Date Published: 02/17/10

Editorial: The smear campaign against the acting President

The move by a mischievous group determined to hold the nation hostage for their selfish interest, did not come as a surprise to Nigerians. These unpatriotic elements most times flavor their resolve with some laughable condiments. It is either the Acting President’s elevation is illegal or he was planted there to witch hunt the north. We have read kindergarten statements from this group about how the Acting President may render the north powerless, tweak the PDP statute, and dismantle the zoning arrangement. In the last two weeks, we have seen them spring from the woodworks proclaiming shameless agenda. Some members of this sinister flank have headed for the courts, while others have budgeted millions of naira to smear the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan. Remnants of this so called kitchen cabinet meet day and night in the Abuja residences of characters like Economic Adviser, Tanimu Kurfi, Agriculture minister, Abba Ruma, etc. to map out evil strategies. Turai yar’Adua’s slice of the gang has made Saudi Arabia their meeting point. The most ridiculous aspect is that nitwits like Yar’Adua’s chief security officer, and Aide De camp (ADC), are now vocal members.

The latest strategy is go back to Jonathan’s days in Bayelsa, his role during the pro-Yar ‘Adua campaigns, what he did while his boss was away, the oil bloc angle, etc. The group now claims the President has already spent over N300billion since November when his boss left for Saudi. They also allege that he bribed members of the National Assembly, through a proxy, to facilitate the resolution that brought him to power.

It must be noted that for over 60 days the nation drifted without a President. The nation was consistently fed with lies by Governors led by Kwara’s Bukola Saraki. The National Assembly, ministers, and the inept leadership of the PDP played games with the issue.  The European Union, United States, expressed concern. Prominent Nigerians like Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Ex Presidents, top clerics, clamored for the truth about Yar’Adua and emergence of an acting president. As the drama went on, no one was allowed to see the sick president.(No one has seen him as at press time). Even principal secretary, David Edevbie who took the budget to Saudi for his boss’s signature was asked to sit at the lobby, while Turai and the ADC disappeared with it. Only to surface an hour later with signatures on the document.

When the pressure became unbearable on the governors and ministers, one of their own, Information minister, Dora Akunyili, fired the first salvo. Her memo was blocked. She insisted. And eventually the governors and NASS saw reason. It is pertinent to stress here that even as ministers, lawmakers, governors loyal to Yar’Adua tried to stall the emergence of Jonathan, the inner circle led by Turai, Ruma and Kurfi kept them in the dark. So the bubble burst.

The smear campaign will definitely fail for sundry reasons. Jonathan is barely two weeks old on the throne. There is no evidence of graft so far against him or his aides. Unlike characters in the inner circle that will definitely have questions to answer soon. It is clear that some members of the group with huge skeletons in several closets have every reason to fear considering the way the President demoted ex AGF Mike Aondoakaa. Petroleum minister, Rilwan Lukman, one of the group’s mentors, nearly bowed out this week because he and his men are not comfortable. Jonathan has not showed any bias against any one, and just like he said in his broadcast, unity, and nation building will not be compromised. But these selfish elements who have impoverished Nigeria, and made nonsense of our image for two months, while their benefactor remains on life support in Saudi,  are not relenting.

Our call to the Acting President is to ensure fairplay. And just like one Zayyad Mohammed wrote from Adamawa, his political future will be determined by, among other things, his policies, political intention, and performance. He should also carefully watch that flank that is making sinister moves that could throw Nigeria into chaos. He should be decisive about who stays and who goes, should resist any attempts to cut deals with anyone.