Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday laboured through a 5, 000+-word speech to promise heaven in future while painting the picture of a nation that has had it so good since 2010.
Having broken several pledges to end terrorism that has marked his tenure, Jonathan still promised to free those kidnapped by terrorists including some 219 schoolgirls held in captivity for seven months now.
That was a passing remark in the long but empty speech delivered to party supporters in Eagle Square, Abuja. Perhaps only he and his family could feel the litany of achievements he attributed to his administration. Many Nigerians jeered at and cursed him as they watched on their TV screens.
“Under a Jonathan Presidency, your views, no matter how freely expressed, will not send you to prison or into exile,” he stated, before delving into his central message for the day: “Therefore, after seeking the face of God, in quiet reflection with my family and having listened to the call of our people nationwide to run, I, Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, have accepted to re-present myself, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, for re-election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the 2015 general elections.”
In a free and fair poll, Jonathan is not likely to be re-elected. Whether people vote for him or not, however, the electoral empire (which is under his armpit) is likely to declare him winner. A large part of the country may not witness any poll anyway. Terrorism will not be defeated as he promised.
