Some Nigerians have continued to advocate for
Goodluck Jonathan to be nominated for the
Mo Ibrahim prize and the Nobel Peace prize
for conceding defeat in the just concluded
Presidential elections. There is nothing
spectacular about what Jonathan did that calls
for celebration. In every election, there is always
a winner and a loser. Conceding defeat is
therefore a rational thing for anyone in any
civilised society to do. In the case of Jonathan,
he had no option than to concede defeat
because he tried other options to discredit the
polls, which however did not scale through.


Nigerians remember the Orubebe/Jega story and
the sacking of former Inspector General
Suleiman Abba, of recent, for not helping him rig
the elections. These groups of Nigerians
embarking on this advocacy for President
Jonathan are entitled to their opinion as
provided by the Nigerian Constitution.


The Mo Ibrahim award is granted to exceptional
leaders who have engaged in lifting people out
of poverty and paving way for sustainable and
equitable prosperity, and who have left office
three years prior to the award. The Norwegian
Nobel prize, on the other hand, awarded since
1901, lists outstanding contribution to peace as
the yardstick for nomination. Going through the
website of the two organisations, I do not see
where President Jonathan fits in.


For us to decide whether Jonathan deserves an
award, it is important to take a historical
excursion into his six-year sojourn at the helm
of affairs. Many will recall how Nigerians fought
for the implementation of the doctrine of
necessity when it was apparent that the Late
Yar’Adua could no longer pilot the affairs of the
nation and also for the manner in which the
“cabal” treated him. Shortly after this, Jonathan
shared the excess crude account to the
governors in the country so as to allow him
contest for a fresh term in 2011. Next, he fired
Vincent Ogbulafor as National Chairman of his
party for insisting there was a one term pact.

Then he sought to amend the constitution for a
six year single term, which he claimed he would
not be a beneficiary. Nigerians were too smart
for him, as it was dead on arrival at the National
Assembly. I believe the Late Dora Akunyili will
be turning in her grave now seeing what has
become of the Jonathan presidency that she
fought for.

At the party level, he brought in Bamanga Tukur
who had lost touch with modern day political
realities as National Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP). Tukur rubbished the
little that was left of internal democracy within
the party and gave state governors the party
machinery to run. Most of the founding fathers
of the party were either chased or frustrated out
of the party. The climax was an implosion with
five governors leaving in one fell swoop and all
he could do was watch like a man lost in
thought.

Jonathan went a step further by refusing to...

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