I remember 2010 and how the politics played out. First was the issue of interim President, later the politics after the death of one of Nigeria’s finest leaders, then the issue of what I term one of the greatest political blackmail of our time, Jonathan MUST not contest 2011 elections because the North had not completed their tenure! People like Mallam Adamu Ciroma (I wonder where he is now) and Prof. Ango Abdulahi (a man whom I once thought was a detribalised Nigerian) and a mouthy few cried to high heavens that Jonathan should not be allowed to contest.
These regional crusaders even went to the laughable point of organizing a consensus arrangement to choose a candidate that will defeat Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Looking back at the level of opposition against President Jonathan then, I believe it was a daunting for him to contest compared to this present day. Respectable Northerners like Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Aliyu Gusau and others were all in the race. The drama that greeted their declarations and the political entourage (apologies to Mourinho) they boasted of was quite intimidating. Considering also the fact that Jonathan was just new as President when all these gang up took place, made it all the more scary.
Unlike 2010, the element that was in play has shifted. There is a new approach through the use of a gangster like opposition. Like the 2010 episode they seem certain to pick out a consensus candidate out of the opposition that will in their own imagination, kick Jonathan out but they will also soon find out that it is easier thought than said talk less done.
What these so called forces fail to understand is that when there is a positive force in control, there is nothing the opposing force can do to trample it. The convergence of self styled progressives in APC speaks of only one thing which is that the ruling PDP under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chairmanship of Alhaji Ibrahim Muazu have a smooth sail towards repositioning the party and the country without been sabotaged by self destructive elements that have almost decamped.
Nigerians have always appreciated the direction our dear country is heading under our President and will always support what is right. If Jonathan had received massive votes in a free and fair contest when nobody felt the impact of his administration considering it was a few months old, do they think the same support will decimate now that his impact is been felt in a lot of sectors? Do they think Nigerians are unaware of the strong strategies put in place to check leakage of resources, improve efficiency and fight corruption through the various anti corrupt agencies? I also don’t think the over 32 road projects which has been completed all over the country in the last couple of years not to mention the Dualisation of Ibadan Illorin Road section1 in Oyo state, the completion of the reconstruction of Von-Manchok Road in Plateau, completion of the repairs of the 3rd Mainland Bridge (phase II)as well as other road projects in the country is lost on majority of Nigerians. Agriculture which has been a major stress area for previous administrations has been transformed leading to the addition of over 9 million metric tons of food and the creation of millions of jobs in the sector.
Now who says he has not done well based on performance? Security might be a challenge in the country today, but the truth of the matter is that it would have been worse if Jonathan was not in power. He has handled it the best way possible and it is yielding results. With the way the Boko Haram issue is been handled in the North East, I wonder if such insurgency will see the light of the day ever again. This is because playing politics with the issue has not been the approach of Mr. President. Rather persuasion and building of necessary infrastructure that will forestall such have been the driving force. Education has also been well addressed by this administration. Yes we may have had one very long strike in our tertiary institutions, but the truth is that no government in power has drastically addressed it the way President Jonathan and his team did. He understood the problem and initiated the greatest energy towards solving it.
No country can solve all its developmental challenges one day but it can do well with leaders that have the vision to make positive change. President Jonathan falls under this category. The opposition knows this and is in a rush to push him aside in order to claim the glory of his Transformation Agenda which will be manifest very soon. We owe it as a duty to stop them because if they do, they will destroy all the foundations already laid in the quest to loot our resources. Why are they busy looking for party members by visiting failed leaders to swell their ranks if not to discover the secret of looting from them.
We will never fail to shine our eyes. Let’s make Nigeria better by supporting our President.
Comrade Nwokoma Messiah is the National Coordinator of Niger Delta Renaissance Organisation
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