"The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim”.- Gustave Le Bon
There is new campaign slogan from the Jonathan/Sambo
reelection headquarters, it is called blame the opposition first. So, if perchance,
and totally due to your very own dereliction of duties there is petroleum
scarcity all over the country just point to the opposition. Forget the fact
that you have in your cabinet, a minister of petroleum that had never been
called to account for all the serious misdeeds at her ministry. If the currency
gets devalued by voodoo economics orchestrated for election purpose in the name
of re-basement, simply point to the opposition and deflect any blame that may
have come the way of your unconstitutional coordinating prime minister of
Finance. If Boko Haram kidnapped 200 Chibok girls, your first retort is to deny
that any girls were kidnapped and if the foreign media disagree, just assume
your fall back option: simply blame the opposition!
There is no limit to this pea brained campaign strategy.
What is more, you can draw on it time and time again. See it works. It forces
the opposition party to stop talking about their own campaign platform. They
may not have anything unique on that platform anyway. Who cares? After all, election
campaigns in Nigeria are not supposed to be about your ideas and visions for
the country but as the gerrymandered Governor of Ekiti state proves, it is about
stomach infrastructure, intimidation of opposition through an illegal use of
military personnel and of course blaming the opposition!
You can set up a Constitutional Conference where
members found that our so called federal constitutions centered too much
governmental powers in the presidency to the detriment of local governance, issues
and ideas. And if you are President Jonathan all you need do, is give the
report to a committee to review and then cry wolves about how the opposition
will not allow you to carry out the recommendations.
You may have been in charge for more than six years
while your opposition is a newly formed agglomeration of political parties with
little or no pedigree, majority of who have never been in power at the center.
If you are Jonathan/Sambo campaign strategist all you need do again, is point to all the problems you are having in
your party as directly traceable to the shenanigans of the opposition.
But then if you are President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, what you may not reckon with is a little thing called message
discipline. For instance, you may not know that the president was an alumnae of
University of Port Harcourt. You may not know that the president was invited to
be a guest speaker at an event organized by the Pioneer Class of 81 of the
University. If you are Goodluck, you may not know that you had asked your self
appointed secretary to the federal government to deliver your speech at the
event. You may not know that you vetted the speech and gave it to Anyim Pius Anyiam
to deliver. You may not know that hidden in that speech are these words:
“…And that is why today, at times, people wonder or bother about the opposition activities and movements. We created it. We simply thought that except the political space is expanded, we are not heading for democracy. That except you allow people to strongly and firmly assert their democratic rights, participate in democratic process and indeed, enjoy it with confidence, that one day, we will pay for it. I want to assure you tonight that the opposition movement as it were today, owe their existence and indeed, their activities to President Goodluck Jonathan. The enhanced political environment is what the opposition is enjoying. If they abuse it, do not mind. It does not matter. It does not challenge us. When the opposition try to make so much noise, one thing we know is that you cannot win election in Nigeria through propaganda,”
There you go Nigerian! President Goodluck Ebele
Azikiwe Jonathan gave you a vibrant opposition. He gave them to you. What do
you mean by that constitution thing? There is nothing called constitution. He
gave you opposition party free of charge. He didn’t have to, but he did it
anyway, so he can make his reelection bid easier. After all, his PDP predecessors
wiped out people at Odi and almost proscribed all opposition political parties
by their landslide victories at heavily rigged elections in the past. Goodluck
gave opposition life so he could have something to blame for all his 6 years of
misrule.
All those constitutionally enshrined activities,
political environment and movements was created, and enhanced by the regime of
Goodluck/Sambo. Forget 1999 constitution, it is just a piece of paper anyway!
In Nigeria, where impunity reigns, you owe the very breath you breathe to the
goodness and grace of Goodluck regime. Listen, all opposition politicians,
particularly those from the so called All Progressive Congress you all owe your
very existence and activities to President Goodluck Jonathan who in his
infinite wisdom and large heart bequeath democratic opposition and competitive
political environment to the people of Nigeria by his grace in fee simple!
Here is something else the regime of Goodluck
Jonathan knows so well, you cannot win election in Nigeria through propaganda.
They know that too well. Nigerians of all hue should know that by now. APC you
are on notice, Jonathan made you and will quite easily snuff you out and there
is nothing the international community can do about it. Get it? Now take the
blame and let’s proceed to this upcoming selections, oops, election.
