₦airaland Forum

Dr.Goodluck Ebele Jonathan! This household name is associated with power,politics,influence,manipulation and ambition.
The president's name reminds me to ponder deeply at the art of governance and the science of politics via-a-vis the deployment of political terminologies such as moral justification, diffusion of responsibility, attribution of blame, etc.
When it comes to leadership functions,assessment and effects on the followership, I recall W. Gardener's philosophy that,"A prime function of a leader is to keep hope alive".
Contextually,is the president granting life to our hope or killing it? The prevailing crisis in the PDP is just a symptom of political manipulation. To set the ball rolling, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur was maneuvered to become the party's national chairman.
Jonathan's option for Tukur is to frustrate Atiku's presidential ambition in 2015. However, it appears Jonathan's celebrated good luck is gradually turning into a serious bad luck. There is a philosophical saying that the difference between a leader and a boss is that a boss says "go"while a leader says "let's go".
Tukur is acting more like a boss. He is not only saying "go" to the major stakeholders of the PDP but also seems to be saying "go and I will deal with you". The excesses of Tukur seem to have no boundaries. But Hon. Aminu Tambuwal hits the nail on its head by proclaiming that without seven governors,the PDP cannot carry the day in 2015.
What is obvious in the leadership idiosyncracy of Tukur is that he does not think in terms of the PDP's interest but thinks in terms of the president's interest. Ironically,both Tukur and Jonathan find it difficult to believe that a tree does not make a forest.
Despite the incumbency factor, other factors account for translating Jonathan's rosy dream into a reality. One of these factors is the strength of state governors. Many of them contributed to his success in the last general elections.
Now the question is, will Jonathan abandon the seven aggrieved governors and lose millions of votes or will he continue to claim his luck on the 'bossy"temperament of Tukur?
A Welsh proverb has it that,"He that would be a leader must also be a bridge". Apparently, the leadership in Aso Rock is losing contact with this philosophical assertion. While Tukur fights like a wounded lion to actualise Jonathan's dream, the latter is aggravating the problem of his re-election adventure.
For instance,what kind of political formula informed the sacking of nine ministers who were nominated by the aggrieved governors? Were they serving the governors or the nation? Has the sacking smoothed his way or hardened it?
The president is appearing like a lonely long distance runner enjoying the support and sympathy of Tukur only. Based on a comparative analysis, instead of innovating his way to power elongation the president is bedeviled with administering crisis.
Instead of developing the right channel,he is maintaining the wrong approach. Where he is supposed to be an agent of inspiration, he is troubled by controlling. Where he is expected to have a long term view,he is confused with short term views.
Instead of keeping faith with the questions what and when, he is concerned with how and why. Of course,doing the right things should be the paramount principle of the president. But when he thinks doing things right in relation to the perpetuation of power in 2015 and in the wake of his low level performance, that is where the trouble lies.