While surprise attack may be a deadly weapon in war situations, politics operate on a long, and often complicated period of maneuvering. Often, while it was almost evident the direction a politician is headed, the main actor would rather feint by keeping mum, or denying the obvious.



That was the case with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the run up to the 1999 elections and beginning of the fourth republic democracy in Nigeria.



In 1998, it was evident that his military and northern allies had perfected the strategy to impose him on the citizens as a returnee president; Obasanjo continued to stress that he did not forget anything that he was returning to retrieve from the presidency. At a point, he asked, ‘How many presidents do Nigerians want to make out of me?‘ At last, he came out and ran and became president again.



Time and situation may differ, the game with the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 presidential race, has the same tone as the 1999 Obasanjo episode.



But, as it is often the case, too, time appears to be up for Jonathan to come out to the open on whether he will run in the next year‘s race or not. While the president had, in the past, successfully hidden behind several excuses not to declare to the nation and his band of campaigners his decision, the last of his veils appeared to have been torn by the release of the election time-table by the Independent National Electoral Commission, on Tuesday. Prior to the release, Jonathan had insisted that he was waiting for the INEC time-table to decide on his ambition. There were also speculations that he wanted the Ramadan to end before he declare.



By the new time-table of elections, the Presidential Elections are scheduled for January 22, 2011. Counting from this morning, Nigerians are left with 137 days to elect a new president, and any serious candidate is obviously counting the time in seconds given the short period to Election Day.



Will Goodluck Jonathan run or not? The president no longer needs a prodding to give the answer in the next few days, if not hours. He may have finally ran out of excuses. His case is also not helped by the fact that Ramadan may end today.



The status of Jonathan in the 2011 race, at the latest, must be known next week. It is no longer the season for aides and amorphous campaign groups which aggregated under the Jonathan Support Group, including the women who threatened to deny their spouses sex if the president fails to declare to run.



It is time for Jonathan to declare whether he would confront the PDP controversial zoning formula; and it is time for Jonathan to declare whether he will run or not. He can decide to answer the call of his supporters and enlist in the race. He can also play the game as canvassed in certain quarters that he should just be an umpire, and not a participant.



But, either way, the countdown to Jonathan‘s has began.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009084184720

Yes, that what we are waiting for. Because we tired of these old and corrupt so called northern leaders. They only think of themselves and their family members.

^^^^^ lol, o oh, so Odili, Ibori, Nnamani, Bode George etc are Northerners with Southern names, roflmao. Hurray enter saint G.E.J