift. He contested for the Presidency in that year on the platform of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). He lost his deposit. In 2007, he also contested against Yar’Adua, but without success. But, the former President later confessed that the poll was severely flawed. In 2011, Buhari also tried his luck on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). He lost to President Jonathan. However, owing to his influence, voters voted out the PDP in Kano and Nasarawa states. Buhari has a mass appeal. Many look up to the General for leadership in the North.
Reality had dawned on Buhari that, unless the opposition figures work together to change the government, the ruling party will continue to mismanage the affairs of the country. Therefore, his party, the CPC, the ACN, the ANPP and a section of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) merged together in the APC. It was a great sacrifice made in the national interest.
Buhari has an ambition to return to power to return the country to the path of honour. But, for him, it is not a do or die affair. His primary goal, according to his associates, is the repositioning of the country. To him, the PDP has failed to make impact 14 years after. “It is not about me, it is about the nation. We need change in 2015. APC will rule this country and bring that change”, he said.
Prominent Northern elite are opposed to his ambition. To them, Buhari is his own man. He may not be able to condone indiscipline. But, the masses are rooting for him. When he declared for the President, the crowd that attended his declaration ceremony sent the Presidency and the PDP jittery. It was not a rented crowd. In 2011, when he ran on the platform of the CPC, the General polled over 12 million votes.
Kwakwanso
Kwankwano made history in the Third Republic when he emerged as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. A grassroots operator, he is a household name in Kano State. His group, the Kwankwasia movement, is waxing strong. In 1999, he became the governor of the state. But, he was defeated by his rival, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau of the defunct ANPP, who ruled for eight years. Between 2003 and 2007, Kwankwaso served as the Minister of Defence. He bounced back in 2011, when he was re-elected as the governor. It is believed that the governor has performed and there were indications that he was being encouraged to declare a presidential interest before he called it quits with the PDP.
Kwankwaso was among the five PDP governors, who defected to the APC. The fact that many big wigs, including state and federal legislators, followed him to the new party showed that he has a large following. He is today a national leader of the party.
Among those rooting for him is Obasanjo. As the former Minister of Defence, he has the knowledge of the military. But, despite his popularity in Kano, it may be hard to sell his candidature to other zones.
Abubakar
Abubakar is another veteran presidential aspirant. He had contested for the seat in 2007 and 2011, but lost his deposit. Had he thrown his hat into the ring in 2003, may be, the story would have been different. But, he deferred to his boss, Obasanjo, hoping to succeed him in 2007. The marriage had turned sour before the poll.
In 2003, the politician from Adamawa emerged as the arrowhead of the progressives. He was the presidential flag bearer of the ACN. But, shortly after the election, he retraced his steps to the PDP. The move infuriated the ACN family. Following his return to the PDP, he visited Obasanjo in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, in a fence-mending move. But, the imaginary reconciliation did not lead to renewal of political contact between the former President and his deputy. Last year, the former President castigated him at a public lecture in Ibadan, Oyo State capital. Obasanjo explained why he refused to hand over to him. In the past, Abubakar fought some political battles, using the arsenal of the law, and he triumphed. In the PDP, Abubakar has been deliberately sidelined. He was among the aggrieved PDP chieftains who stormed out of the party’s rancorous convention in Abuja to form the ‘New PDP. Many believe that Abubakar has a towering political stature. A detribalised Nigerian, he has many friends across the country. But, majority of those rooting for him in 2007 are now mobilising for Buhari.
Nda-Isaiah
Nda-Isaiah is the publisher of the Leadership Newspaper. He is not a threat to any aspirant.
Running mate
The choice of a running mate is also important. But, the vice presidential candidate will be selected after the flag bearer has emerged. According to party sources, the running mate may come from either the Southwest or the Southsouth.