Is It Really About Buhari Or Jonathan?

Nigeria, our motherland, faces advancing levels of danger each day. Every move to pull her from the brink is set for ruination by those who think that the country is all about them. They have narrowed issues to a few politicians, instead of the larger interests of Nigerians, without which the country would remain mired in its many challenges.

The latest scheme, bereft of agenda to improve Nigeria, is to project the personalities of President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari as the issue in the 2015 elections. Little is said about how any of them would be the better person to pull Nigerians out of the limbo strings of poor policies have dumped them.

Blames, name-calling, and sheer abuses have become the new order of campaigns. Everything is wrong with the other person. Every action is subjected to scrutiny that gives the impression that we are searching for saints as President. If we were, we would not find one, for there is none, at least in Nigeria, or willing to bear the burden of leading Nigeria out of these precarious times.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, have focused their attention on the personality of the each other’s presidential candidate. Nigerians are only of fringe interest to both parties. Where does the everlasting name-calling and blame sharing place Nigerians? How does troubles politicians cause benefit Nigerians?

Political parties, one of the more outspoken politicians has said, are in the business of winning elections. It is the most forthright offering from a politician, a remark that all Nigerians should take serious as they make their choices in 2015, not only for the President, but through all the legislatures to the executives. Sentiments would be unhelpful.

Nigeria’s challenges run through every stratum of the power rungs. Rot at the local governments affects the people more than decisions in Abuja and state capitals. The castration of the local governments through constitutional lacunas on their status has pushed governance away from the people. The politicians are delighted at the fact that they hold power without being accountable to anyone.

Our concerns, as a people, should be the agenda for 2015 and beyond. Politicians are obsessed with power. They do anything to get it. From the sharp divisions that emerged at the party primaries, it is clear that politicians are ready to grab power at any cost. The people are an inconvenient baggage in this journey.

It is time Nigerians re-directed attention to basic issues affecting us. Jonathan and Buhari are not the issue; they are mere images politicians conveniently cling to in their collective mission to claim Nigeria again – for themselves.