Jonathan’s siege on the South-West: Will it amount to votes?

March 14, 2015



THE postponed general elections were greeted with mixed feelings by Nigerians. Though many had kicked against the six weeks postponement, but beneath the line of such opposition was the general agreement that the shift would afford the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ample time to put its house in order to avert a post-election crisis.

The two frontline political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, having also accepted the shift, have since then been projecting strategies to outwit one another at the polls.

President Goodluck Jonathan, mainly having sensed the swing towards his rival, Muhammadu Buhari of the APC in the crucial Southwest has devoted strength and strategies towards recovering himself in the region.

The strategic importance of the Southwest was underlined by the presence of the two major political party presidential candidates in the Southwest last Thursday. Indeed, any activity that would take the president to Lagos is now a relish.

In an interesting manner, President Jonathan has, perhaps, made the South West his second home, visiting at the slightest opportunity.
In the last three weeks, the president has gone on a tour of the South-West visiting traditional rulers, politicians, leaders of ethnic nationalities and other opinion leaders, seeking support.

On January, 13, he had a stop-over at the palace of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti soliciting for the support of the people.

Also, on February, 19th, the President visited Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu.

But the traditional ruler failed to endorse any presidential candidate but he did not hide his position on the current political issues in the country.

Jonathan’s train also stopped in Ondo State where he visited the Regent of Akureland, Princess Adetutu Adesida during his presidential rally in February.

To show his seriousness, he visited the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi twice within two months.

He has also visited the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi where he canvassed for votes in the ancient town.

On Mar 11, 2015, Jonathan visited the Awujale and Paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba II at his palace in Ijebu Ode to solicit for the royal father’s support. The traditional ruler, however, said he would not give out an endorsement.

The Awujale was away in England when the president met with prominent traditional rulers from the state on the sidelines of the commissioning of the Olorunsogo Power Plant last month.

The monarchs were led by the Akarigbo of Remoland and Chairman of the Ogun State Traditional Council, Oba Michael Sonariwo, Alake of Egbaland, Oba (Dr.) Aremu Adedotun Gbadebo,Olowu of Owu,Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu,Olu of Itori,Oba Fatai Akamo, Oniro of Iro,Oba Adebari,Olu of Owode- Egba, Oba Sowemimo and other traditional rulers, mostly from the Ogun Central Senatorial District.

On March 7, Jonathan paid a courtesy call on the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, where the monarch led some prominent traditional rulers to pray and endorse the President for another term in office.

On the same day, the president equally visited Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, in his palace at Ilesa to get assurances from him for his ambition.

However, in the South West, Jonathan would need his good luck and the bulk votes to stand a chance of turning the tide against his major rival, Buhari.

The zone has the strongest inclination to Buhari among the three geopolitical zones in the South.

It is thus understandable that the Jonathan and the PDP have been making frantic efforts to woo the people of the region.

Indeed, the PDP and its strategists in the Presidency are believed to be jittery over the realisation that losing the South-West might cost them the presidential election.

The outcome of the presidential elections will tell how far his consultations went.
It’s too late – APC

The APC meanwhile, has derided the efforts to canvas for votes in the forthcoming general elections as an effort in futility.

The party said President Jonathan was attempting to do in six weeks what he could not do in four years.

[img]http://1.bp..com/-JEdJEZ_litY/VOoUR8MKkII/AAAAAAAAOC4/2O7sJtrU5b8/s1600/1.jpg[/img]
VISIT—President Goodluck Jonathan (right) with Hrm Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Alaafin of Oyo during the visit of the president to Oyo town,weekend. Photo: State House.

It, however, noted that such calculation and assumption that the PDP could make the people vote for it within six weeks was “a glaring instance of cluelessness, incompetence and near total lack of governance that the Jonathan administration has exhibited in the past six years.”

The APC, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed early this week said “Even if President Jonathan moved Aso Rock to the South-west or opened the nation’s treasury for Nigerians so as to remain in power, it is obvious that majority of the citizens have rejected the government.”

While it frowned at the president’s lobbying in the Southwest, it said all the president’s “latter-day” efforts went up in smokes when over one million Nigerians marched through the streets of Lagos in support of change.

The party said its latest opinion poll on the forthcoming elections showed that Nigerians had already made up their minds regarding which party to vote for even before the six-week postponement which the PDP orchestrated to allow its candidates at all levels recover from its dwindling image.

“It was amazing the president’s men can even think that six weeks of unprecedented bribery of individuals, pretence governance, and cash-induced occult-like ‘prayer’ sessions, among others, will turn the tide in their favour. Nigerians are not fooled by these antics,” the APC stated.