2023: JONATHAN AND THE GATHERING OF VULTURES.
My Personal Admonition to GEJ!
✍️ Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu
It is a saying amongst the religiously wise that he that wants to dine with the devil must be handy with a long spoon. As always, the Nigerian political vultures gather ahead of every election year looking for who to bequest their will on. 2023 is the mother of all elections in Nigeria since the turn of the century, and of course since the beginning of our nascent democracy. This owes to the clamouring for an Igbo President; the desire of the Yoruba to have power shifted to them; the almost predictable will of Northern political giants like Atiku Abubakar and Kwankwaso to be addressed as Commander in Chief; and the lobbyist tendencies and gerrymandering of different interest groups across all corners of the country to have their man in power. If the permutations are true, and if the political calculations here and there are to be held with a pinch, the vultures are truly gathering and this time they are hovering steadily towards the table of a world acclaimed political saint, former President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan. No matter how hard and quick one intends to wave off such rumors, its embers continue to smoulder thicker by the passing of each day.
Even more than just a rumour, in some quarters there is talk of a complacency necessitated by a calculated and intentional silence of the erstwhile Nigerian President to contest for the presidency of Nigeria once again come 2023, but owing to a statement which was recently attributed to GEJ, and which has not been refuted either that;
“But when a leader is doing his best for his people and the perception is right, he might even lose an election due to misunderstanding, but when the perception is right, he can even be called upon to come and rule again.” @GEJonathan https://t.co/aHEJzuylWR”, then one is compelled to begin to view the situation as not just a rumour, but a shrouded reality.
While it is within his constitutional cum legitimate rights as a citizen of Nigeria of great standing and largely unencumbered by the warts that eclipse the political class to contest for the position, in the course of this dossier reasons to the contrary will be proffered.
To start from the beginning: Jonathan is a political outsider. No matter how hard he tries to fit in. This assertion owes to more reason than one. First he is an Otuoke born, South-Southerner from the small Bayelsa State. Secondly, he is not seen as a Politician and does not understand the devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea intrigues that shape the game of politicking in Nigeria. Thirdly, the man during his last outing demonstrated that he is made for something more subtle and less corrosive than the office of the President, in spite of the fact that he grew from the grassroots, as local government, he’s never known to have been integrated fully into the murky waters of the Nigerian politics, rather his steady rise in politics could be attributed to grace and being at the right place at the right time, thus favoured by availability not necessarily desirability.
The events of 2015 and the outpour of hate against him should be something he wouldn’t want a repeat of. The attempt of some clique of vultures to soak the baboons in blood and engineer a most appalling and heart rendering carnage which graciously was forestalled by his selfless and quick acceptance of defeat, which was as a result of high level conspiracy, is a gory period of our national history a repeat of which is at the offing if he is to contest; agreed that those clandestinely prodding him on to contest now are more from those who destroyed his presidency and succeeded at ousting him from office, nevertheless, common sense should prevail on him not to fall into their trap.
It is true, as Zik of Africa once suggested, that in politics there are no permanent enemies or friends, but permanent interest. It is also true that there are no saints in politics. Yet, it is true that there can be honour amongst politicians, the arguments to the contrary notwithstanding. Dr. Jonathan enjoyed a solidarity from the Igbo that was unmatched even amongst his kinsmen.
to so do, I must have to state this caveat, and advice that he shouldn’t fall for the antics of his traducers who are hellbent on reducing his popularity to debris.
That I love and defend former President GEJ isn’t a pointer to the fact that I will support his rumoured comeback to power. I pray he doesn’t succumb to this overture to contest again. His friendly enemies are only envious of his towering popularity after office, hence they are setting traps for him to fall into, by clandestinely prodding him to take the bait of contesting for president in 2023, just to rubbish him and tarnish his personality. He may or may not win if he contests, however his winning or losing isn’t the bone of contention in this write up, rather what it will tell of his reputation and character.
One take home fact that comes to mind whenever the discourse concerning Goodluck’s political engagements comes up, is this very alluring attribute that he is neither power drunk nor power hungry; such appellation is one that is not usually easy to come by amongst Nigerian nay African politicians, who in most cases are known to be seat-tight rulers. Therefore, having such sobriquet accompanying any known politician in Nigeria is a very commendable title, and for Goodluck Jonathan having to be adorned in such garb is a treasure for him to behold and hold tightly to his grave.
Consequently, allowing himself to be deceived into coming back to seeking the mandate to be President again is for me tantamount to wanting to soil his royal garments and making nonsense of the accolades garnered by his show of patriotism and goodwill by handing over power to the opposition at the time, even when there were yet options and chances of him holding on to same if he desired at the time.
Another like it is that it has the tendency of showcasing him as both power drunk and power hungry, such that he may have been silently regretting conceding defeat at the time he did, as such throwing him up as insatiable or smeared in pretence. One that has been privileged to serve in different categories and political positions, ranging from the local, state and federal, vice president, president for almost six years and now a world figure; these should make him appreciate God and not tempt the grace that has taken his this far in his political ladder.
In conceding defeat at the time, some called him weak, while some others preferred lily-livered, howbeit some very articulate class addressed him with the Hero’s garment which we believed was aptly befitting to him, also because we believed in his philosophy of “his ambition not worth the blood of any Nigerian”, an euphemism of empathy and humanity intertwined, and for which his personality is soaring so high, not only in Nigeria, but Africa and indeed the entire globe. That alone is a grand achievement of a lifetime, which I bid him to treasure above every other, and for which posterity would hold him sacrosanct in perpetual Hall of Fame.
Dr. Jonathan must be reminded that the ‘stubborn’ fly is always bound to join the carcass in the grave, hence acceding to this timely admonition, though from an unusual and unfamiliar quarters, nevertheless from one who is wholeheartedly conceded to his well-being at all times is both essential and germane.
I pray the Holy Spirit of God will illuminate his mind eyes towards picking only but the lines spoken according to the mind of the spirit who wills him good at all times. +Shalom!
Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu, is a social cum political analyst, writes✍️ from Owerri, Imo State.
28/02/2021