Goodluck Jonathan’s Coup

The move by Goodluck Jonathan to dissolve the Nigerian cabinet is anything but a coup. Look, a caretaker can but arrange the seats in a house; his mandate does not extend to demolishing the house and building it afresh. This is tantamount to usurping the powers of the owner.

But the good thing is, Nigerians are least perturbed by this move. They prefer this scenario than the paralysis that followed Yar Adua’s hospitalization. Many, led by Prof Wole Soyinka, argue that the move was long overdue; they are failing to see that Goodluck Jonathan is following a tight script. His mantra is: test the waters, if it is not so deep, take the plunge. First, he demoted the Justice Minister, there was no outrage. This gave him room for the next move, to sack the national security adviser. Since the Nigerian public is moving in tandem, he is now assured of a carte blanche.

In retrospect, Goodluck Jonathan is smarter than we have credited him with too much luck than his name suggest. He became a governor without an election after the governor was impeached in a graft scandal. Next, he was fished from obscurity to be Vice President only for the president to be incapacitated paving the way for his presidency. It seems his story is far from climax.

His personality fits in the plot very well. Laid-back to almost aloof, cautious to almost spineless. All these have come in handy as a blessing in disguise. Umar Yar Adua’s handlers were unfazed with his being the acting president simply because he looked tame. Now they are left to grapple with their Frankenstein monster. The seemingly hapless Goodluck Jonathan has more chutzpah than they had imagined. Who knows what else he will do? And Nigerians are playing along.

In his scheme of things, he sacked the cabinet not only to assert authority but to have his loyalists in key positions. The next cabinet will be serving courtesy of him. The would-be cabinet has no illusion as to who is running the show.
Nigerians had better hearken this: Goodluck Jonathan will be in the ballot come 2011! The new cabinet will be his network for campaigns.

Did someone notice the confidence in Dora Akunyili’s voice? This mama is up for some new powerful role. I am not in Nigeria but she could be the power behind the throne. Her forthright manner of speaking represents the confidence associated with the untouchable kitchen cabinet. I looked for her on FaceboGoodluck Jonathan’s Coup
The move by Goodluck Jonathan to dissolve the Nigerian cabinet is anything but a coup. Look, a caretaker can but arrange the seats in a house; his mandate does not extend to demolishing the house and building it afresh. This is tantamount to usurping the powers of the owner.
But the good thing is, Nigerians are least perturbed by this move. They prefer this scenario than the paralysis that followed Yar Adua’s hospitalization. Many, led by Prof Wole Soyinka, argue that the move was long overdue; they are failing to see that Goodluck Jonathan is following a tight script. His mantra is: test the waters, if it is not so deep, take the plunge. First, he demoted the Justice Minister, there was no outrage. This gave him room for the next move, to sack the national security adviser. Since the Nigerian public is moving in tandem, he is now assured of a carte blanche.
In retrospect, Goodluck Jonathan is smarter than we have credited him with too much luck than his name suggest. He became a governor without an election after the governor was impeached in a graft scandal. Next, he was fished from obscurity to be Vice President only for the president to be incapacitated paving the way for his presidency. It seems his story is far from climax.
His personality fits in the plot very well. Laid-back to almost aloof, cautious to almost spineless. All these have come in handy as a blessing in disguise. Umar Yar Adua’s handlers were unfazed with his being the acting president simply because he looked tame. Now they are left to grapple with their Frankenstein monster. The seemingly hapless Goodluck Jonathan has more chutzpah than they had imagined. Who knows what else he will do? And Nigerians are playing along.
In his scheme of things, he sacked the cabinet not only to assert authority but to have his loyalists in key positions. The next cabinet will be serving courtesy of him. The would-be cabinet has no illusion as to who is running the show.
Nigerians had better hearken this: Goodluck Jonathan will be in the ballot come 2011! The new cabinet will be his network for campaigns.
Did someone notice the confidence in Dora Akunyili’s voice? This mama is up for some new powerful role. I am not in Nigeria but she could be the power behind the throne. Her forthright manner of speaking represents the confidence associated with the untouchable kitchen cabinet. I looked for her on Facebook and there are so many ‘groups’ on her, including Prof. Dora Akunyili for President! There is a new supermomma in town!
The ruling party, PDP, announced that they would not support Goodluck Jonathan for president in 2011. To me, that was a stupid move. The statement served as a warning to Goodluck Jonathan to build his power base in earnest. Now, the new cabinet he will put in place is the first step.
And who told the PDP they have the monopoly of producing presidents in Nigeria? In any case, somebody got to complete Yar Adua’s two terms then the old merry-go-round between north and south can be resumed. The north now has a half term score, so the south can also go for a half term through Goodluck Jonathan. Even the opposition might be eager to have Goodluck Jonathan run on their ticket. Trust a politician to smell a good opportunity!
Again, if the PDP succeed in cutting him out of the ticket, he can easily mould another political party that would not care about the tacit north-south rotational arrangement or take care of it in other ways. And there will be many governors and Mps who will follow him. Politicians are an opportunistic lot. They will put their money where their mouths are.
For now, it is up to Goodluck Jonathan to prove himself worth of the title of President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in an acting capacity and he will be in good stead to spot the title in an elected capacity.
In my opinion, Nigeria should brace itself for a new political dispensation: a new party by 2011, new political players and maybe who knows, greater unity between the north and south. Trust the likes of Dora Akunyili to craft the scheme and Goodluck Jonathan to act it out.

ok and there are so many ‘groups’ on her, including Prof. Dora Akunyili for President! There is a new supermomma in town!

The ruling party, PDP, announced that they would not support Goodluck Jonathan for president in 2011. To me, that was a stupid move. The statement served as a warning to Goodluck Jonathan to build his power base in earnest. Now, the new cabinet he will put in place is the first step.

And who told the PDP they have the monopoly of producing presidents in Nigeria? In any case, somebody got to complete Yar Adua’s two terms then the old merry-go-round between north and south can be resumed. The north now has a half term score, so the south can also go for a half term through Goodluck Jonathan. Even the opposition might be eager to have Goodluck Jonathan run on their ticket. Trust a politician to smell a good opportunity!

Again, if the PDP succeed in cutting him out of the ticket, he can easily mould another political party that would not care about the tacit north-south rotational arrangement or take care of it in other ways. And there will be many governors and Mps who will follow him. Politicians are an opportunistic lot. They will put their money where their mouths are.

For now, it is up to Goodluck Jonathan to prove himself worth of the title of President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in an acting capacity and he will be in good stead to spot the title in an elected capacity.

In my opinion, Nigeria should brace itself for a new political dispensation: a new party by 2011, new political players and maybe who knows, greater unity between the north and south. Trust the likes of Dora Akunyili to craft the scheme and Goodluck Jonathan to act it out.