2015: Towards A Credible Poll

President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has come under intense scrutiny as it is widely speculated that he is desirous to run for a second term.  The speculations are fuelled by comments credited to his foot-soldiers and kinsmen on the 2015 general elections.
Indeed, there is nothing wrong for a sitting president to seek for re-election if the constitution of his country so permits. The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is currently operational allows president Jonathan to renew his mandate by subjecting himself to the electoral process as well as emerging victorious at the presidential poll.
However, the Nigeria people must be convinced that the president has provided the required stewardship during his first outing which will serve as a basis for the renewal of his mandate.
It is very disheartening that those who have been championing the presidents re-election have employed a do-or-die tactics to whip everybody into line, which is completely against the letter and spirit of democracy. The president’s men are not the only ones that are guilty of this undemocratic deportment. Those who are working day and night to wrest power from the president have equally thrown caution to the wind by threatening fire and brimstone if the outcome of the election is not as envisaged.
More worrisome is the fact that the president’s party- the Peoples Democratic party – is engulfed in self-inflicted crisis in a bid to satisfy the whims and caprices of self-styled leaders of the party. While other parties are merging and forming alliances to square up with PDP in 2015 general elections, the ruling party is intoxicated with its political exploits since the return of democratic governance in the country. Consequently, the leadership of the party at various levels has been suspending members with the flimsiest reasons. One cannot reconcile this approach with the recent tour of the PDP controlled states by the leadership of the party to mend fences with aggrieved members to reposition the party for the battle ahead.
In truth, the leadership of the party is over-heating the polity by taking punitive measures against members who are not comfortable wi th some policies of the party that are undemocratic. The party leadership is not different from those who are beating war-drums if their preferred candidates do not make it at the poll.
Speaking at the end of the second session of the 7th Senate recently, the Senate President, David Mark warned politicians jostling for elective positives ahead of the 2015 general elections not to plunge the country into civil war with their actions.
He stated that no nation could survive two civil wars and advised them to concentrate on delivering good governance to the electorate rather over heat the polity.
“Now, it is time to speak out once again. Elections are two years away. Yet, the collision of vaulting personal ambitions is over heating the polity and distracting the onerous task of governance.
“With so much work yet to be done, we, as elected officials, should focus on governance and justify our present mandates. Over – heating the polity is unnecessary, diversionary, divisive, destructive, unhelpful and unpatriotic. Into this vitriolic mix is being thrown a spate of mindless and distempered effusions that add no value whatsoever to the quest for cohesion and development.
“Those beating the drums of war should realise that no nation can survive two civil wars in one life time. These trends must stop and we must all remember that the nation is greater than the sum total of its parts, Mark said.              Although the president has not publicly announced his intention to run for a second term, political pundits believe that every member of PDP and indeed other law abiding Nigerians have the right to aspire to any elective office. Nobody should be threatened and persecuted because of his or her political aspiration. Nigeria is a country of over 160 million people, it is unacceptable for any political group, ethnic nationality or religious organisation to lay claim to monopoly of political leadership against the collective will of the generality of the people.
What the country needs at this moment is good leadership. The level of poverty and unemployment in the country is alarming, frightening and saddening. We should avoid parochial considerations in choosing our leaders to advance our democracy.
If President Jonathan decides to run for a second term what should pre-occupy the minds of Nigeria is his score-card. To pre-empt Nigerians the president had on May 29, 2013 presented his mid-term report for perusal and assessment of his performance.
According to the report, the Jonathan administration has rehabilitated Lagos-Kano rail-line that vanished from the nation’s landscape more than a decade ago, while the refurbished Kaduna-Port Harcourt line is expected to commence operation soon.
The East – West highway that has caused untold hardship to the people of the Niger Delta and brought misery to so many road-users is to be completed at the end of 2014.
The Nigerian economy has been growing at an average of 7 per cent yearly while the exchange rate is remarkably stable. Non – oil exports have increase tremendously, generating foreign exchange earnings to complement revenue from the oil sector.
Within this period, 15 new public universities have been established to cater for the growing population of undergraduates in the country.
Agriculture has equally recorded a boost as arrangements for the supply of fertilizers directly to farmer have been put in place to eliminate rent-seeking middlemen. The government has done so much in ensuring power supply in the country. Work is going on in a number of power stations, coupled with the on-going privatisation of the power sector to enhance efficiency.
Facilities at some of the international airports in the country have been upgraded to meet international standards.
The Jonathan administration is also doing at lot to curb insurgency in some parts of the North in a bid to protect the territorial integrity of the country.
Those are some of the achievements of the present administration as contained in the mid-term report. The president who is totally committed to his transformation agenda is very confident that Nigeira will be a better call at the end of his first tenure.
Basking in euphoria of his accomplishments within a space of two years the president has urged Nigerias to develop making scheme and score his government accordingly. Political analysts are also of the view that Nigerians should be thorough, fair and objective in their assessments by relating the mid-term report with what is on ground.
The president is cerebrate and very intelligent. He knows  that the best way to renew his mandate is to present his account of stewardship in view of the pervious mandate that was given to him by the Nigerian people. That was what actually transpired on that Democracy day.
Therefore, all those who are beating war-drums either in support of the president or against him should be more concerned about what they can afar to rekindle hopes in our people and not foist leadership on the nation for their selfish interest. Nigerians are wiser now and must elect leaders that are truly theirs.