Who Wears Jonathan’s VP Cap?

At last, the inevitable came yesterday and death has put an end to the confusion and hullabaloo that had held Nigeria by the jugular for the past five months.

Since November 23, 2009 when Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment of an acute inflammation of the membrane around the heart, otherwise known as pericarditis, Nigeria has been thrown into political confusion and heated debate. The logjam was triggered off by the president’s prolonged absence from the official duty without transferring power to his deputy.

While many Nigerians were canvassing for the invocation of section 145 of the Nigerian Constitution, some others, especially members of Yar’Adua’s kitchen cabinet, were against the idea. They were rather securing a soft-landing for the president.

In the midst of this hullaballo, the two arms of the National Assembly, on February 9, 2010, under the ‘doctrine of necessity’, passed a resolution that mandated the Vice-President to take over the presidential power in acting capacity.

But while Nigerians were waiting for Yar’Adua to recuperate, providence was designing its own game. In the late evening of Wednesday, May 5, 2010, the shocking news filtered in that the inevitable end had come for Yar’Adua, putting a full stop to the life and career of the 58-year old president.

Who to succeed Yar’Adua was not susceptible to debate. It has been settled by the Nigerian constitution. Before Yar’Adua’s death, Vice President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (now the President) had already been vested with the power of an Acting President. His swearing-in yesterday, at about 9.50 am as Nigeria’s 14th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces did not therefore come by surprise.

But while Jonathan’s swearing-in as the substantive president could be said to have calmed frayed nerves of those who had  woven an intricate web of lies and grand deception around Yar’Adua’s ill-health, the tempo of political intricacies over who to become Jonathan’s vice is now at fever pitch.

As at the time of this report, investigation by The Tide showed that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in confusion over the issue. Already, two names within the PDP hierarchy were being touted as likely choices. They are the Senate President, Senator David Mark and the Secretary to the Federal Government (SFG), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.

Senator Mark was said to have been tipped as likely vice-president based on his military background and his political ability to manage the affairs of the Senate in the last few years without interruption, even in the face of critical circumstances.

Senator Mark’s military background and his experience as the Senate President, according to some sources within the PDP hierarchy, would provide thick cover for President Jonathan who is considered to be a soft man like late Yar’Adua.

But many forces within the ruling party were said to be opposing the candidature of Senator Mark. They preferred Alhaji Yayale Ahmed whom they said, would be more loyal and submissive to the authority of the president.

Meanwhile, a major factor that may play against the Senate President’s ascension to the vice-presidency is the zonal arrangement within the ruling party. While Yayale comes from the same North-Western zone with the late Yar’Adua, Senator Mark is from the North-Central of the country. And information reaching The Tide showed that Yayale or any of the state governors from the North-West maybe considered for vice-presidency to compensate Ya’Adua’s zone.

Unconfirmed sources, however, said that there were moves by some power brokers within the PDP to select a vice-president for Jonathan. One of such power brokers, according to a source, is former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom many Nigerians regard as the major force behind the election of late President Yar’Adua, and the leap to limelight of President Goodluck Jonathan. But who is likely to receive the endorsement of these power brokers is yet to be known.

Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum yesterday met in Yola, Adamawa State capital over the death of Yar’Adua. The meeting had Rtd. General Theophilus Danjuma in attendance. Although, the outcome of the meeting was yet to be known as at the time of filing in this report, investigation showed that the choice of the vice-president was one of the major items on the forum’s agenda.

With the attendance of Danjuma, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee, who was expected to witness the swearing-in of Jonathan as president yesterday, Danjuma may be among the likely choices for the vice-presidency. Another source however, told The Tide yesterday that it would not be wrong or out of place if the PDP leadership choose Yar’Adua’s widow, Turai for the exalted position on sympathy ground.

With all these factors in play, it means that whoever wears the vice-president’s cap is still a matter of guess. After all, leadership is like a garment and those who are opportuned to wear such garments do so either by electoral process or by sheer providence. Therefore, whoever providence thrusts itself on as Jonathan’s deputy, should not rock the gentle boat Jonathan has started driving since February 9, 2010.

Boye Salau