The Dog, Its Shadow, The Bone …That Fall Of The President’s Men

The year 2014 has come and gone leaving trails of intrigues of monumental proportions. Among the surprises of the year, were the party primaries which saw some of the president’s confident men losing the governorship ticket of their states. This is one of the picks of 2014.
Knowing the awesome powers of a Nigerian President and Commander-In-Chief, it is almost unthinkable that he can be refused anything. In fact, a President does not need to ask for favours before getting them.
So powerful, a President’s name alone opens doors, generates compliance and indeed guarantees, approval of sorts. In the political realm, those believed to have a President’s ears are feared, adored or even worshiped.
Therefore, if a minister in a President’s cabinet resigns to contest for a higher political office, the conclusion is that such ambition must naturally enjoy that President’s support and approval. Some could even conclude that being the President’s men, to challenge them in any political battle shall amount to a perilous political voyage.
When therefore, some Ministers of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s Executive Cabinet chose to test their popularity in their various states, by contesting the governorship primaries on the platform of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the President’s own political party, very few Nigerians thought that their choice would amount to the proverbial dog with a big bone in his mouth, and goes after its shadow in a deep-well, in belief that that in the well must be bigger. But that was what the outcome of the primaries in some states boiled down to.
They were seven in all who attempted a replay of the dog and bone drama. Labaran Maku was Minister of Information and a successful one at that. The others are Samuel Ortom, Minister of Trade and Industry, Musiliu Obanikoro, Minister of State for Defence and Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour.
The others are Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Health and Dairus Ishaku, Minister of State for Niger Delta. Of the seven ministers who resigned, only the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike made it through the party primaries successfully.
But what should push polished professionals like Dr Chukwu, whose level-headedness, expertise and sense of duty successfully halted the spread of Ebola in Nigeria and Maku whose flawless oratory and convincing power of debate makes him more suited for the information minister or the classroom? It was all known that both indeed enjoyed the President’s respect because they were dutiful, but when they decided to contest the governorship the principal let them go.
Strangely, the President is also the leader of the political party on which platform the ministers sought tickets. As a leader generally perceived by the party faithful as well performed and unanimously adopted as lone presidential candidate, not many thought that Jonathan can be refused anything.
The Ministers themselves must have concluded that the mere mention of the President’s name or the mere thought that they work with the leader of the party, would be enough to frighten and scare away any competitor from the contest. At worse, even if they lost, the President could influence the outcome in their favour, after all, they all sought his approval to quit the cabinet in pursuit of more juicy political package.
But as it turned out, President Jonathan appeared too busy to put a word cross to the handlers of the primaries in various states or urge other contenders to drop their dreams. Or did the President consider the ministers’ resignation a good radiance to bad rubbish?
It is really unimaginable that men like Onyebuchi Chukwu, Labaran Maku and Obanikoro could fall the way they did without any extra help from the President, considering their perceived loyalty to the President and exemplary sense of duty.
In the case of Maku, his good governance tour of projects embarked upon by the media to showcase projects by both the Federal and state governments gave him so much visibility, even popularity that must have pushed him unto the governorship race. But who ever imagined that a man like Obanikoro whose popularity in Lagos, many boasted was a threat to opposition politicians, could be swept away with such ease as done in the state of excellence.
The President himself may be as surprised as many others, who believed that at least five of the ministers, if not all of them will come out victorious. But the question is, what if they had won?
Would the Presidency not be fingered for influencing the outcome? Won’t the National party executive be accused of doing the President’s bidding rather than ensuring a level playing ground for all? Would such outcome be considered credible enough to not generate petitions and complaints?  Even bad press?
Now that the opposite is true what should be the likely conclusion? That the President is a true democrat, leader and father to all and should naturally not favour anyone against the other? That the party requires men and women popular enough to win primaries before going into general elections, could that be the President’s avowment? Does it confirm President Jonathan’s assurance that he would do nothing to influence the electoral process?
Stretched a bit further, could the fate of the ministers be seen as a verdict on the Presidency in the affected states? Or were the ministers, simply Abuja politicians who were considered strangers by their people whose mandate they sought? Were they unusually too distant until the primaries? We may never know.
But their experience indeed reminds many of the proverbial dog with one big bone in its month but out of greed goes after his shadow only to lose what he already had and at great risk  to its life.
In a country where, none ever seeks elective office, as everyone is often persuaded by his or her people to lead them, it’s hard to tell which people actually persuaded the ministers to resign in pursuit of the unknown.
Where from will they now draw the required confidence and credibility needed to win souls for their former master, if they would? Or would they not feel abandoned now and do same to their principal?
Whatever their discretion does not matter now because they disobeyed the natural injunction of looking deeply before leaping. If they had, they probably would have remained relevant as ministers and not wasted resources on a perilous political journey that has led to nowhere but failure.
That may be part of the beauty of democracy, but what I found troubling is the list of ex-governors-to-be preparing to head to the Senate, some of them after nearly eight years in office. What do the governors really want that the executive positions they held failed to provide them? Or is the Senate the new third term for governors, since all of them cannot be President or Vice?
Truth is, considering the awesome influence of a state governor, seeking a Senate seat while in office cannot be as difficult as an Abuja based politician seeking office in his state.
But they indeed are an impediment to democracy as there is not likely to be any level-playing ground for other likely contestants in a state where they remain judges in their own cases. That indeed is what is playing out following the outcome of the various primaries in the major political parties.
While the parties consider such candidates as potential election winners others who may harbor same ambition may feel short changed or intimidated by the high credentials of such serving governors.
My Agony is that Governors in Nigeria are today the most influential with so much powers over all other arms of government, the state assemblies and the judiciary, and can do any and every thing to achieve their every ambitions, within their states. They are unlike the ministers who lept without looking.

Labaram Maku and Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu