Abati: The Jonathan To Jonathan Transition

Guardian

1 May 2011

Abati: The Jonathan To Jonathan Transition

By Reuben Abati Opinion - Columnists   .

 ON May 29, there will be a Jonathan to Jonathan transition as President Goodluck Jonathan takes the oath of office for a term of four years as Nigeria’s President: it would be a significant moment in more ways than one. On that day, Goodluck Jonathan will be taking the oath of office after an election in which he was the principal candidate not a side-kick, the first time he would be winning an election as a front runner in his short but eventful political career. With  22.5 million votes, about 10 million votes more than the first runner up, and 20 million votes more than the second runner up in Nigeria’s presidential election held on April 16, and more than 25% of the votes in about 31 states (in excess of the Constitutional requirement), with his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), winning majority seats in the National Assembly and in state governorship and legislative assembly elections, and with local and international observers praising the elections as credible, free and fair, despite observed glitches, Dr Jonathan can speak confidently of having a strong, legitimate claim to the office of Nigeria’s President.

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Jonathan has survived despite the consequential intrigues: he and his party won convincingly across the North, and his three main Northern challengers (Muhammadu Buhari of the CPC, Nuhu Ribadu of the ACN and Ibrahim Shekarau of the ANPP) lost at the polls. One other fact of Jonathan’s election is that there is no individual or cabal that can claim credit for his success in the 2011 elections.  Indeed, many of the “sacred cows” and the influential forces in the PDP, who once paraded themselves as either Jonathan’s Godfathers or the masquerades behind his throne lost woefully in their wards or polling booths (Obasanjo, Anenih) or barely managed to survive or they lost completely. Even the ones among them who have survived cannot boast that they “made” Jonathan. Jonathan is President because he is the people’s choice. He is no longer anybody’s “boy”, no longer the political tyro that everyone reserved for the position of deputy because he is loyal and well-behaved; he is now his own man and he has shown much greater capacity and dexterity than his now expired Godfathers or anyone else credited him with hitherto. He therefore has no reason anymore to look over his shoulders. He should know this, and if he does not, he should be reminded that the Nigerian people expect him to make the best use of the opportunity that he has been given. If he fails, he will be the one to be held responsible, for he can no longer offer excuses.

He needs to know that the Nigerian people voted for him not just because of the promise of his campaigns, but in part, for identity reasons.  This is one President who seems to represent the face of change. More than any other President or Head of State since independence, Jonathan is distinguished by his proletarian background...

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We do not expect him to run a one-man government. We expect him to stand by the ideals of democracy which he espoused as a candidate, and to be a champion for national unity and integration. He must make the period 2011- 2015, the true beginning of a new and positive era for Nigeria. We are waiting and watching.