Former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who is leading the
\n54-member nations of the Commonwealth as part of the international
\nobservers monitoring the Tanzanian general election scheduled for
\nOctober 25 is billed to leave the country tomorrow (Monday) for Dar es
\nsalaam.<\/p>\n
Reports indicate that Jonathan is walking into the warm embrace of
\nmany Tanzanians who are upbeat and confident that his presence would
\nbring credibility to the polls which analysts consider the toughest
\nand closest elections in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party which has been in power
\nsince the country\u2019s return to multiparty democracy in 1992 is up
\nagainst a united opposition that has increasingly been making
\nsignificant electoral gains.<\/p>\n
As Tanzanians prepare to vote in either side, they are happy that high
\nprofile observers including President Jonathan, who they consider as
\n\u2018a hero of free and fair election in Africa\u2019, would be on ground to
\nmonitor the elections. They are hoping that their presence would
\nensure a transport and peaceful election process.<\/p>\n
Paying tribute to Jonathan in a recent editorial ahead of the
\nelections, The Daily News of Tanzania commended the former President
\nfor taking his defeat in the last Presidential elections \u201cin all
\nmagnanimity\u201d, adding that \u201cJonathan may very well have averted
\nbloodshed that is characteristic of incumbent leaders who cling in
\npower tooth and nail, fang and claw! What lesson is there in this for
\nus in Tanzania, pray?\u201d<\/p>\n
In the editorial entitled \u2018Salutary lessons for Tanzania from
\nNigeria’s latest elections; the paper said further: \u201cIt is generally
\nadmitted that the election in Nigeria was unprecedentedly free, fair
\nand transparent, whereby the opposition candidate, Mohammadu Buhari,
\nwon the Presidency.. What is more remarkable is that the incumbent
\npresident who sought re-election, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, \u2026 most
\ngraciously accepted the results promptly!<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know beyond the fact that Tanzania could tragically do
\nworse if it fails to dedicatedly take a leaf out of Nigeria\u2019s newest
\nBook on Elections!\u201d<\/p>\n
Similarly, the Guardian of Tanzania also poured encomiums on former
\nPresident Jonathan describing him as a democrat who has pointed the
\nway forward for the rest of Africa.<\/p>\n
In its own editorial comment entitled \u2018High profile figures among
\nobservers will add credibility to poll process, results\u2019, The Guardian
\nstated: \u201cJonathan\u2019s voluntary handover of power to the opposition
\nwrote a new chapter for Nigeria\u2019s democracy, given the fact that it is
\nrare for sitting presidents in Africa to hand over powers to winning
\nopposition parties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reports also indicate that the people of Tanzania are happy to see
\nJonathan lead the Commonwealth election monitoring team because of his
\nexemplary feat of conceding defeat even before the end of the
\nelectoral process and subsequently handing over power to the
\nopposition party.<\/p>\n
While in Tanzania Jonathan is billed to meet with President Jakaya
\nKikwete of Tanzania, other heads of delegation as well as the local
\nand international media.<\/p>\n
It would be recalled that President Mohammed Buhari profusely praised
\nJonathan for being magnanimous enough to initiate a telephone
\nconversation where he conceded defeat even before the final votes were
\ntallied, thus saving the nation from predicted Armageddon.<\/p>\n
While receiving the handover notes from the former President, Buhari
\nhad said: \u201cWhat I will say is since the telephone call you made you
\nhave changed the course of Nigeria\u2019s political history. For that you
\nhave earned yourself a place in our history, for stabilising this
\nsystem of multi party democracy system and you have earned the respect
\nof not only Nigerians but world leaders.<\/p>\n
“All the leaders that spoke to me and congratulated us for arriving at
\nthe point we arrived, mentioned this and I could understand, a lot of
\nrelief in their voices that Nigeria has made it after all and this is
\nlargely owed to a situation.<\/p>\n
“If you (Jonathan) had attempted to make things difficult, you could
\nhave made things difficult and that would have been at the expense of
\nlives of poor Nigerians, but you choose the part of honour and may God
\nhelp all of us. Thank you very much your excellency.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who is leading the 54-member nations of the Commonwealth as part of the international observers monitoring the Tanzanian general election scheduled for October 25…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n