“For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”~ Sun Tzu
The man GEJ is someone that doesn’t feel comfortable with contests which is already revealed in the events that led to his rise to power and the politicking afterwards. As much as possible he only submits himself to contests that are seemingly inevitable. Talking about knowing how to fight and run away? You are thinking Big Joe.
It was just few days ago that the National Executive Council of his party, PDP adopted him (Goodluck Jonathan) as the Sole-Candidate for 2015 Presidential election basing their logic in accordance with the American style of Incumbent Rights of First Refusal.
In the words of Adamu Muazu, NEC “unanimously without any reservation decided to endorse the sole candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election”. Senator David Mark, the Senate President also corroborated this decision saying, ““At the PDP Caucus of the National Assembly, we have decided that a sitting and performing president should be given a chance to continue to perform even better.”
As if to say that this came as a surprise? By calculation GEJ already perceived that to win his party’s Presidential Primary would be pyrrhic. He would need to compromise so many things which changing his running mate may be one of. He won’t want to be held hostage by powerful (political) adversaries like OBJ and others. Also, to gamble with a uniting Northern front could be suicidal. He would have been a fool to have envisaged a smooth ride with several “mind-prepared” ambushes waiting expectantly. Hence, the wisest thing to do was to avoid the Presidential Primary.
What’s more to add? An assessment of Jonathan’s tactics so far has always followed that trend. It’s becoming so natural that it looks like the new scripture for morning devotion in Aso Rock is none but Sun Tzu’ s Art of War. The practical wisdom in this book is seen in action in his tactics and strategy. On this Sole-Candidacy card, GEJ only adopted the picking your battles wisely counsel of Tzu.
More so, it seems he employed silent aggression in the form of subtle threats of punishment. For the endorsements were quite overwhelming. So compelling that the likes of Governors Sule Lamido, Aliyu Babangida and the rests who were hitherto anti-Jonathan suddenly turned soft-critics with equivocal sermons. Somehow GEJ, at least within the PDP, has achieved what Sun Tzu suggested in Chapter 3 of the Art of War. According to Tzu; “the best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities… It is best to win without fighting.”
Hence, by choosing the battle and the climate, he holds a firm grip on his party and a soft ride to concentrate fully on crushing the opposition totally. Like an examiner(without considering morality), one can judge from all indications that Jonathan is learning so fast!
But then what’s hard not to learn when the environment is enticing? Power is magnetic enough to drag necessary resources to fight any cause irrespective of it’s morality. Mr President is stopping at nothing to make his re-election dream come true and to his supporter; “Is this end not worthy enough to justify any means?”
Consequently, political strategies have been reduced to how to beat the system and flaunt orders, and politicians are trying their best to think outside “legitimate boxes” without tampering legality. Organisations like Transformation Agenda of Nigeria or TAN now runs like a political party with membership base and flag bearer for 2015. Perhaps, if TAN had shown keen interest in “walking alone” in 2015 it could have applied for INEC registration. But for the now it will exist as a unit of the PDP Conglomerate. That’s good news,too to men like Orji Uzor Kalu who sees the party as a viable investment should it go public.
TAN may be the big fish, but there are also Small scale political groups that have bought the GEJ/TAN franchise which are running into over 8,000 in numbers as one associate revealed. Business is real good selling emotions. It is big hustle and who is to say what becomes of us if we don’t support this man?
There are several issues in the Art of War that are now evident but who dares to point out? Only one factor is hanging in tomorrow because of the unknown which is never dictated by the whims and caprices of men’s actions. It is Night and Day and with internal and external reactions waiting to unfold we earnestly await the becoming.
*Showunmi Rex ( @remirex)