Opinion: Jonathan Neither Hero Nor Statesman

imageMany have been labelling President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan a hero or a statesman because he called to congratulate the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari or because he conceded the result so quickly.

Does he really have any choice in the matter? I DONT THINK SO.

It’s like giving General Olusegun Obasanjo some credit for handing over to Umaru Yar’adua after trying frantically to secure a 3rd term in which he failed woefully!

Can we also call him a hero because he allowed ‘free and fair’ election? Of course not! Because some things are rarity in our clime, whoever does it, should now be classified as a hero?

Why do we regard ourselves so miserably? Why do we easily get satisfied with crumbs from the table?

To me Jonathan is no hero nor is he an elder statesman. He is just somebody who had to do what he had to do to survive. He simply saved his neck. Can he in all honesty start any mayhem and survive? Lessons of Laurent Gbagbo and Qaddafi are apparent to whomever wishes to learn. In fact, I don’t even think he has the liver.

Now, on the road to the election, everybody could easily observe that he did not want to leave. The following steps were very apparent:-

1. Did he toy with the idea of Interim National Government that he had to abandon when there wasnt any taker?

2. Did he toy with the idea of army take over of government so the government would not go to Buhari?

3. Did he toy with idea of sacking Jega to appoint somebody (Prof. Mimiko?) that would be more amenable to make the elections favorable to him?

3. Did he go on a spending spree in the South West, spending our national wealth to all the so called influential Obas and every Tom, Dick and Harry (including the OPC leaders) in southwest that he believed could sway their people to vote for him?

4. Did he bribe our clergies for them to persuade their flocks to vote for him, thereby dividing the country into religious camps?

5. Was he not aware of the Show of power by various militia groups, especially in Lagos, with the active connivance of the armed forces and police.

6. Was he not aware of his goons (Okupe, FFK etc) were running up and down saying Buhari is unelectable, that he can never be Nigerian President.

Well, who are eating their vomits now?

If all the aforementioned are in the affirmative, then in what way is President Jonathan a hero or statesman?

What of the maltreatment of the opposition by the patently partisan DSS, whose spokesperson was more or less the megaphone of PDP?

No! GEJ is no hero. Neither is he a statesman.

By Kareem Nasco
*The writer can be reached @[email protected]

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