With The Benefit Of Hindsight by Abba Mahmood

President Goodluck Jonathan kept watching so – called zonal rallies of rented crowd organised by Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and thought that he had won the election for the presidency even before he declared his intention to contest. His handlers made sure that there was no primary election for the presidential ticket of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In fact, only one form was said to have been printed for the party members’ expression of interest to contest and it was meant for him alone. Other party members who declared interest and even paid for the forms were asked to drop their ambitions. The descent of the PDP to total defeat started at that point.

Taking a cue from that, the state governors of the party made sure that they imposed candidates of their choice in their states for those who are serving their second terms or imposed themselves for those seeking for second term without any regards to laid down procedures or democratic principles. Some were even imposed here in Abuja. Little did they know that in 2015, getting the PDP “ticket” is the surest way to defeat. In 2015, neither the power of incumbency nor money power could be a factor. It is only the votes of the people as destined by the Almighty that determined the outcome of the contests. Lack of internal party democracy saw the end of the PDP.

The people simply got tired of the impunity, lawlessness and unprecedented corruption and so, the voters voted for change which is the only way for Nigeria to move forward. Professor Attahiru Jega and his team at the Independent National Electoral Commission were also ready for this change as they insisted on delivering the most credible election in the history of the country. The people stood fully mobilised and insisted that their votes would count. The result is that the political demography of Nigeria is changed forever; the prestige of Nigeria is back and the dignity of Nigerians around the world is at an all time high.

It must be realised that the defeat of the PDP is mostly self-inflicted. President Jonathan realised, rather too late, that he has surrounded himself with some of the worst officials in Nigeria’s history. He can see from the results as none of his government officials was able to win even his or her polling unit, they have since lost touch with the people and have been on their own, living in their world of illusions. And so, while Jonathan was dining with Nollywood actors, who hardly vote by the way, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidates were busy visiting prospective voters and addressing issues that affect the lives of the people of Nigeria.

Jonathan appointed a town planner as Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy just because she once worked for the World Bank. It has turned out that Ngozi Okonjo – Iweala was highly over – rated. She kept experimenting with the national economy with dire consequences for the country. She set up a mortgage refinancing company when there are no houses to refinance and when there is a federal mortgage bank which has been discharging that function. She has just created what she called Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) whatever that means. And, meanwhile constitutionally, coordinating the national economy is a function of the vice president who is the chairman of the National Economic Council.

At the tail end of his campaign, Jonathan was visiting traditional rulers, religious leaders and other influential citizens to seek their support. One of those visited was Mallam Adamu Ciroma, a respected elder statesman who has been voicing out his pieces of advice to the president to do the right things even in newspaper interviews. Ciroma’s hometown, Potiskum in Yobe State meanwhile, was bombed more than ten times during the insurgency and there has never been any presidential visit, not even a broadcast to sympathise with the people for all these losses. In all honesty, can anyone expect Ciroma to ask the people of Yobe to vote for continuity of these? Consequently, in the presidential election, the people of Potiskum in Yobe State, gave 67,000 votes to Buhari and only 87 votes to Jonathan. They spoke with their votes when it mattered most.

There has been the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) which is an offshoot of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) set up by the Babangida administration. There is the Special Adviser on Niger Delta and the Minister of Niger Delta but there has never been any development in the region. Instead, the more billions are budgeted there, the more billionaires there are and the more the poverty and underdevelopment in the region. Something is really wrong there and there is need for a fundamental review of this approach that is not working to correct this serious anomaly and ensure the development of the region.

And the level of impunity has been unprecedented. A first lady whose office is not recognised by the constitution has national anthem being played for her before she makes speech. Obviously that cannot continue. Government officials travel out of the country for meetings wearing watches worth thousands of dollars. Such ostentatious show of ill gotten wealth cannot continue so that Nigeria cannot continue to be a laughing stock.

These were the reasons why Nigerians voted against impunity, arrogance and corruption on March 28. These were the reasons why there was jubilation all over the country and indeed all over the world since the defeat of the PDP. In Maiduguri, both soldiers and the people were celebrating yet nothing happened. The useless checkpoints are gone yet nothing happened. The capital market had witnessed its highest appreciation in over fifty years. Naira is appreciating against other convertible currencies. Treasury looters have started returning ill-gotten wealth quietly. In short, a peaceful revolution is being accomplished. History is always on the side of the oppressed.

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