Opposition caucuses within and outside the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party are said to be experiencing severe discomfort considering recent events in the polity which showed the manner in which President Goodluck Jonathan strengthened his hold on presidential powers and deployed same towards the 2015 presidential race which surpassed their expectations.
According to investigations, the president’s opponents within the PDP had expected the president to beat a retreat when a revolt erupted within the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and when the battle for the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman became deadlocked.
Also, some of the party leaders were expecting that the president would have to make efforts to win leaders who openly expressed opposition to his re-election. It was his failure to do this that led to the uproar of an alleged single-term pact.
In the last four weeks, the president’s opponents launched a five-pronged attack against him: uprising against the party chairman, Bamanga Tukur; governors’ revolt led by Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi; judicial activism over the president’s eligibility to seek re-election; supremacy war over the party’s BoT and the sudden coalition of opposition under the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Many party members were of the opinion that the effects of the attacks would be so overwhelming that the president would have no other choice but to meet with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida to seek a truce and stabilise the seeming faltering hold on the party.
Even within the president’s camp, some of his associates were doubtful of the capacity of the Presidency to be able to handle the attacks, leading to confusion among them.
However, rather than the President extend the olive branch to his opponents, his surprise counter-attacks had left them in disarray as not many of them expected that the president could launch such a successful and fierce political battle to regain a stronghold on the 2015 agenda.
The fight back is reported to have secured the BoT for the president in addition to a unique plot that has now separated the PDP Governors’ Forum from the Governors’ Forum. Other gains from the fight back, it was gathered, include a judicial victory and the scampering for protection among some hard core governors since the offensive and the counter-offensive were launched.
It was also gathered that the president had been convinced by the hawks in his circle to fight rough as his opponents were doing, after which every stakeholder in the establishment would sit on the table come 2015.
One of the hawks, a former minister, in an interview with this correspondent gave six reasons why Jonathan will not succumb to internal and external opposition pressure.
The reasons are: First, those criticising Jonathan, if they are in his position, will they choose not to run for second term? We know they will run and even seek more tenure. Second, the South-South is not barred from second term as a geopolitical zone.
Three, the zone is the economic base of the country. Why should the zone be denied a second term? Four, if he gives up power, the South-South will be badly maltreated by the opposition.
“Five, the North has had enough of ruling this country. Four more years for the South is not bad. And lastly, if Jonathan fails to seek a second term, his personal safety cannot be guaranteed in the country,” the politician said.
Investigations further confirmed that the president’s men are still on the offensive with another source confiding that “four more steps are in the pipeline to tackle the opposition in the next few days.”