With or without Muhammadu Buhari, the present political gymnasium populated and over-crowded by compromised, outdated and selfish crop of politicians, throwing themselves up and down can never take the impoverished masses to the promised land of democratic prosperity and sustainable development. If the Nigerian masses fail to produce or replicate the Barack Obamas, David Camerons and Emmanuel Macrons during the 2019 Presidential election, they might be forced to contend with a Muhammadu Buhari presidency beyond 2019. Nigerian youths must create a way in the political wilderness by staying actively involved, uncompromised and assertive in the political process to gradually ease out all the present non performing actors.
[dropcap]D[/dropcap]uring the recent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, regrettably failed to make history when he declared his intention to run for second term in office, against his earlier promise to serve only one term.
Buhari is not the first in the league of untrusted political leaders in Nigeria, especially when it comes to political ambitions. Yes, ambition is a free enterprise as Willian Shakespeare would say, but it should be conceived and pursued with honor and integrity.
Nigeria’s immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan did the same. Following the death of President Umaru Masa Ya’Ardua in May 2010, he, as then Vice President, stepped in as the substantive president of Nigeria.
Before the end of that term there was argument as to whether he should run for the next presidential election which would have been Ya’Ardua’s second shot at the nation’s top job had he not died – the Northerners felt they were being shortchanged because the slot at that time was reserved for them, and therefore wanted to produce the next president.
Following all kinds of political bickering, capable of tearing the party apart, Jonathan agreed to run for one term in 2011 – a promise he reneged on when it was time for the next election in 2015.
The celebrated agreement, though unwritten became famously known as “gentleman agreement.” By that, the message Jonathan and his sponsors gave Nigerians and the world was that the word of mouth cannot be trusted anymore.
Buhari’s friend, former boss and ex-Military Dictator who also turned civilian president, Retired General Olusegun Obasanjo is another one – he promised those who brought him from Sani Abacha’s Slaughter house (jail) preparatory to the nation’s return to democracy in 1999 that he would only run for one term.
Obasanjo made history when he was therefore handed the civilian presidency in 1999 on a platter of gold – a ploy by the nation’s political force to placate the Yourubas who were still reeling from the pains of the June 12 presidential election annulment by the discredited Babangida’s military junta.
Obasanjo’s political fortune came at the expense of the presidential ambition of people like Abubaka Atiku – something he (Obasanjo) would have dismissed if a soothsayer had told him prior, that such fate would ever visit him during the remaining part of his lifetime.
Obasanjo not only broke the promise, sought and secured second the term, but wanted to serve the third term, an inordinate political ambition for which he squandered Nigerians’ tax payer money – buying members of the National Assembly to amend the nation’s constitution to serve his selfish interest in 2007.
Thank goodness, the old soldier was stopped by men and women of goodwill of that country who fought ferociously against those forces of darkness – that would have likely produced a life-time president.
Given his health challenges and debilitating age of 75 years, one would have expected President Muhammadu Buhari to sponsor a younger, marketable, impeccable and articulate political disciple that would appeal to the people of Nigeria and who believes in the trilogy of his administrative mantra – anti-corruption, insecurity; and economic recovery.
That would have placed him next to the legendary iconic anti-apartheid freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela of the Republic of South Africa who did precisely that after serving just one term in office.
Make no mistake, 2019 is going to be unlike what happened in 2015. The March 28, 2015 presidential election in Nigeria was a watershed for many reasons.
First, it shattered the myth surrounding the power of presidential incumbency in Nigeria when ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was handed an electoral humiliation and shocked out of power.
Second, the South-westerners in Nigeria became the most beautiful political brides that enabled the desperate Northerners to secure their much-sought presidential power on a free, fair and credible election.
Third, for the first time ever, a defeated sitting Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces in Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan yielded to the electoral wishes of the people – refused to challenge the outcome in the law court or tribunal by peacefully relinquishing power.
Fourth, the 51-year old dream of one of Nigeria’s extraordinary politicians and sage, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo which was derailed by a monstrous political gang became a stunning reality when the ‘progressives,’ led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu suddenly secured presidential power at the center in Nigeria.
Aware of the importance of atonement for sinful acts, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that presided over the affairs of Nigeria then, recently apologized to the people for failure to deliver electoral promises which culminated in its electoral humiliation in 2015.
Now that President Muhammadu Buhari has declared his intention to run for 2019 Presidential race, what are his chances; what is the implication for Nigerian political turf?
We have no malice towards him, but wish him well in his political ambition. However, the message we must not fail to convey is that the president should try hard to maintain the trust of the people.
Did the president not think he should have explained to the people that elected him why he changed his mind to seek a second time?
We have always maintained that in spite of the short-comings of the war against corruption, including the lopsidedness with which the war is being prosecuted, it is still likely to give the APC leverage during the 2019 Presidential campaigns.
The reason is that no administration has done so much in bringing culprits to book in this regard as the Buhari administration. Having said that, Buhari should know that Nigerians are getting frustrated every day when they are being informed of billions of their assets being recovered and yet they are not seeing the positive effects in their lives. This is the greatest irony of the anti-graft war.
And it is also the greatest task, among others that will confront Buhari’s 2019 Presidential ambition – the sorry state of the economy, as millions of Nigerians are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the hyper inflationary trend in the midst of income stagnation and lack of commensurate social services.
The Social Investment Programme of the Buhari government is not being felt across the country; many campaign promises of 2015 are nowhere to be found in the administrative radar of the government.
The Buhari economic team would have to go back to the drawing board of their tall ambition for a rethink of economic measures embedded with lavish social services to cushion the effects of inflation and unemployment in the country. Nigeria has the capacity to do it.
It is sad and politically miscalculated that in the midst of credibility problems with Nigerians, Buhari in London recently was reported to have unleashed an insult on the Nigerian youths, many of whom he tagged as lazy, uneducated and unwilling to work.
The truth is that Nigerians are very hardworking and resilient people home and abroad. What they need in Nigeria is the enabling economic climate to thrive, which successive administrations have abysmally failed to provide.
President Buhari has no moral ground to denigrate the Nigeria youths, given the poor performance of his government so far. In Nigeria, pipe-borne water is a scarce commodity, with electricity running on epileptic mode, no good hospitals that can boast of good healthcare delivery for the people and yet the people persevere.
Is it the huge security challenge, especially the excruciating menace coming from the now notorious Fulani herdsmen chasing, killing and maiming innocent, law abiding citizens within the length and breadth of the country?
Mr. President would have to convince Nigerians that he is not the sponsor of the Fulani herdsmen that have been unleashing a nation-wide mayhem on the people by taking drastic action to punish offenders and curb the menace.
Mr. President’s actions are yet to prove the public wrong. He should not be deceived by what the cabal and sycophants around are telling him. Buhari must move fast to correct the wrongs as the electoral judgement day is fast approaching. We just wish he can feel the pulse of the nation.
It might be very devastating to take the weakness of rival PDP for granted as the party might be given a second chance if it gets its acts together. Yes, history might repeat itself.
Prior to the election that gave Buhari victory in 2015, the people cried, but PDP did not listen, rather it shaded corrupt people and ruled with impunity.
Today, those who used the PDP to the tilt to shatter and wreck Nigeria’s priceless fortunes are hastily regrouping in another political automobile, called Social Democratic Party (SDP).They are planning to use the SDP to replace the PDP, to cajole, hoodwink and mesmerize the voters during the 2019 Presidential election.
Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s crowd is scheming, capitalizing on Nigerian voters’ emotions and sentiments, as usual making loud noise in order to foist his own jaundiced political agenda on the unsuspecting masses.
The old soldier must be watched – no more third term in any shape or form. With or without Muhammadu Buhari, the present political gymnasium populated and over-crowded by compromised, outdated and selfish crop of politicians, throwing themselves up and down can never take the impoverished masses to the promised land of democratic prosperity and sustainable development.
If the Nigerian masses fail to produce or replicate the Barack Obamas, David Camerons and Emmanuel Macrons during the 2019 Presidential election, they might be forced to contend with a Muhammadu Buhari presidency beyond 2019.
Nigerian youths must create a way in the political wilderness by staying actively involved, uncompromised and assertive in the political process to gradually ease out all the present non performing actors.
We caution that it is not just enough to clamor for political power to be handed over to the youths at all levels. It will amount to self-delusion to think that old politicians should be chased out of the scene just like that.
The problem in Nigeria is not just about old or young politicians, but rather greed, lack of patriotism, disregard for the rule of law and moral bankruptcy, and they cut across all segments of the society – a nation where the good and honest people are hardly given the chance to try.
Youths or old, those who must serve, must first purge themselves of the notion of government as a source of acquisition of personal wealth – must let the sense of patriotism or love of country, honesty, transparency and dynamism be the hallmark of their political ambitions.
