In this report, PLATFORM9JA examines the recent outburst on state governors against the backdrop of the incessant invectives on the president by some of the governors in no distant past.
So, Nigerians would have woken up one particular day to witness an uncanny situation where their dear president develops the heels of Ben Johnson and take the shortest possible ‘apiam’ way out of Aso Rock presidential villa for fear of state governors?
And the governors, possibly one among those who have become notorious for attacking the president, would have just taken over the national television and radio to announce a governors’ coup: “Fellow Nigerians”.
This, perhaps, captures the true picture of what President Goodluck Jonathan was suggesting when he said on Monday that if 50 per cent of the governors behave the way some
members of the pro-Rotimi Amaechi governors did at some point in time, he would have stepped aside for them to take over the mantle of leadership at the centre.
He said the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) became something sought of a monster which gave his presidency a nightmare. He thanked governors from the North central region who he said came handy to pacify the situation and save him the hazard of abdicating his position as president.
“It is the governors from the zone who have been stabilising the country, because the way some of the governors talk and behave, if 50 per cent of the governors behave that way, probably we would have vacated this place (Aso Rock) and allow others to come and manage it for us. When the governors’ forum became a monster and we had a lot of challenges it was the north central that came on board to stabilise the governors’ forum.
“So, the zone has been able to produce very great leaders, not just hat leaders but they are patriotic leaders. So, we will continue to work with this zone; we will continue to encourage you”, Jonathan stated.
Little wonder the president had not spared the governors of recent. Last Saturday at the north east unity rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi, he blamed the governors for the growing spate of insurgency in the North-east.
According to him, state governors who have failed in their responsibility to provide qualitative education to their people should be ashamed of themselves and stop deceiving the people by blaming the federal government.
He said it was ridiculous for governors to come to Abuja to talk about bad leadership when they have failed woefully in their responsibilities.
In the president’s words: “Sometimes, governors will come and say we have some issues because of bad leadership; bad leadership from whom”? If we have security challenge either Boko Haram, kidnapping or whatever, these are people who couldn’t go to primary schools, who couldn’t go to secondary schools and they have no homes and criminals now recruit and use them. “If you see them, they wear rags but they carry rifles that worth more than N250, 000 and somebody give them food to eat so that they can have strength to kill.
“The federal government does not control primary schools, the federal government does not control secondary education and a governor has been on seat in that state for eight years and there are people that can’t go to secondary school and you say bad leadership. Who is a bad leader?” Jonathan queried.
Some keen observers have opined that the president’s sudden outburst on the governors is justifiable. They recall that his political problems were compounded by the governors. Is it the constant tirades coming from Governor Amaechi against the Jonathan led federal government or the allegation by Niger State Governor, Babangida Aiyu that the president signed a pact with the governors to serve for just a single term that did not taint the president’s reputation?
The likes of Sule Lamido of Jigawa and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State have not spared the president either. Kano Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso also falls within the category of the governors the president said almost compelled him to leave Aso Rock.
Nyako gave it back to Jonathan on Sunday just after the president took a swipe on them, the governors of the North east. In a swift response, the governor who described the president’s claim as unfortunate noted that, instead, it was the poor leadership demonstrated by the Jonathan administration that was aiding and abetting the rising spate of terrorism in the North.
He said there was no way governors could be held responsible for the spread of insurgency in the north since Jonathan, as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces was in charge of all security matters.
In the calculation of some other close watchers, there is no need for the president to cry over spilt milk because he was the one who set the pace at which the governors are following. If right from the onset he had maintained a sterner approach the way former President Olusegun Obasanjo did, the governors would have since been watching their tongue.
The pundits say if Jonathan continues to square up with the governors the way he is doing at the moment, the resultant effect would be more negative attacks on him.
Since the president had failed ab initio to sample out one of these ‘stubborn’ governors for the Alamieyeseigha treatment, analysts claim it is too late, especially now that the elections are around the corner before they start interpreting his action to mean political witch-hunt.
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