Before now, football had been the one sport or contest to
generate so much passion in Nigeria. It enjoyed this monopoly of passion but
always united Nigerians. Our politics and elections however are another sport
that now generates more passion and tension compared to football but
unfortunately fails to unite us.
It’s finally 2015 and a lot has already happened in the
build up to this piece. General Buhari for the fourth time is running on the
platform of the All Progressives Congress or "Conpidence" the first successful merger
of political parties in Nigeria. The elections were postponed; Obasanjo asked
his PDP card be torn. PVC distribution has remains shoddy while there have been
sparks of violence in a few places.
I have been a critic of the president. On several issues
like the subsidy management, rule by committees, refusal to say amen to a
prayer on corruption, his refusal to give a damn about the number of shoes he owns,
I disagreed with the president on these issues. However on the balance of his
other performances, Dr. Jonathan deserves a reelection and here’s why: intense effort
on capital projects such as roads, bridges and water plants recorded by this
administration has been quite outstanding.
The efforts on education with several new Almajiri
schools, new universities, loans to some, teaching hospital upgrades and then
the effort to revive the agricultural sector making it a real sector now
employing more farmers than before are praise worthy. Fertilizer access and
distribution has turned around from an era of woe to one of relief. The economy
rebased emerged Africa’s largest and one of the fastest growing in the world. On
corruption, more convictions recorded, reduced the ghost worker presence while
the media has had a field day enjoying more press freedom.
The president’s lead opponent is well known General
Buhari who turned 72 last December. While his age has been trivialized on the
basis of the age of others elsewhere, General Buhari remains a life threatening
cancer itching to fester itself on Nigeria if given the chance. Everything is
wrong with the candidacy of All Progressives Congress presidential flag bearer.
The general interrupted a democratically elected
government of Nigeria in 1983. That is treason by no other word. He has repeatedly insisted he did
not plot the coup but he cannot wish away the fact that he was the biggest
benefactor of that crime thus making him culpable. His actions upon ascension to
the usurper’s seat ratified the coup and even his speech justified the crime of
truncating the peoples’ right to govern themselves.
This treason for which he has not been tried has given
him the audacity to see himself as larger than Nigerian laws and
resulted in his carefree disposition towards the Nigerian state and
people. While General Buhari was
usurping his new found powers as head of state, he banned political parties and
forbade all discussions for a return to civil rule. This man not only barged
into the sovereign right of the people, he insisted they would not have that
very important right to decide their future. There is no need to rehash the
human rights abuses his regime unleashed on hapless Nigerians or the level of
injustice his regime supervised. It is well documented and established.
General Babangida intervened and rescued Nigeria from General
Buhari’s sanctimonious misrule. Not done, General Buhari had a stroke of good
fortune with Abacha rehabilitating him. He got the plum job of serving as PTF
chairman. He supervised a government department that concentrated over 70% of its
projects in the north. Abacha’s regime was not just lacking in credibility or
moral fiber, it had no purpose but to keep a military cabal in power. That military
cabal is made up of Generals Obasanjo, Buhari, Babangida and Abacha.
Abacha’s regime was as guilty as hell on all charges of
corruption, human rights violation and subversion yet there is not a record of
Buhari’s objection to any of the vices in that regime. Buhari’s silence on Abiola’s
arrest and detention was eloquent.He did not go about crying change like a baby in need of diaper change.
With Obasanjo duly elected and returned to power in 1999, Buhari too
began seeking a civilian presidency because his lust for power is insatiable. Three
times he lost and all three times he refused to concede defeat and has never
congratulated any presidential election winner because all elections since he
began contesting “were rigged” including the 2011 elections.
General Buhari despite going to the Supreme Court on all
three occasions has made mockery of the judiciary and the Supreme Court itself
describing it is politically motivated. This general truncated a democracy, forbade a
return to civil rule, banished the truth with his decree 4, abused human
rights, favoured one region in his service and also disparages our supreme
court willfully. And in all of these, the general feels right, justified and
determined that he alone holds the correct opinion on all these matters.
Just before he emerged the APC presidential candidate, he
got an interview on Channels. He was asked if he regrets any of his former
deeds and he emphatically said “no” and stressed that he would do again all he
had done. That is General Buhari the agent of change. If a change agent cannot
change his mind on his misdeeds, how does anyone expect this man to bring any
positive change?
Before now, his qualifications have been discussed. General
Buhari’s sworn affidavit that his certificates were with the military board is
the stuff that explains perjury to the layman. A man of his status and exposure
contesting elections for the highest office in the land ought to have requested
the military for his papers just to fulfill a requirement of the law 12 years
ago. But not Buhari, he is above the law. He would not do what others were
doing because he is more equal than others. The negligence exhibited by him on
the matter for 12 years is inexcusable. He could have gotten his statement of
result 12 years ago but blatantly refused to comply with the dictates of the
law because he sees himself above it.
Given his known sanctimony, how would a Buhari act if he
heard as president that a school teacher, police man or minister swore an oath
on assumption? The general is not known for his leniency or mercy. What example
has the general set for the younger generation? That they can lie about their
qualifications and get away with it? General Obasanjo has demonstrated his
willingness to return to school but general Buhari focused all these years
since return to democracy on radio interviews growing his Hausa/Fulani fan base.
Let’s assume for a few minutes that General Buhari does
not have his blood washed resume and that Goodluck Jonathan is a first time
candidate. Mr. Jonathan intends to fight corruption by strengthening the
institutions and creating systems to prevent corrupt practices, the General
proposes to “draw a line henceforth.” It points to Mr. Jonathan’s proactiveness
and forward thinking attributes while Buhari’s perspective bothers on a reactive
and retributive approach.Studying all the other Buhari-Osinbajo plans reveal similar reactive approach to solving problems whereas president Jonathan's regime has been probably slow but steadily moving forward.
There is perhaps some American connection with David Axelrod's firm being the brain behind the APC and possibly influencing a foreign media favor of Buhari the tyrant. If the White House thinks that a GMB victory would let Gay Laws be rescinded, it has made a huge mistake. If they intend to put Nigeria on the war path by supporting GMB in order to fulfill its prophecy of Nigeria disintegrating or some other ulterior motive, it is deluded and self serving.
Nigerians in the south know too well these issues and are better informed compared to the poorly educated Nigerians up north who are only starting to see the halls of schools providing much despised western education. Perhaps a few years from now, a generation from the north would appreciate a southern president.
Voting the Daura general would mean insisting that his crime
against the Nigerian state and people is better swept under the carpet while
Jonathan should be crucified for failure to bring back the Chibok girls. Putting
it into a different perspective, the south-south has paid Nigeria’s bills for
50 years yet their son do not deserve a second term after a good job in the
first.That would be scoring a deliberate own goal while Nigeria is still trailing on development.
I hope the president wins despite all the gang up against
him by the cabal and Bourdillion influenced media. I will resume my objective
criticism of President Jonathan afterward. If GMB wins, it will not be a
victory for Nigeria but for Tinubu and his minions in the APC. The APC in all
the states where it enjoys power is not fighting corruption; they have never
instituted any policies to curb it. Given that, how do they set up the policy
for a poorly educated Buhari to fight corruption and save billions upon which
his false campaign promises are based? I have always said this wherever the
opportunity arose, a vote for Buhari is an own goal whereas a vote for Goodluck
Jonathan is an assist leading to a Nigerian goal. If you want change, vote
Martins Onovo of the NCP, but if you love Nigeria's stability and desire progress, vote
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
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