Jonathan’s quest for a second term

After many months of intense speculations and a flurry of endorsements by interest groups including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, November 11, formally declared his intention to run for a second term in office in the 2015 polls. His declaration at the Eagle Square, Abuja, did not come as a surprise to many Nigerians. He told the tumultuous crowd of party faithful who witnessed the event that he decided to seek a second term after receiving approval from God, his family and Nigerians. In a moving 42-minute speech, he put paid to demands in some quarters that he should resign, or decline from seeking a second term in office, as he unequivocally averred that “history has shown that the path of honour of a true leader is not to walk away from his people in the face of challenges.” He, therefore, insisted that “we must stand together in adversity and overcome the threat to our development. We must defend our future”. Beyond that, the president promised that he would serve the people and remain committed to the principle of non-violence, if re-elected next year. He also said he would build a country that works for all. The formal declaration availed Jonathan another opportunity to highlight his projects and achievements in various sectors, even as he promised a much better deal for Nigerians if re-elected in 2015. All considered, it is good that the president has at last ended the months of speculations and campaigns by different groups to get him to seek re-election. This decision to seek another term in office is well within his rights. It is in consonance with Sections 135 and 137 of the extant Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). His formal declaration of his intention to re-contest has now set aside every doubt about his plan in this regard, and unmistakably set the tone for the 2015 presidential election, which is likely be a fierce contest between the ruling PDP with Jonathan as its flag bearer, and a yet-to-be-determined candidate from the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, Jonathan’s decision to contest in the 2015 election has given Nigerians yet another occasion to assess his performance in office so far and decide whether they want more of what he has been able to achieve, or would be happier seeing his back in 2015. Interestingly, many of the things that the president promised to do for Nigerians at the formal declaration ceremony are the same things he promised during his campaigns before he was elected president in 2011. The fact that he is still promising these things, three and a half years after he first vowed to do them, shows that he is yet to resolve the issues to the satisfaction of the people. Nigeria is still grappling with the multiple challenges of poverty, unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure and public corruption, while insecurity and insurgency have taken over large swathes of northern Nigeria. These, indeed, are serious threats to our democracy and it will not be uncharitable to say that the president fell short of the expectations of most Nigerians on these issues in his first term in office. Under his watch, graft has become systemic. The fight against it is more of lip service, while anti-graft agencies appear strangely docile and seemingly being teleguided not to rock the boat. Many of the president’s promises are hackneyed expressions in the country, with hardly any hope that they will be realised anytime soon. However, the president has been able to raise adherence to the rule of law several notches higher than we have had it in previous regimes. He has largely respected the pronouncements of the courts and the freedom of Nigerians to hold and express views that are contrary to that of his government. He has been tolerant of the opposition and has largely eschewed executive recklessness. The Jonathan presidency deepened electoral reforms and largely made free and fair elections possible in the country. It has also been overtly women-friendly. The president has also made efforts to tackle some of the nation’s age-old problems, such as poor electricity supply and the “ghost worker” syndrome. He, however, still has some time on his hands to improve the record of his performance in office to increase his chances of re-election. Nevertheless, the greatest challenge for Nigeria now is to organise credible elections in which the will of the people can prevail in 2015. The president has laid his cards on the table and the presidential candidates of the other parties are expected to be unveiled in the weeks ahead. We wish the president and all the others who will be contesting for the office a fruitful and rewarding campaign season. The tasks ahead of Nigeria are formidable but they are not insurmountable. Nigeria needs a leader who will see governance as a human enterprise and the welfare of the people as his reason for being in office. Political office should not be for distribution of patronage to selected persons and interests as is common today. It is for service to the generality of the people. The campaigns for the office must therefore be kept civil, and must not threaten the peace and unity of the country. All in all, it is good that the president has thrown his hat into the ring and presented a scorecard to be judged by the electorate. It needs restating that credible elections are the ultimate yardstick by which he, and all the other contestants in the coming polls, will be assessed. Therefore, we urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rise up to the challenge of conducting free and fair elections that will reflect the choice of the people. It must not disappoint Nigerians.