But ironically what appealed to the Chessmasters and Puppeteers who needed a King they could use as a pawn, is exactly his and their undoing.
Not too many people would disagree that Goodluck Jonathan became the Nigerian President under the most unusual circumstances. Besides those who stole power through the barrels of the guns, he is the only person to get the coveted prize of being the Nigerian President without crisscrossing the length and breadth of Nigeria making campaign speeches or even before he could print a single political poster. He enjoyed a tremendous amount of goodwill on his way to Presidency as well.
But ironically what appealed to the Chessmasters and Puppeteers who needed a King they could use as a pawn, is exactly his and their undoing.
His docility, calmness, pliant nature, unassertiveness, malleability and amenability were kind of attractions to those who wanted to install a terminally sick President Yar'Adua, because they didn't want someone who would challenge his authority or someone he would have to look constantly behind his shoulders to see what he is up to as his running mate. The President and his Vice must be amenable to control; no smart Alec or independent minded individuals need apply.
But because we are not God, when fate mixed with some strokes of goodluck, Jonathan becomes the President. Those attractions became a burden to the whole country.
These "attractions" of course attracted many other Puppeteers and Chessmasters, it was only a matter of time before "overtake come overtake, overtake"
The ethnic lords with stronger holds asked the likes of Obasanjo to move over.
His appointees also find comfort in those "attractions" Every Minister, Special Adviser and Director-General is a President unto him/herself. One even insisted on being addressed as the Co-coordinating Minister for Economy. If a Minister is the one coordinating economy what will the President be doing? Another one has become an Empress in the oil industry, the one that should be holding court at the home front became unleashed on the hapless nation and she went about creating gridlock and chaos everywhere. It is a government of anything goes, impunity reigns supreme.
The attractions that made him the President has become an albatross to the whole nation and his government.
In fairness to him the government recorded some achievements in certain areas, but the leadership to even articulate these achievements is missing and his spokespersons are a bunch of overfed rabble-rousers.
As we approach another turn in our checkered political history, and attempts are being made to offload the burden of Jonathan "attractions” a new set of Puppeteers and Chessmasters have emerged on the scene and are saying "not so fast"
Among these groups of people are those who have vested interests and are benefitting immensely from the status quo. But the chief and most deadly of these groups is that group of deadly hawks from our past with an axe to grind with emerging General Buhari. This I believe is the number one reason for the politics of election postponement.
Whereas the king maybe thinking that he has supporters in these groups, but he is once again a King being used as a Pawn in Nigeria political chessgame.
A few of us may still remember those young military officers that were known as "IBB Boys" in Ibrahim Babangida days. Among them was Umar Dangiwa, Lawan Gwadabe, David Mark and Sambo Dasuki.
Sambo Dasuki was reported to be among the Officers that arrested General Buhari when his government was overthrown by IBB and locked him up in detention. He was later to be compensated as the ADC to IBB. That Sambo Dasuki is today's Nigeria Security Adviser! Ibrahim Babangida his boss is still holding court in Minna and Alhaji Shehu Shagari whom Buhari himself overthrown and his children are still a kind of Lords the manor in Sokoto and David Mark is the current Senate President. What a heavy load we younger generation of Nigerians are carrying?
And you guys think that a "Security Report" put together by Sambo Dasuki, will favor holding an election that was apparently going to favor Buhari?
We need to go beyond scratching the surface in Nigeria, the forces against June 12 are still here with us, the issues that led to the Civil War are still here with us and the emergence of Jonathan himself as the President was as a result of the overplayed hands rather than an altruistic election of a President. He is just a pawn afterall. So those who think after we must have removed Jonathan it is going to be "kumbaya" all the way, I am laughing at you in Swahili language...kikikikiki.
We need to address this issue once and for all and the only way to do this is for whoever is going to become the next President of Nigeria to see himself as another Crisis Manager and pull down this structure under which all these evils thrive.
Otherwise, our "big bang" day is fast approaching, if not already here with us.
Ayo Turton is a US based Attorney.