Opinion: What President Jonathan must do moving forward

by Dan Onwukwe

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In the last two years at least President Jonathan has been galloping from one problem to the other.Some of them self-inflicted,others not of his own making.But they  raise  basic questions:First,has the President run out of luck?In other words,are the President’s stars fading fast? Secondly,does all of this expose the President’s weakness to lead?

There are certain things in life that are considered possible to count with reasonable precision. But politics is not one of them. One unhinged event might be enough to alter the sequence of events,just as politics can sometimes provide an amazing platform for a “virtual nobody” to become a “pre-eminent somebody”. And,when such “rags to riches” story happens, we ask, out of curiosity: Is there something in a name? This is one of the reasons  politics is such unpredictable, and as a result,not giving to simple theorising.

Imagine: a few years ago,the life story of President Goodluck Jonathan was told in an extraordinary way, as a man sanctified by grace and providence. It was such an inspiring story etched with anecdotes that many expectant mothers,according to one survey by The Punch newspaper, expressed  their desire to name their unborn babies “Goodluck”.

Their reason is persuasive: goodluck follows Jonathan.It’s a compelling narrative of the meteoric rise of Jonathan to become the Presidency,a feat,almost without a sweat.All the edifying story is largely because,power makes good works possible,and as one writer puts it,”power brings good works, and good works in turn brings love and gratitude,which then provides the inspiration and vitality for further work”. But,since politics has the flair of the dramatic,its subtlety makes it extremely dangerous not to bet on the goodluck of any politician.

And for sure,it has been a dizzying season for President Jonathan.Although it’s in the nature of man not to admit certain uncomfortable truths about himself, it’s even worse among politicians. That’s why politicians are  incurable optimists.

However, in politics this much is clear: ambition often does well,and goes far when it jostles with high principles.High principle in turn finds true meaning when politicians are faced with challenges,provided  those challenges are driven by ennobling values or virtues.

In the last two years at least President Jonathan has been galloping from one problem to the other. Some of them self-inflicted,others not of his own making.But they  raise  basic questions: First,has the President run out of luck?In other words,are the President’s stars fading fast? Secondly,does all of this expose the President’s weakness to lead?How the President is able to manage the ever growing size of the opposition,in particular,the current incestuous implosion in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will,to a great extent,determine how far he can lead.

Those who argue that our  politics heaves with hysteria are not basing their assumption on nothing.More than ever before, Nigerian politics has become very divisive.Today,our country appears split down the middle,on ethnic lines.

The fault-lines that divide us as a nation have widened.With the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in self-destruct,things are reaching frightening levels.Our worries are coming in torrents.Anxieties are rattling down everybody’s nerve paths.That’s often  the price to pay when politicians jostle for power two years ahead of the next elections.

That is because every danger in a nation lies in discord. For  President Jonathan who is expected  to seek re-election in 2015,the bad news for an incumbent president is to  see a challenge from the right,that is,his own party,worse still,from his own geo-political zone.But, such frets are unnecessary if the President has acquitted himself well in the discharge of the office. Influence is also necessary.

That’s where Mr.President has become more of a divider rather than a uniter.For example,people will return your favours if you behave in certain ways to court their friendship,not because they come from the same geo-political zone with you(as Chief Edwin Clark,Gov Uduaghan and Asari-Dokubo would want us to believe), but if they sense you like them.According to Robert Cialdini,a leading social scientist in the field of Influence,when people are uncertain about where you stand with them,all they see is ambiquity.For me,that’s the crux of the matter between the President and Gov Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and the six other “rebel” PDP governors.

President Jonathan lacks the nous and confidence of how to build up informal networks. He is a far distance between influence and productivity.While his exterior appears accommodating,his inscrutable interior does not tell a man who can forget and forgive a grudge. Jonathan’s case is not helped by the irascible and combative nature of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Obasanjo as president was comparatively better because,for better,or for worse,you know where you stand with him. There’s nothing more to explore. Not so with Jonathan.

In the last couple of weeks, the president’s kinsmen and cronies, have raised the political temperature in the land to an all-time high.In the last two  weeks alone,we have heard revolutionary and incendiary comments,especially from political jobbers like Dokubo-Asari who has threatened “blood in the streets if Jonathan is not re-elected President in 2015”.Other cronies and campaigners have spoken in similar reckless manner as if Jonathan was a regional President.

Asari-Dokubo,a man of big appetite with bulging eyes with a build of a Michelin tyre/tank commander, is never short of outlandish cliches.

Asked if he was aware of claims that the President has not performed above average,this is what he said:”monkey no fine,but him mama like am”. Meaning,it makes little sense if the President has not delivered.

The ex-militant leader spared no harsh words against the Governor of Rivers State,Chibuike Amaechi, whom he accused of betrayal, for allegedly fraternizing with northern leaders who “are plotting against the President.I see nothing wrong per se with the president’s kinsmen falling over themselves for his re-election. But something is certainly wrong with their  methodology, tactics and arm-twisting strategies that they are using. It’s the ethnic bent of it that stinks.

The President is not helping himself. He sees imaginary enemies where there is none. He needs no mirrors to see himself,nor the clairvoyant powers of an astrologer to tell him what if he wants to be re-elected.

Good performance is the key that can lock up other contenders.With solid performance, no enemies, even if they are as formidable as the walls of Jericho, can stop his re-election, except of course,it’s not God’s will. Good performance provides that confidence and spiritual strategy, like the one God gave Joshua to overrun adverse circumstances. Sadly, the  President’s kinsmen are making things harder for him. However, it is not too late to make amends.

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Read this article in the Sun Newspapers

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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