Saraki and the consensus option

Whether the outcome of the exercise will conduce to a united platform that will successfully confront and dislodge President Goodluck Jonathan for the ticket of the PDP at the forthcoming presidential primaries is debatable; but the desire of northern leaders involved in the exercise is to succeed. However, if the process falls through, it would […]

Whether the outcome of the exercise will conduce to a united platform that will successfully confront and dislodge President Goodluck Jonathan for the ticket of the PDP at the forthcoming presidential primaries is debatable; but the desire of northern leaders involved in the exercise is to succeed.

However, if the process falls through, it would not be for lack of commitment on the part of those promoting the option.  Remember that there is certainly the hand-of-God factor in the affairs of men and this is the greatest determinant in the current exercise to streamline aspirations.

Meanwhile, just in case the northern leaders who are leading the way in the search for a consensus candidate have not yet broken the ice, a few suggestions should suffice in the circumstance; which is the purpose of this editorial intervention.

The journey towards consensus northern candidate and the person that fits the bill cannot be totally appreciated without going back to the roots of the issue: the decision of President Jonathan to throw his hat in the ring regardless of the ceding of the presidency by the PDP to the north in 2007.

Jonathan’s interest in the race was fired by the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua whose tenure should have lapsed in 2015 if he were alive to seek a second term as constitutionally circumscribed.  That was the expectation.

The sentiment now is that Jonathan is an opportunist who is determined to use his position as incumbent president to perpetuate himself in office.  It is obvious that he has the federal government machine to prosecute his political agenda.

This is the reason the northern leaders have thought it wise to confront that monstrosity with a collective will of the north, acting in concert with other well-meaning Nigerians of southern extraction who believe that the gentleman arrangement of zoning in the PDP should be respected.

Now, the northern leaders have done well by heaping the moral burden on Jonathan and casting him in the mold of a leader that cannot be trusted, having turned his back on an arrangement that made it possible for him to emerge as Vice President to the late Yar’adua in the first instance.

But as he continues to relate with that moral burden and as the northern leaders put their eyes on the ball of consensus, it is the candid opinion in political circles that whoever emerges from the current arrangement being worked upon to dislodge Jonathan must be one who possesses equal youthful energy as the president.

The business of governance, the task of running the economy and the commitment of managing the tension of politics and politicking will always conspire to provide a humongous responsibility that requires physical and mental strength to carry.  Youthful Governor Bukola Saraki, without any fear of contradictions, fits the bill.

According to public opinion, President Jonathan’s edge over most of the PDP Northern aspirants is his youth as Nigerians increasingly want to see their leader reflect the current youthfulness of world leaders like Obama, Cameron and Medvedev.

Therefore to counter this obvious advantage who is better to present as the northern consensus candidate, but Gov. Saraki whose optics standing side by side President Jonathan in a primaries contest will not look like father and son as will be the case if any of the other aspirants gets the nod.

Northern elite and their southern counterparts have not forgotten the role Saraki played to stabilize the polity while also proving to the Yar’adua presidency that he was dependable.  He is, for sure, still dependable.  This quality should come in handy in the estimation of the Nigerian public when it is time for them to choose a loyal and dependable leader.

This is added to the fact that historically the people of Kwara State have always proven themselves as dependable political allies in the North Central Zone and this is an opportunity to reward this long standing loyalty by the people of Kwara as embodied by the aspiration of Saraki.

Besides, in this game of number which the PDP presidential primaries typify, there is the need to ensure that there is no needless gamble: if the northern leaders are sincere about the fact all four aspirants in the jostle qualify for northern support no matter who emerges, it will be advisable to push someone who can garner delegates’ votes.

Again, Saraki fits the bill.  Consider this fact: the party delegates are controlled by the state governors who are his colleagues.  They know him very well; they have related with him, especially as chair of the Governors’ Forum; they know his temperament, character, strength and foibles.

Therefore, it will be easy for him to reach out to a majority of them for their strategic support.  He will be able to elicit their sympathy being one of them if he emerges as a consensus candidate.

Abdulsamad contributed this piece from Kaduna