ELECTION PALAVA: I WILL RATHER DIE THAN VOTE JONATHAN
A couple of days ago, I announced that I was going to
unfriend – on Facebook – any friend who’s a supporter of President Jonathan.
Some friends found fault with my action. They implied that what I purposed was
extreme – it’s only politics, they said.
But they’re mistaken. The forthcoming presidential election is not politics. The gubernatorial contest in Lagos State between Jimi Agbaje and Akinwunmi Ambode is politics, since it’s a choice between two credible candidates. Obama versus Romney was politics. The gubernatorial contest in Jigawa is politics, since people have a choice to elect a candidate from a party (PDP) which has done well for them at state level or a candidate from a party (APC) that promises to revolutionize their lives positively.
But they’re mistaken. The forthcoming presidential election is not politics. The gubernatorial contest in Lagos State between Jimi Agbaje and Akinwunmi Ambode is politics, since it’s a choice between two credible candidates. Obama versus Romney was politics. The gubernatorial contest in Jigawa is politics, since people have a choice to elect a candidate from a party (PDP) which has done well for them at state level or a candidate from a party (APC) that promises to revolutionize their lives positively.
I stand united with Sonala Olumhense, who said that the
presidential election this year is a struggle for the soul of Nigeria. “Make no
mistake: this struggle is for the soul of Nigeria, and you are either in the
race for that soul, or assisting someone who is. Anyone who is neither running
nor contributing productively works against Nigeria.”
So, it’s not politics! And it shouldn’t be construed as
such. In this struggle, you can’t be on the fence, because there is no fence.
To give you one premise out of many, I read last week in
Leadership newspaper that 13 of the Chibok girls’ parents have died. Among many
deaths that GEJ caused with his actions and inactions, I attribute these deaths
to him. The parents, the newspaper wrote, died due to stress-related illnesses
on account of the kidnapping of their children. If that was the case, the
deaths were quite avoidable. Some measures could have been taken by the
president to reduce the feeling of hopelessness for parents in such a traumatic
situation, such as showing concern, empathy, giving them hope, visiting the
community and showering them with kind words.
Now imagine you were a Chibok parent, and listened to these
presidential statements:
I’ve not gone to Chibok because it’s not a small place, it’s
a whole local government – President Jonathan.
Going to Chibok will not bring back the girls – President
Jonathan
When I looked at the list, 90% of the girls are Christians –
President Jonathan
We don’t know where the Chibok girls are – President
Jonathan
On the Chibok girls, I don’t want to be quoted – President
Jonathan
We’ve rescued the girls [a lie] – Defense HQ
Nobody is missing – Patience Jonathan, the first lady
These are words from the leaders who are supposed to provide
comfort. Indeed, it took the intervention of a teenage girl, Malala, from a
foreign country, Pakistan, before our president agreed to meet the parents of
the girls. And as if to rub it in, it was reported that someone in the
president’s circle (where stealing is not corruption) attempted to steal the
little money the parents were given.
And now you tell me that voting someone who enacted this
nonsense is politics? This is just one case from many cases of the deaths that
GEJ’s government has caused. As recent as last year, 2014, GEJ and his people
believed that the criminally insane idiots in Boko Haram camp are fighting
political war on behalf of “northerners” to make Nigeria ungovernable for him!
To prove that, Dr. (first name, Bastard) Okupe, the presidential
spokesperson, suggested, on a Channels TV interview which I watched, that local
government elections in Yobe State were conducted hitch free. That comment was
to prove his case that Boko Haram does not attack northern political leaders.
Like ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo said, if Jonathan and his aides had not
wasted time believing that Boko Haram is a creation of his enemies armed to
campaign against his government, these insufferable idiots would have long been
defeated.
Yet, you want me to tolerate people who support this gang?
Someone suggested some of my followers are my students and I should seek to
convince them instead of killing our friendship. My response to that is, I’m
not proud of a student with such a flawed logic as to support a government
which has brought nothing to us in Nigeria save destruction. And I think the
time to convince people is long gone. If you’ve not made up your mind that this
is the worst government we’ve ever had in Nigeria, whatever your age, you’re
beyond redemption. You’re unteachable.
Maybe I didn’t write plainly enough, earlier. I’ll do so
now.
If I had a child old enough to vote and he told me that he’s
going to vote Jonathan, I would disown him. Friends, if l lost, I would make
new ones, but there’s no guarantee I can spawn a new child. This is how
seriously I take this.
For the same reason, if an employee comes to me and says
he’s voting for GEJ, I will thank him for his candour and fire him on the spot.
I can’t risk contaminating my organization by such wicked thinking.
If I had a tenant who promises me to vote GEJ, I would hand
him a quit notice without hesitation. I hope you get the point? Not yet? OK,
here’s the final one: if I were having an open heart surgery, and the lead
surgeon informs me that he’s voting for GEJ, I’ll ask him to drop his scalpel
and let me die!
I’m sure you now get my point. Anybody but Jonathan. And
like I wrote earlier, this resolve is open to no question. That is, you’re not
free to challenge me with (what you think are) valid points – no matter how
reasonable they are.
If you do, I’ll unfriend you too, because by your action,
you’ve demonstrated that I don’t need your friendship, neither do I have the
energy to tolerate you. By the way, I genuinely like my friends. So if our relationship
has reached a point where I’ve to tolerate you, I can’t not, in good
conscience, continue with it.
Dr. Dooba, a data scientist, wrote in from 20 Persiaran
Putra, Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia.
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