Against the background of intense hostility against the idea of a single longer term for elected officials which President Jonathan’s spokesman said the President is about to initiate, the President himself came out yesterday, Thursday 28th of July and spoke at his Party’s National Executive Committee. The President’s detailed explanations on the origin and intention of the single tenure idea was significant in many ways, the most important being the appearance of major disconnects in the manner the administration handles its relationship with the Nigerian public on many issues. The comments of the President also raise many issues which appear at variance with the specific statements of his spokesman, Mr. Reuben Abati which suggest that Mr. President will soon send a bill to the National Assembly that will seek to amend the tenure provision. The one thing the President his spokesmen agree over is that the President restated the fact that his tenure will expire on 29th may, 2015.
The President’s effort to clarify issues over the tenure controversy will confound even the most sympathetic of his admirers. Just two days after his spokesman put out a detailed statement on the imminent plan to initiate action towards tenure elongation, President Jonathan says there is still a long way to go before he even concludes basic consultations, particularly with Governors. He said he had only mentioned the idea to one or two Governors and some leaders of his Party and the National Assembly, during informal discussions. The story leaked out, and that some people, presumably people close, to him began to meet to discuss the elongation of his tenure, which he stopped. Then, efforts to clarify the position regarding the single, longer tenure made the matter worse. President Jonathan did not refer to Mr. Abati’s statement released earlier in the week even once, so it is difficult to say whether it is that statement which the President says made matters worse, or if the statement should not have been made at all. The comments by Mr. President have not helped the situation either. Nigerians still want to know if President Jonathan intends to submit a bill to the National Assembly to affect an amendment to the constitution which will give elected officials a single term of six or seven years. If he intends to do so, when?
The poor manner this sensitive issue of tenure elongation is being handled will remind Nigerians about the increasing gaps which are evident in the manner President Jonathan is relating to Nigerians. A President who has just been handed a brand new mandate to govern and who speaks repeatedly about transformation should be more visible, active and decisive in national affairs. To start from the tenure elongation debacle: if the President’s position is that he is only at the early stages of consultations, and therefore the proposals are not even on the table, who then authorized Mr Abati to release a signed statement on the matter? If Mr Abati is acting on his own, Mr President should distance himself from him, given the sensitivity of the issue, and the fact that the statement could quite possibly anger and alienate his own party, the all-powerful governors and the legislature. What appears to be the case at this stage is that there is a worrying absence of control and coordination at the highest office in the land.
There are other areas where more damage is being done to the image of the President in relation to his handling of important national issues. One of these is the failure or refusal of the President to visit Maiduguri . As a Commander-In-Chief President Jonathan should visit troops he has deployed to a difficult assignment in Maiduguri to boost their morale and find out if they have any special needs. The President should visit the citizens of Maiduguri to sympathise with them over their harrowing experiences since the conflict involving members of the Yusufiyya Movement and security forces escalated.
There are also good reasons why President Jonathan should have visited Borno, and one or two neighbouring states to meet with their elites and ordinary citizens, and assure them of the support and sympathy of the Federal Government and seek further understanding for the presence of security forces particularly in Borno State. Leaving these efforts to commanders on the ground to justify their presence, or to State Governors, just simply is not good enough. By all means, there are many occasion when others will need to speak for President Jonathan, but it is an attribute of a good politician to know when you should step forward, and when you should have issues and positions taken up for you.
There are major challenges in governance, many of them relatively new or becoming more pronounced, that President Jonathan should take a firm control of, and assure the nation over. Security is a major concern for every Nigerian, and we all want to see more of the President assure us that he is on top of our problems. Nigerians what the president to speak on the open and undignified quarrels between the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation and the Chairperson of the E.F.C.C over the manner the Commission operates. Nigerians want to see Mr President speak on the raging controversy over the operations of the newly-licensed Islamic Bank, an issue which has the potential to cause another major breach in our security.
The President has far demonstrated an uncomfortable detachment from many important political developments and controversies, and proxies have not done a good job for him. The untidy manner the Presidency is putting forward the controversial tenure elongation matter is a strong reminder of the need for the President to be more assertive and show evidence of firmer control on the affairs of the nation. There are bucks you just cannot pass if you are the President, because those you pass it to may do irreparable damage to the nation, for which you will be held responsible and accountable.
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