Buhari vs Jonathan: And the Duel Begins! By Funmilola Ajala

The coasts appear almost indisputably clear as we embark on an electoral journey towards 2015 with the recently concluded primaries and conventions of both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), the two contenders for Nigerian electorates’ patronage. Now, one can safely initiate some permutations regarding the probabilities of the outcome in the general elections next February.

I must say that for once, I’m beginning to perceive a level of optimism I’ve never seen in my relatively nascent span as an avid follower of contemporary political happenstance in Nigeria. This new-found zeal has always been the most overriding missing catalyst in the configuration of a typical Nigerian, who seems eternally committed to his ‘street credibility‘without thoroughly auditing what transpires within the realm of our Ogas at the top! Nowadays though, the archaic ‘God will judge them’ hymn of the mass populace is gradually being cleansed amidst a renewed spirit of involvement. Actions or otherwise are being questioned by the citizenry, thus invariably putting the government of the day on the back pedal, oftentimes.

Without having to patronize a fortune-teller, one can – to a large extent – assertively say that come May 2015, Aso Rock gates would only welcome either of Goodluck Jonathan or Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s number one citizen. As political masterminds of both parties roll-out their templates to capture the masses soonest, one needs to appreciate that majority of Nigerians seem less baffled about making a choice between the two leading antagonists.

The dichotomies are fairly outlined and seemingly noticeable enough for anyone to get confused in settling for either of the two. Therefore, transporting rented drummers and paid dancers across our state capitals by the political parties might rarely change next to nothing in the end, besides the gurantee of ever available spectators which gather to savour the melody on display at such spectacles.

Asides the fact that the two standard bearers are Nigerians, hardly can one stumble on Jonathan and Buhari on the same page in other ramifications. While Buhari was a military dictator who sacked a civilian rule, Jonathan is a proud owner of a fairly enviable resume as a democratically elected leader; while Buhari is seen to be almost certainly incorruptible, Jonathan’s government is perceived by many as largely indifferent; while Buhari is a Fulani Muslim from core North, Jonathan is an Ijaw Christian from the Southern enclave of Nigeria. And with an age difference of nearly 2 decades, what else can anyone submit in unmasking the gulf between this 2 leading Nigerian ‘elder statesmen’.

And while Buhari belongs to the APC which main ‘selling point’ is self-portrayal as ‘progressives’, Jonathan’s PDP needs no profiling, at least from what Nigerians have ‘enjoyed’ from the party in one and a half decades of cockeyed democratic voyage.

That established, it remains to be seen, also, if Nigerians have indeed matured beyond adolescent-like infatuations of the past with endemic sentimental nay emotional imbalances which have always been dominant in choosing who governs the country. Ethnic bigotry and religious prejudice are pivotal to the provincial considerations often elevated above the minimum at the detriment of apropos subjects in our elections from the word ‘go’.

That explicates why presidential debates in the past were fashioned along personality advertisement rather than intellectual discourse. The same reason why the “I had no shoes” slogan was sellable in Nigeria as recent as 2011, whereas Americans only gave Barack Obama the keys to the White House in 2008 because of the hope in his ‘Yes We Can’ mantra; surely, a case of different strokes for different folks. Na Naija we dey, no be so?  

And for the facts and factors enumerated in previous paragraphs, one might still need to harbour some extent of reservations before jumping the gun by concluding thoughtlessly that ‘this’ or ‘that’ will emerge winners of the royale contest between Jonathan and Buhari. Don’t be fooled, Nigeria is a comical political commune where nothing should be discounted. Not many could have imagined the stunning verdict of the recently held guber election in Ekiti where a supposed performer in Kayode Fayemi woefully lost to Ayo Fayose despite the former’s enviable CV as governor. Hence the noise that Jonathan’s administration has not delivered creditably well may count for nothing if one talks to an Ijaw man who hangs on to life by force somewhere in Otuoke – as long as his ‘brother’ is the president – not minding the oil spillage in his backyard.

It is perchance due to this reason that political propagandists are becoming the toasts these days. They hold the Ace in ‘photoshopping’ the candidate of their choice for public consumption. Obviously, manipulating people’s mind in order to accrue cheap but sometimes far-reaching public empathy – at the expense of one’s imaginary or real enemy – has always maintained strong nexus with pragmatic political calculus. However, its recent rascally deployment is proof that desperation has deeply penetrated our political system. Facts are deliberately tinkered with while aiming to distort public opinion for selfish gains. This is of course enticing to average Nigerian politicians as being currently demonstrated by both the PDP and APC.

The glaring invasion of our cyberspace by ranting Buharists and Jonathanians alike says it all. Blatant name-calling and errorneous allegations without concrete evidential submissions are characteristics of this obnoxious trend.

It is thereof extremely pertinent to crave the indulgence of political publicists like Lai Muhammed, Olisa Metuh, Doyin Okupe, Reuben Abati, Reno Omokri et al to, kindly, save Nigerians the migraine of exchanging and trading unnecessary monkeyshine at this stage. Though it seems this template has helped greatly in sustaining their portfolio till date, yet it is important for them to now embrace a semblance of decorum in plying their ‘trade’. Nigerians demand issue-based campaign which dwells on people and not personalities; on principles and not power; on mutual respect and not baseless tantrums; and on obeisance to the rule of law and not senseless brigandage.

In the coming days and weeks, Nigerians look forward to active and passionate engagements between Jonathan and Buhari through intense ideological cross-examinations – minus the usual unrealistic promises of ‘free this free that’ which evaporate once the mandate is secured. In departing from the norm, Nigerians must insist on seeing the prototype of what the next four years have in stock for them, lest we proceed in error, once again.