2015 HARD QUESTIONS: WHY BUHARI? WHY GEJ? In the next few days, paid politicspreneurs will crank up the subterfuge of confusing issues so that the next election cycles will be wasted again rehashing things that hold no value for the direction Nigeria should proceed in 2015. So Law Nigeria has committed this page to ensuring that the mistakes of 2011 when people’s mental choices for the Presidency were restricted to a former shoeless but naive phantom and the stuffy effigy of everyone’s phobias - dictators, religion/ethnic bigot - needs to BE avoided IN 2015. In other words, Goodluck Jonathans record as a 6 year President needs to be inventoried and analysed - with the object of defining whether he deserves being Nigerias 1st 10 year democratically elected President. . And Buharis past stewardship as a 2 year Military Head of State and before and after that -public officer neds to be inventoried as well and analysed. None of them should hide or disown their records: we must take them or toss either or both of them, warts and all. The same standards applied to Buharu must be applied to President GEJ. And in doing that, we must be intellectually honest in situating the Buhari/Jonathan records against the settings or milieu in which they were served. In other words, what manner of military Head of State and public servant was Buhari and what manner of a constitutional President has Jonathan been? In what extreme has either of them over-compensated? In pursuit of their understanding of the needs of their country and their vision for the country - or subterranean agendas? What manner and character of baggage do each of them carry? Which among them erred principally on the side of zealotry in pursuing his vision of the country - warts and all, misguided or not? When Buhari had literally the power of life and death in his Decrees, did he show a level of restraint recognizable as making him amenable to serve in a democratic setting? And has Jonathan as President in a democratic setting shown adequate obligatory respect for the constitution, institutions, processes and People of Nigeria to be given a ten year mandate? What manner of religion or faith exercises do either of them pursue: mormon worship or fake artificial displays? How well in their records can we discern significant respect for deeply held beliefs of others - and how deeply can we discern they even hold their beliefs as a Muslim or a Christian. Was Buhari perceived as a competent Head of State in 2 years - whose ability to mobilise desired responses was never in doubt? Has Jonathan earned a perception as a capable President in 6 years or is he still largely a bumbling and inept President seen as a victim of circumstances by the majority of Nigerians. Is Jonathan and the manner of crew he has put forth these past 6 years capable of stabilizing, harnessing and expanding Nigerias power and energy sectors? Does Buharis government somehow offer a chance to give Nigeria a competent team to tackle the very poor state of our nation? Who between the two of them really believes Nigeria need a serious turn-around all around? Jonathan? Buhari? Has GEJ exemplified respect for the laws and constitution of his nation - from Rivers State to South Africa? Is he capable of delivering economic managers - not the Wikes and Wogus of this world who paralyze their nation with unnecessary strike action and otiose policies in key segments of the country? Seriously, is Mohammed Adoke the least for the office of Attorney General of the Federation at a time like this? Has Jonathan demonstrated any capacity to allow the laws of Nigeria to work against corrupt people for the advancement of his country. Has he been able to appreciate the effect that examples of the President have on the cultures and entrenched attitudes in the country through the actions and inactions of his government? Are the matters Jonathan has shown himself incapable of handling key to this nations survival and development? Are those the kind of things that excite the passion of Buhari - and could the compensating strictures of democracy and advanced age offer an attenuating buffer for Buharis observed failings - and thus make him a more livelier prospect in 2015? In short, do Nigerians know Buharis failure very well and are they failures that could be exploited by Nigerians to make him PAY in a good way through vigilance? Does GEJ know it is an insult to Nigeria’s people and to his soul to credit the threat of his opponents in 2011 to make the country ungovernable as justification for Nigerias parlous security situation? Is it not in the very nature of a democracy – the defining character – for an elected candidate to have people publicly or privately opposed to him/her as a person and his/her agenda for the nation: people ready to scuttle or hijack the Presidents vision for the country: to “make the country ungovernable” for him? Is it not just common sense - not to say expected level of circumspection of a President to know that even his closest family members, allies, closest associates, advisers and party members harbor agendas directly opposed to at least one of his and that his ability to obtain their true allegiance through inspired or strong leadership is part of the job description? Is it not to be expected? Does GEJ know that legitimacy and efficacy as an elected President stems from the ability to appreciate and deploy the enormity of international sovereignty, goodwill of the majority, resources, institutions, structures, powers and authority inherent in that office – to lawfully confound, neutralize or overwhelm the opposing visions while substantially enforcing the implementation of the elected vision endorsed by the majority of the people? That Jonathan could not do that – nor has even appreciated that it is a gross failing not to be able to do that without gangster and illegitimate behaviours like shutting down the entire government of Rivers State - does it not disqualify him totally from bidding for any elective office in the executive arm of government for ever in any corner of Nigeria except his bedroom?
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 09:02:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015