I am afraid

The nation’s largest political cocoon is under severe stress over the question of loyalty to President Goodluck Jonathan, or playing the ostrich or trying to fight for the Northern agenda for a fair share in this federalism. When the PDP chose to adopt zoning as a strategy, it was equally among other facts to serve […]

The nation’s largest political cocoon is under severe stress over the question of loyalty to President Goodluck Jonathan, or playing the ostrich or trying to fight for the Northern agenda for a fair share in this federalism. When the PDP chose to adopt zoning as a strategy, it was equally among other facts to serve as a winner on the attention of people and thus their votes.

It was convenient to pretend that one of the only way Nigerian nation could be saved the troubles of disintegration is when the elites from the various parts of the country are given the opportunity to rule the country at the highest level. The June 12, 1993 elections which was not based on zoning was a clear testimony to what Nigerians can do if any section would present its best that is acceptable to the others.

The decision of the PDP to field General Obasanjo in 1999 and Olu Falae in the APP were responses to the agitation for zoning especially after MKO Abiola was seen to have been on the way to electoral victory when the polls were annulled by the military in 1993. The first eight years of the presidency in the PDP were spent in the South and we were told that the next four years at least would be in the North.

Obasanjo scouted and brought up his ‘younger brother’ Umaru whom he knew was sick and imposed him and the unknown Jonathan as President and Vice President. Right at that time, a good number of us raised our voices as to the effect that there was some clear conspiracy on that unpopular choice. Everyone who knew how Katsina was run under Governor Yar’adua would agree with the fact that the man wasn’t in good health to contain with the pressures of Nigeria.

Unless of course that General Obasanajo had a mission not just to send Umaru Yar’adua to his grave early enough but most importantly to deny the Northern elites the shot on the nation’s presidency. Quite a lot of us predicted that and we are vindicated. Today, the president is Goodluck Jonathan from the south and the Northern elites have lost power again to a dubious arrangement called political convenience.

That is not the issue. I am one of the many Nigerians who condemned the decision of political parties to adopt zoning as a procedure on the ground that such arrangement was unconstitutional. Coming to look at it more closely, even if it is not provided for in the constitution, there is no provision in the constitution that prohibits political parties and groups from evolving strategies that could either bring political fortunes to them or assuage the feelings of the minority groups across the landscape of Nigeria.

The objective of assuaging the feelings of minority groups has been achieved. Today, the president of Nigeria is from one of the nation’s very minority groups. Without zoning, President Goodluck Jonathan wouldn’t have become even a chairman in his native local government area, but today, he sits on top of over a hundred and fifty million people as their leader.

Zoning is therefore reality and without it, we cannot have Jonathan as the president no mater his luck and humility. My view therefore is that the beneficiaries of such a convenient arrangement must not be the ones to throw spanners into the works just because they are up there.

Are we eating up everything and forgetting about tomorrow? Do we have to be ungentlemanly just because the cake is now in our hands? What is the implication of the position that those who want Goodluck Jonathan to run in 2011 to the future of Nigerian minority groups and other peoples who lack the population strength to win elections on the basis of one man one vote in the future?

Are these Nigerians thinking that the nation would continue to run electoral systems that would not recognize the sanctity of the votes of the people? If this is what they think because they are in control of state machine, then, I think there is a problem now and in the future.

I am worried more at the level of polarization between the Northern political elites. One group led by MD Yusuf and the other by Salomon Lar. I am not worried at the formation and constitution of the groups because one group is anchoring the views of the governors of the region who are mostly first termers and seem to be in alliance with Goodluck Jonathan even if for the sake of federal might.

They would go all the way to support Jonathan for a term just because they desire to have it easy too in their states. If our votes will count in 2011, they may as well be removed from office for acting in contradistinction to the sensibilities of their peoples as far as national politics is concerned. Equally is the case with the few irritants amongst them who lack any political antecedence.

The other group under MD Yususf in my view is a response to the yawning hypocrisy in the PDP. Of course I know there was never a time when any document was written as an agreement for zoning, but one would think that those who are privy to that gentleman’s agreement would hold onto it at whatever cost. Unfortunately, what we hear is people talking from both sides of their mouths.

No wonder that in the last eleven years of civil rule and despite the amount of money that was realized by government at the centre, our schools are worst than they were; it is no wonder we still can’t have electricity despite the huge sums of money that have been injected into that sector. Those who have piloted the affairs of our politics and governance lack both the economic and political integrity to see the nation out of the woods.

This in my humble view summarizes the debate for or against zoning. I don’t expect the Northern governors to take any stance contrary to what is coming out from the mouths of both Babangida Aliyu and Mahmuda Aliyu. We however expect more respect from those who are our tusk bearers. If they decide to sell out, we must be told why otherwise we may engage them for the rest of our time.

I am afraid that our politicians are still not in tune with what is democracy. It is about honor and integrity. It is about service and humility. It is not about taking advantage of one another. I expect that President Goodluck Jonathan will be humble enough to listen to wise counsel and respect a simple understanding reached by his party elders when he was still near the creeks.

Those who should know must and remember that Nigerians are so wonderful on matters of reality. Those who are hitting their heads on the table today over Jonathan in 2011 are only doing so because they see personal gains in the horizon and not necessarily what good awaits the nation. If Nigeria desires democracy, our political class and citizens alike must resolve to be honest and frank with one another. We must respect our views and our words if the resolution to federate would yield the much needed progress and transformation in quality of life of our people.

As a sign of good things to come, the militants have brought the war to the center. They were in Abuja on Wednesday 6th July protesting. They said this long time ago. Now that one of their own is at the helm, they came in numbers all the way undetected by any security agents. If it were a group of young men form either Borno or Sokoto state drove to Abuja in that number, the police would have killed them in numbers because they are fanatics.

We await further development. God bless Nigeria.