Jonathan’s Campaign Posters: Need For Caution

The sudden heat generated in the nation’s polity recently, through the public display of campaign posters of President Goodluck Jonathan in some States of the federation can best be described as disturbing.

Barely three weeks now, there has been so much noise from different quarters criticising President Goodluck Jonathan for allegedly making his intention to run for the 2015 Presidential elections through public display of a pre-election campaign posters which was widely circulated within Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory and its adjoining States.

Although, the Presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati has denied the involvement of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Presidency directly or otherwise in the incident, unfortunately the issue seem to linger with suggestions that all may not have been heard on the matter.

The Tide condemns the choice of a few self-centrered individuals to begin the New Year with such seeds of political discord, particularly when viewed against the background that such moves are in most cases intended to deceive Nigerians and heat the polity for some very cheap reasons.

We share the view of some well-meaning Nigerians that ordinarily, it is difficult to imagine that the presidency would produce those posters knowing the noise it is capable of generating, but this is politics they say.

In fact, the categorical statement made by the President to the effect that the entire exercise was intended at making things difficult for governance in Nigeria cannot be dismissed because the President has maintained that it was too early for the 2015 electioneering.

It is most probable that the move was masterminded by the intra and inter party opposition that want the President to say something about the 2015 elections, even when he has repeatedly said it was premature to start electioneering for 2015.

The Tide needs to remind the political class, especially the opposition of  the necessity to place the peace and progress of Nigeria above their ambition. It is clear that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not opened electoral campaigns, nor has any of the political parties presented their candidates for the 2015 general elections to warrant any production of  posters by anyone.

That is why we urge the authorities to see the posting of the campaign posters of the President as electoral crime that should attract serious investigations in order to expose and sanction the persons behind this callous act.

We believe that clearly, the posters were intended to distract the government, make the President look bad and cause some people to lose confidence in the system. All this must stop.

In fact, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), must announce to all Nigerians that political campaigns are prohibited until it calls for it. Unless serious steps are taken to check the desperations among the political class, the realisation of the desired democratic culture for this great country may remain a tall order.

We urge Nigerians to allow President Goodluck Jonathan to concentrate on clearing the mess that piled up over the decades so that Nigerians will have the hope of a better country which citizens can proudly call theirs.