Jonathan 2027: Hero’s destiny or fatal delusion
Professor Jerry Gana, the Mass Mobilization for Social Justice and Economic Recovery (MAMSER) exponent, recently made a passionate plea for former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) to return in 2027 and rescue the nation. Rumours are rife that Jonathan is in clandestine talks with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a platform allegedly suffocated and hijacked by Atiku Abubakar, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) once the platform of his (Jonathan’s) rise and fall is on bended knees, ready to lay out the red carpet should he accept its presidential ticket.
Ironically, the same man once humiliated, rejected, and ridiculed into the dustbin of local politics is now courted as a bride of inestimable value. Such is the wonder of Nigeria’s political landscape.
For Jonathan, the times are both interesting and treacherous. From the remote creeks of Otuoke in Bayelsa, nestled in mangroves of poverty yet blessed with oil, he rose like a lily bursting through mud, with no shoes while in primary school, to the highest office of the land. He became Nigeria’s first academic-turned-president, the first to concede defeat as an incumbent, and the first to exit power against the run of play as capture by Segun Adeniyi in his book. That singular act earned him international acclaim, making him one of the most celebrated African statesmen alive today. But back home, the hawks and gladiators are flanging and nudging, urging him to throw his hat once more into the shark-infested waters of Nigerian politics.
Paradoxically. Jonathan lost the presidency but gained greater global respect, relevance, and influence above many of his predecessors. He is celebrated as an international icon of democracy in a continent where leaders cling shamelessly to power. But could this new call be destiny beckoning him again, or a sinister orchestration by political vultures seeking to consume the last remains of his goodwill?
The political firmament is very uncertain. Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President, has sworn never to step down for anyone, determined to run until providence crowns him. Peter Obi, meanwhile, faces brigandage and internal wars in Labour Party, leaving him cornered and uncertain of his platform. Tinubu, the present political Czar sits atop the machinery of state as a formidable incumbent, a man who fought the establishment to emerge commander-in-chief. Does Jonathan stand a chance against such entrenched forces? Is he deluded to imagine that the same snakes that made life miserable for him in 2015 are now born-again saints? Could the persistent whispers of an ADC ticket be a political trap, designed to dilute his global status and make him another pawn in the alleged Atiku’s masterplan?
Jonathan constitutionally retains the inalienable rights to contest the 2027 presidential elections- I guess- given the contestation of his eligibility of being sworn-in twice. The glory or dishonour is his to pick because he understands the political treacheries and manipulations and can write volumes on the subject matter by sheer valuable experience. If anyone can navigate its murky waters, it is him. But should he? That is the harder question. What human enterprise holds the maxim: No permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests – caution is wisdom!
What he risks is not just defeat, but the erosion of a rare and priceless honour. One wonders if former president Goodluck Jonathan is not just inspired and motivated by the comeback victory of his dear friend the president of Ghana, John Mahama, to jump into the fray. A word of caution again: Nigeria is not Ghana. The incumbent is about to appoint another INEC chairman like others did. That could be interpreted in whatever ways.
Very few ex-presidents on the African continent enjoy the global stature destiny has bestowed on Dr Jonathan. He is celebrated as a man who put the nation before ambition when late General Buhari prior to the 2015 elections declared that the dogs and the baboons would all be soaked in blood, but the peaceful Jonathan rather vowed that no Nigerian blood is worth his ambition. To paraphrase what Senator Adams Oshiomhole said on Channel’s tv Politics Today: Jonathan has achieved a form of immortality in democratic history that no ballot box can confer. Why gamble such eternal honour for the fleeting uncertainties of another Nigerian election?
The handwriting may well be on the wall, but whether he reads it as a call to destiny or a warning of delusion will determine the fate of his name in history. Goodluck Jonathan stands today at the crossroads of fate. It is either redemption or ruination. The choice is his alone! This could be a dance of glory or a date with ignominy
