PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN, WHO IS HIS POLITICAL ADVISER?

Icheoku is curious that in a political quicksand of 'Ali Baba and the forty thieves' scenario that Nigeria politics is, that President Goodluck Jonathan could afford to so naively trust his reelection bid in the hands of the north, a people who are so miffed at him for his audacity and are still smarting that he hijacked their turn at the presidency? Even while he was still the vice president to the then gravely sick President Umaru Yar'Adua, the north pressured Yar'Adua to sideline him and turn over power to the secretary of the Federal government Saleh? But now President Jonathan seem to have forgotten so soon the loath this people have for him and have put in their hands his reelection bid?

A more astute and much savvy political player would not take the chance or risk of allowing two northerners, Professor Attahiru Jega and Dr. Haliru Mohammed, in such powerful positions as could determine his fate in the coming April election as INEC chairman and PDP acting chairman respectively. What if they conspire against his candidacy? What if they are surreptitiously working for Arewa's common cause? What if they have a northern agenda and have a preferred northern candidate? What if they have a predetermined election result and only waiting to embarrass the president? What if Haliru Mohammed is tepid in his support of Jonathan's election campaign; hence not pulling all the stops to elect him president? And so many other what ifs.

If Icheoku were President Jonathan's political adviser, our advise will certainly be different - don't do it; trust but verify and please do not carry all your political eggs in just one northern basket.

In a functional society nothing is bad with any such arrangement or entrusting one's campaign in the hands of any person/s or group of persons. But in Nigeria, only a dreamer will permit such a situation, fully aware of the overriding effect of primordial allegiances that trumps over any other supposed loyalty that may exists; or believe that some "outsiders" shall be more catholic than the pope in championing one's cause or carrying its water. Nigeria is not a nation of one but an amalgamation of nations, where each fiercely compete among each other to protect their own butt. A much smarter Jonathan would have known that a disgruntled north will not have his interest wholly and instead relied more heavily on other similarly situated minorities of Nigeria and/or those without a dog in the fight this 2011 presidential election like the Igbos. Jonathan's trust on the north might backfire since Imam Muhammadu Buhari and Cassius Nuhu Ribadu are also running for the same office, added to the painful loss the north suffered in the PDP primaries. What about a PAY BACK TIME Mr. President since the north always remains the north in matters of politics? President Jonathan, Icheoku asks you to please wake up and smell the coffee before your presidential runs into the mired murky waters of a northern conspiracy, pursuant to their Plan B option of "any northerner but Jonathan?" May be it is even too late now to alter the equation with a more triangulated power base including an Igbo party chairman to counter-balance the forces? Anyway, goodluck to you Goodluck Jonathan; Icheoku still strongly feels the election is yours to lose!