Day: May 13, 2010

Jonathan’s Choice of VP reduces the rest of us to Pawns

/ Adeola / 3 Comments

Adeola A.

Namadi Sambo will become Nigeria’s Vice President. The main reason of course is to allow Mr. Jonathan to contest for the presidency in 2011. Politically a good move because even if Namadi Sambo decides to run for the presidency as well, it will provide a checkmate for the intention of Ibrahim Babangida.

Ordinarily we should not be talking about Babangida. Mr. Ibori has been arrested in Dubai and will be repatriated to the UK or Nigeria. Babangida stole more money than Ibori. No one will understand how the justice system works in Nigeria. Some people like Babangida and Obasnajo remain above the law.

So if Babangida remains in the presidential race instead of in kirikiri prison, then his ambitions have just been checkmated because it is not clear if either Jonathan or Sambo will win the PDP ticket next year. Mr. Goodluck Jonathan just played the chess game of his life but we remain the pawns. Yes the ordinary Nigerians were not in the consideration when the selection was made.

I don’t think Mr. Jonathan had constant electricity or regular water supply in his mind when he made the choice. He sat down probably with some political strategists and planned his own survival. The rest of us are pawns and we can rot away for all he cares.

Knowing fully well that Sambo is an IBB-boy as they used to say, Jonathan has now politically pitched IBB and Sambo against each other in terms of political ambitions. Sambo will of course like either of these 2 things: 1) to continue as VP for as long as Jonathan is president and then becoming a president when Jonathan bows out. OR 2) Outrightly gunning for the presidency in 2011 depending on how circumstances play out in the months ahead.

Jonathan will be hoping for the luck to continue. There may be a deal though: Sambo will probably lie low for as long as Goodluck live his new dream-president for as long as possible.

It’s a dilemma for everyone anyway but we remain restless. We are worried about the real rewards of true democracy. Nigeria is lost. We have no leaders. Rulers after rulers continue to emerge.

We are looking for ways out of our poverty. We long for electric power, water, good roads, good schools. We long for simple but quality existence. All we get is politics of bitterness. All we see are cruel and mean politicians who continue to play the game of life with our presence and future.

If Mr. Sambo is confirmed, it will be another interesting chapter of our nation to see how the duo of Jonathan-Sambo lead Nigeria forward. Time will time whose interests were in focus when the choice and decision were made. In 2011 all the possibilities would have been exposed. Sometimes the pawns survive while the knights, king and queen do perish. In Nigeria this is so true, evil rulers and bad politicians persist but we have seen them come and go. The last chapter remains unwritten.

2011 Elections in Nigeria, Jonathan Should Contest

/ Adeola / 10 Comments

Adeola A.

Goodluck Jonathan is a citizen of Nigeria and by providence the current “president” of Nigeria. The current debate about whether or not he should contest in the 2011 Presidential election is a very-very stupid debate.

Goodluck Jonathan belongs to PDP which is obviously a very strong party but also a very deceitful one. This party has been in power since 1999 and under these past years Nigeria has become more corrupt and the percentage of people that have slipped under the poverty level has escalated. Under the PDP Nigerians have continued to suffer due to the lack of the basic things of life like water and electricity.

PDP to many of us remained the nest of killers as confirmed by Wole Soyinka. That party boasts of looters and evil rulers like Babangida and Obasanjo. Co-looters like Atiku have found their way back to the fold. Ogbulafor the chairman of the party is currently standing trials for the monies he stole under Obasanjo and Bode Geroge is cooling off in kirikiri maximum prison. Ibori is on the run. In so small measures, the PDP continues to destroy Nigeria because they have no masterplan to get us out of the doldrums. The primary interest of Nigerian politicians remains to make money, get rich and care about self.

Anyway the current in-house trouble within the PDP is how to prevent or stop Jonathan from contesting in 2011. The Northerners in that party in their characteristic manner since 1959 do not want power shift to the South, let alone Mr. Jonathan from the Niger Delta region. What a useless mentality?

This is my take. Mr Goodluck Jonathan is a Nigerian and by provisions of the federal constitution of Nigeria is free to contest for electable offices including the position of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria. Unless he is sentenced to prison term for stealing, armed robbery or other crimes that can prevent him for pursuing his dreams, I see no reason (until then) why he cannot be allowed to contest for the office in question.

Indeed Goodluck belongs to PDP and he knows the evil nature of his political party. He knew how he was handpicked for the office of the VP by Obasanjo. This PDP party for Mr. Jonathan is a necessary evil. How he will overcome remains his personal dilemma and invariably a national problem. National, because if the status quo is maintained in the PDP, the unity of Nigeria will suffer a severe blow on the head. The system may collapse and the fears of critics may be fulfilled. The people in the leadership of the PDP have always put themselves before the nation. Isn’t that tantamount to treason?

From another perspective the outcome of the in-house fight in the PDP is one issue. The other issue is that irrespective of the candidate that would emerge from the PDP, that should be one part of the story. Who says that Mr. Jonathan would be the president if he becomes a candidate? Who says that the northern candidate in the minds of the northerners will win come 2011?

There are other political parties in Nigeria. They must present their own candidates too. It shouldn’t matter where the candidates are coming from. It is more important that we have candidates who are not corrupt. We want candidates who have not participated in the looting and destruction of Nigeria. There should be possibilities to present formidable candidates that will challenge the evils that have been perpetrated by Mr. Jonathan’s party since 1999.

2011 is a new golden chance. Bring in the electoral reforms. Give us a level playing field. Bring the PDP candidates be it Jonathan or Danjuma or Mustafa or Galadima or Shagari. Let us put them against one or two lovable, sincere and trustworthy Nigerians and above all let us count the votes.

We must not bring or accept the likes of Babangida or Atiku. In fact we should continue to mount pressure for the prosecution of Babangida, Obasanjo, Atiku and Ibori. These men and their accomplices stole Nigeria to dryness. Babangida alone stole more than 20 billion dollars. This money is enough to build a new country and bring some European countries OUT of economic recession. Where is our money Babangida?

No one can boast that Jonathan is not corrupt. The money stolen by his wife has not helped matters at all. Who, in Nigeria is not corrupt?

Let Jonathan contest but let him or the PDP do that in a normal democracy. In 2011 let MY VOTE COUNTs.