Buhari has been running for presidency since 2003. There is something tiresome about his recurring candidacy. For one, a lot of intellectual energy is usually expended analysing him and the many baggage he represents. In the process, core issues that should be tackled at election time get suspended. Even the most ardent Buharist is careful to not ascribe to him either lofty visions of nation building or revolutionary economic ideas and ideals; Buhari lacks this ethos and such message will likely be doomed before it even leaves the idea factory. By sticking to the same recycled stuff, it shows that Buhari has not acquired a complex understanding of how to deal with Nigeria’s issues. As things stand, Nigeria needs a strong and viable candidate, one with creative imagination and a vision. One like president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan - (my inclusion) Buhari does not come across as the person who can fit this profile. It is not enough that he is said to have a panacea for corruption – assuming he can actually achieve that under a lopsided democratic system– he should also advance a development agenda. He should display an ability to espouse ideas that resonate. Unlike what his advisers think, corruption is not Nigeria’s sole problem even if it appears that way and Buhari’s Spartanism is not a guarantee of either innovation or foresight. In the few weeks before election, is there any possibility that Buhari will have a better run this time and probably defeat President Jonathan? It is doubtful. Buhari’s candidature may end up producing a boomerang effect that will likely favour Jonathan. Those who have previously planned to fold their arms on Election Day will be motivated into voting Jonathan, warts and all, just to keep Buhari far from Aso Rock. He has not demonstrated that he represents real change and there is real danger in giving up the familiar Jonathan for an untried one with excessive religious and ethnic baggage. There are other reasons to be afraid of a Buhari presidency: his plebian following. Those who oppose Buhari for his perceived fundamentalism forget that Buhari is no religious nut; he is a religion himself. His followers are largely those that believe in him with unexamined devotion. Anybody with such authority over people’s minds should not be tried with the absolutism of power the Nigerian brand of democracy endows on a political leader. Those who oppose Buhari are very aware of this and that is another reason to keep him far from Aso Rock Villa come 2015. Adapted from The Punch Newspaper.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 18:45:45 +0000
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