As delegates for the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) converge on the Eagle Square in Abuja to elect the party’s presidential candidate in the February 14, 2015 election, democracy has once again taken the centre stage in Nigeria.
Today, President Goodluck Jonathan will be seeking nomination for the PDP presidential ticket. It was at the same venue three years ago that delegates from all over the country gathered and overwhelmingly elected him as the PDP presidential candidate for the 2011 presidential election, which he went ahead to win convincingly.
It is clear that Jonathan will be literally contesting against himself in the primaries. That is not surprising though, because virtually all the organs of the PDP had endorsed him as the consensus choice to fly the party’s flag in next year’s presidential election.
So to all intents and purpose, the PDP is going for the coronation of Jonathan as its presidential candidate in the 2015 election. But he will still have to submit himself to the primary in accordance with the constitution of the party.
His political opponents have all too often underestimated his abilities, which has enabled him to remain the man to beat in the forthcoming election.
Barely a few months ago, with the formation of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the defection of five PDP governors and several other prominent ruling party members, most commentators had virtually written off his chances. But as they say, “Twenty-four hours is a long time in politics.”
Since then, the president and his party the PDP have benefited from equally high level defections from the opposition APC and other parties, recorded a victory in the Ekiti governorship election (hitherto one of the strongholds of the opposition APC), as well as what many consider a still divided and ill-prepared opposition party.
The several stumbles of the APC, its absorption of several corrupt ex-officials, controversy over a Muslim-Muslim ticket, as well as the domineering (some say menacing) presence of its national leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu have cost APC so much public goodwill and allowed the PDP to regain the initiative and confidence.
Jonathan and the PDP argue that their party remains the only truly national political platform, which has stabilised the polity by giving Nigerians in every geopolitical zone a sense of belonging.
They dismissed the APC as a band of strange bedfellows devoid of a clear vision for tomorrow and bound only by a common lust for power.
To his credit, Jonathan has remained humble in disposition, unassuming and steadfast in his commitment towards a united Nigeria. This is why the president told Nigerians that he is like them in every sense.
Power does not appear to have changed much of his nature. He has continued to be calm, gentlemanly, patient and tolerant despite the daily attacks on his government, person and family in the print media. This has helped to calm the polity and endear him to many undecided voters.
Jonathan is on record to have declared to his supporters three years ago that his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.
On a continent where desperation for political power is almost seen as a virtue, Jonathan’s disposition comes across as an oasis of hope for a peaceful and stable Nigeria, free of political violence and executive recklessness.
There is evidence to take seriously Jonathan’s commitment to strengthening democracy in our country. Of the five governorship elections conducted under his presidency, his party has won just one, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party (LP), one each, and APC two.
Before his election as president in 2011, he promised Nigerians that he would do whatever was necessary to reform the electoral process so that votes would begin to count and be counted. And in keeping faith with this promise, he set about reforming the electoral process without appearing to consider his own personal political interests.
First, he searched out a credible Nigerian and appointed him to head the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Second, he worked to ensure that INEC is independent.
The popular commendations that trailed the 2011 general election as free and fair are, to a large extent, credited to his disposition.
Jonathan in his declaration to contest the 2015 presidental election has undertaken that no Nigerian has been or would be sent to prison or driven into exile for freely expressing his or her opinion on any matter.
Many of the president’s opponents, especially in the opposition, have consistently and freely drawn on this commitment to free speech.
Unlike previous Nigerian leaders, Jonathan, to his credit, signed into law the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. This important legislation, long called for by the international community and civil society, provides the single most important instrument for public participation in fighting corruption.
From all indications, Jonathan has made history as the first incumbent that would be endorsed by his party as its candidate even before the primary.
A similar exercise in 2003 by the party was characterised by subterfuge and acrimony. The delegates, in voting for him to ratify the endorsement, have their eyes on patriotism, unity and stability, which his presidency has emplaced in the polity.
After the endorsement of Jonathan at the presidential primary, the PDP will go into the presidential election, drawing strength and assurance of victory from the character, performance and popularity of the president whose leadership qualities have been at the centre of Nigeria’s democratic growth and the prosperity of the people.
THISDAY
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