For those who say Nigeria is a country where wonders shall never end, the callous and sycophantic rallies being held across the nation, under the #BringBackJonathan# campaign, ostensibly to garner signatures from Nigerians urging the President to seek re-election is a shameful phenomenon that graphically retells the odious rat race, ideological vacuity and mundane craving that typify Nigeria’s political elite. Lacking in any form of public decorum, and a repugnant and insensitive parody of the #BringBackOurGirls# hash tag for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls who remain missing, this latest wave by the President’s campaigners is nothing more than self-seeking, whimsical and disdainful political opportunism, at its worse. Without equivocation, it calls to question the moral integrity and character of President Goodluck Jonathan and the many political scavengers and position seekers flirting around Aso Rock. It is one more embarrassment that Nigerians can do without.
It is bad enough that, it took a savage indictment by the US-based Washington Post newspaper lambasting Jonathan for mimicking the #BringBackOurGirls# hash tag for his re-election, for the President, in his usual self-exculpatory posture to belatedly disavow the anomalous campaign. Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati, said in a tepid statement that: “President Jonathan wholly shares the widely expressed view that the signs, which were put up without his knowledge or approval, are a highly sensitive parody of the #BringBackOurGirls# hash tag.” Abati assured Nigerians and the international community that the administration remains fully engaged with efforts to rescue the Chibok girls and would not knowingly promote any action that will fly in the face of the seriousness of their plight and the anguish of their families. Judging by the antecedents of this administration, such statements do little credit to the image and credibility of the President, let alone, by themselves, put the nation in better international standing.
As embarrassing as it is, it is inexcusable that the Presidency remained tone-deaf while Nigerians are shamelessly assailed with unsolicited media messages from political support groups alluding to Mr. President’s “transformation” achievements that must be consolidated by retaining him in office, come 2015. These proxy campaigns are not only cheap, they do little credit to Jonathan or his supposed credentials in office. This shame is made more painful because at least 10 such promoters are now engaged in the campaigns, including Defenders of Nigeria’s Democracy, Niger Delta Residents’ Alliance, Goodluck Jonathan Leadership Centre, National Coalition for Jonathan and Sambo Presidency, Dynamic Delta Ladies, The Transformation Network, Goodluck Initiative for Transformation (GIFT) and Jonathan/Sambo 2015 Forum. There are also Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), Goodluck To Goodluck (G2G) 2015 and Protectors of Nigerian Prosperity. The infamous list is growing by the day, with New Deal and Nigeria Youths for Goodluck Jonathan 2015 ‘Voice for the Voiceless’ in the works. Ridiculously, one of the groups has vowed to “compel” the president to run, even against his conviction.
In the first instance, allowing the situation to degenerate to street logos and media campaigns by political foot-soldiers was a complete debasement of values, and a sad commentary on the character of Nigerian politics and politicians. How close are these groups to Jonathan to determine whether or not he is ready for another mandate, having not satisfactorily availed himself of the first one given to him by Nigerians? Jonathan might have publicly disowned the #BringBackJonathan# movement, but what about the other the groups? Claims that they are spending their own money as they deem fit or arguments that what they are doing now is not campaigning because Jonathan is yet to declare his candidacy are plainly untenable. No one is fooled.
The presidency could actually do more to protect the president’s integrity by publicly stopping all these groups, lest Jonathan opens himself up to accusations of complicity. Undoubtedly, Jonathan has the constitutional right to seek another mandate, but the president must set good examples by playing by the rules. These illegal campaigns ought not to have been countenanced in the first place, as it completely exposed the President as seeking unfair political advantage. It is a sad commentary on the conduct of the President, that while the country is embroiled in a war against murderous Boko Haram insurgents; even as Jonathan appears incapable of finding a solution to the mindless slaughter engineered by the horrifying insecurity in the north eastern part of the country, the President’s campaign foot-soldiers are undeterred by challenges of insecurity and are spending big, of course, in anticipation of bigger returns on investment if and whenever their “candidate” returns to office. This is unfortunate and despicable.
Judging by the frenetic struggle for positioning, it is clear that pecuniary incentives and other scandalous perquisites of office are the prime motivations of these money-hungry politicians, campaigning for another mandate for Jonathan. In reality, an administration’s success should speak for itself in concrete terms. Put differently, a government’s achievements should be visible to the citizens who are the ultimate judges and repository of the power exercised by the President. The propagation of non-existent or inconsequential achievements by political jobbers is a fraud. Nigerians must view those behind this shamelessness as potential enemies of the nation who invariably force elected officials to steal public funds in order to recoup their “investments.”
No doubt, these are not the best of times and the stakes are rising. But, if anything, public service should not be reduced to a profit-making business with profit motives. Barely seven months to the elections, there has yet to be a formal declaration of the candidacy by the man the rent seekers are investing on, his body language notwithstanding. Thus, there is need for a constitutional measure to de-emphasize the monetary rewards for public office holders, in order to dissuade political scavengers. And as the electoral umpire, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) must rise up to the challenge of keeping political jobbers and parties or their supporters in check as they violate the electoral rules. Political jobbers should not be left unrestrained in pursuit of selfish interests as is being witnessed through the pro-Jonathan campaigners.
