Between my last three columns in which I raised questions about President Goodluck Jonathan’s competence, coherence and trustworthiness, etc, and in which I also asked questions about the personal integrity of some of his mentors, I have received over 600 texts and scores of emails in response. Last week I published two that, like most of the responses, were hostile, to say the least.

One was a fair comment on the frequency of my mistakes with important details. The other was downright abusive.

This week I have decided to publish a few of the friendlier and more constructive ones.

Before I do that, however, I thought I should say a quick word or two about three very recent developments which show that my worries about four more years of President Jonathan from 2011 are not baseless.

First, is the apparent desperation of some members of his campaign team in their attempt to square or squash all obstacles to their principal’s ambitions. This desperation revealed itself once more in the purported removal of Dr. Bukola Saraki, the governor of Kwara State, and a candidate for the presidential ticket of the ruling PDP, as chairman of the Governors’  Forum.

The removal was announced by Governor Suswam of Benue State and Jonathan’s war commander on the key North-Central front. Word making the rounds is that the commander-in-chief had been rather unhappy with the apparent lack of progress on all fronts in spite of the huge war chests at the disposal of the sector commanders. Saraki’s purported removal was to show the c-in-c that at least the sector commander of the key front has not been sitting on his butt.

It speaks volumes of the propriety of Suswam’s method of removing Saraki that at least three governors have since denounced it as a blatant breach of the Forum’s procedures.

Second, is the pseudo-war that has broken out between Mrs Farida Waziri, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and her supervising minister, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, the minister of justice and attorney-general of the Federation, since the publication of the EFCC “advisory list” of names political parties would field in next year’s elections at their own risk because of allegations of financial crimes against them.

 Adoke is said to be unhappy with the publication and seems to blame Mrs. Waziri even though it was more the handiwork of some resourceful reporters than the initiative of the EFCC boss whose only offense was to have published the list on the commission’s website.

I call it pseudo-war because it should be obvious to all that the EFCC chairman and her boss are fighting the same cause which is to help the president’s faction of the PDP win next year’s elections against perceived enemies within and without.

Mrs Waziri may have offended her boss in publishing the so-called advisory list but it is exactly that – advisory Even then it is highly suspect that she published it only after a widely publicised consultation with the PDP leadership at the party’s headquarters. The lady never consulted any of the opposition parties and her boss never disapproved of her selective consultations.

Worse, one name is conspicuously missing from the list; the president’s. Last I heard, his wife, Dame Patience, was still under investigation over allegations of laundering of millions of dollars abroad. In more civilized climes a far less serious wifely shenanigan than this has been known to have terminated the careers of politicians.  

Third, last Wednesday the president went back on his word to end electricity shortages in the country next year. In his now peculiar English, he told what must have been an incredulous audience during a courtesy call on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, that, “We are not making promises that by this time we are going to generate this or that. No, all we are saying is that we are gradually moving and we are stabilizing power. By God’s grace, by this time next year, power will be a bit stable than what we are observing now.”

What better proof does one need that we have a president whose word is not his bond and whose incoherence is embarrassing to say the least?

And now to my mails the last of which I should frame and hang on my wall coming as it does from one of the most respected citizens of this country:

Sir,

I refer to your column: Credible election...: Eight reasons not to believe the President (Daily Trust, Oct. 20, 2010). Thanks for your healthy doubts. Indeed there are more reasons not to believe Jonathan and one does not need to look any further than his barefaced and shameless denials of zoning which is documented in black and white!

Furthermore when I watch the daily exploits of Mrs Jonathan and Obasanjo, I can only conclude sadly that there is no "Breath of FRESH Air" anywhere. Even gamblers know that they require as much wit as they require 'patience' and 'goodluck' to win. 

However, one of the gravest errors of our time is to attribute the foibles of men to Almighty God. Particularly, in Nigeria today such an attitude is tantamount to affirming that the Creator, Almighty God Himself, is a member of the PDP. This is not only blaspheming, but is a debasing and dishonouring of the concept of the Divine Being.

Let us honour or at least respect the Creator by leaving Him out of the ballot snatching, thuggery, rigging and political intrigues and violence which characterise the electoral process Nigeria; or attributing the results of such processes to God. 

Our politics is simply like a wrestling or football match: the strongest, meanest, most cunning and most deceitful or in a fair contest, the one approved the most by men's judgement or the lack of it, wins. This is so even with our so called democratic process.

Leaders chosen by God are those who are CALLED - like the prophets - who are both spiritual and political leaders. Leaders chosen by men are simply the choice of men or the products of men's intrigues and the creator DOES NOT intervene. This is why it is said our destiny (ies) is/are in our hands.

Therefore, Goodluck's and his supporters' claim and appeal to "providential approval" is not only deceitful, but self serving. Unfortunately, this is the opium that intoxicates the masses at this critical time. Please understand this simple truth and help to educate us. The way we make our bed is how we will sleep on it, and that, take it or leave it, is NOT GOD'S BUSINESS!!

,

Julius Ogar

sniperj2002@yahoo.com