Political IOUs for Jonathan
BY TAYE OBATERU
“Nothing succeeds like success”, goes a familiar saying and the hoopla that have greeted the success of President Goodluck Jonathan in the recently held presidential election is a confirmation. People love winners and like to be associated with victory. That is why it should be no surprise that many are beating their chest with claims of how they worked for Jonathan and ensured his victory in their “area”.
Not that anything is wrong with people working for a candidate they believe in to win an election, the problem is that here in Nigeria in particular, people expect to be rewarded, not by the person delivering service for the general good, but by being considered for appointment or patronage. This, perhaps, could be the greatest challenge before President Jonathan as he takes the oath for the new mandate he got on April 16.
The massive support Jonathan received from across the country in the election emphasized the desire of most Nigerians to have him continue in office. Many have, in fact, argued that most people voted for Jonathan the person and not his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Expectations are therefore high for him to deliver and transform the country and failure to achieve would be seen by many Nigerians as a betrayal of their mandate. However, those who believe they worked for him or his party to emerge, are all over expecting “compensation” and trying to please them could be the greatest challenge for President Jonathan.
This list of those in this category is long and predated the election proper. For instance, there was the bitter struggle for the PDP ticket during which many Northerners, openly stood against the clamour for a Northern candidate and they actually worked for him to win the primaries.
On another line are the various party chieftains and other personalities at various levels including members of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organization. What about the state governors who fought hard for him to emerge as the PDP flag bearer? Some of them did not win re-election and it would not be surprising if they are positioning themselves for appointments.
Equally worth noting are the various political parties that adopted Jonathan as their candidate and did not field any candidate against him. It is therefore expected that such parties or their chieftains would be among those angling to get a piece of the action by way of appointment. On another platform are family, friends, relations, church members and others who organized prayer sessions, etc. for his victory one way or the other and are waiting to partake of the “cake” too. The list is endless.
What this scenario portends in that if President Jonathan is not careful, trying to pay the numerous political IOUs (I Owe You), might become a Sword of Damocles to his dreams and visions for the country. The expected appointment of competent hands to translate whatever dreams he has for the country into reality, could be undermined such that he might be saddled with incompetent people who do not share his vision or lack the capacity to deliver.
Already there are speculations that many of the lists that came from the states for consideration for appointment are more of a roll call of the old order or a semblance of it. This suggests than unless Jonathan chooses to be independent in picking those who can help actualize his dreams for the country, nothing might change significantly in the incoming dispensation.
The poser is, will President Jonathan be able to withstand the pressures from different quarters in his appointments. Will he be able to dare those who he respects but who self-servingly insist that they or their cronies must be given specific appointments?
No doubt, IOUs are supposed to be settled, but must this be done at the expense of the country or at the risk of having another four years of just another administration with nothing changing significantly? Nigeria and Nigerians deserve a better deal and history is beckoning of President Jonathan to, in appreciation of the pan-Nigerian mandate he got and the blood that was shed over this election, work for the transformation of the country. This duty of making a difference in the administration of the country is, unequivocally, a bigger IOU that must be settled and hurriedly too.
