But as bad as President Jonathan’s regime of impunity has been, we must acknowledge the tortured fact and truth that since the inception of our new fangled democratic enterprise from 1999 to date, President Jonathan holds the unlikely record of conducting the most successful and acceptable elections in Nigeria. History will not only be kind to him in this regard but will go further to declare that in spite of the man’s woeful leadership record he nonetheless stands head above shoulders as the President who conducted the best and most credible elections in all of Nigeria’s history. Yes, all of Nigeria’s history.
In this season of Jonathan bashing, this will certainly come across as an unpopular view but no less the truth. Let us quickly consider the facts. The closest thing to a free, fair and credible election before now was the June 12, 1993 election that produced late MKO Abiola as President. Unfortunately, that election was not only inconclusive but was also truncated by the then military regime of President Babangida. So, though the election was substantially free and fair, it was nonetheless aborted.
From 1999 to date, several elections have been conducted by the troika of General Abdulsalami, President Obasanjo, and President Jonathan. Without a doubt, President Obasanjo’s 2007 general elections holds the record as the worst elections in all of Nigeria’s history. In fact, so bad was the 2007 elections that the main beneficiary, late President Musa Yar’Adua, in an unprecedented demonstration of candor by a sitting Nigerian President, publicly admitted that the elections that produced him were flawed. The 2003 and 1999 elections did not fare much better but were largely accepted by Nigerians who were eager to allow Nigeria’s bourgeoning democracy to flourish. Thoughts of the Maurice Iwu era at INEC still leaves a sour taste in the mouth of most Nigerians.
It was not until the coming of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 that Nigerians started witnessing some inspiring developments in our electoral system. First, was the very popular and well received appointment of Professor Jega as INEC Chairman. Nigerians received this as a welcome breath of fresh air in the stale electoral system. Then came the 2011 elections and Nigerians started getting used to a new lexicon called Temporary Voters Card (TVC). This was the beginning of practical innovations and reforms designed to return integrity and credibility to Nigeria’s electoral process. The 2011 elections came and it was decidedly a million miles better than the 2007 elections. Nigerians applauded this progressive improvement. President Jonathan followed up well by conducting a string of successive credible elections – Gubernatorial, Senatorial, Federal House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly elections.
Nigerians, for instance, will not forget in a hurry the Edo State Gubernatorial election that threw up Adams Oshiomole as Governor; the series of court judgments that threw out PDP Governors and brought in APC Governors; the sensational and historic court judgment that brought in the indefatigable Chibuike Amaechi as Governor of Rivers state. Or is it the recent Ekiti Gubernatorial election that produced the controversial but irrepressible Governor Ayo Fayose and ended the tenure of the cerebral gentleman Governor Fayemi plus many other incredibly credible elections that are etched deep in the recesses of our memories.
And because of the credibility of most of these elections that took place within the six year reign of President Jonathan, Nigerians have also started witnessing a rather novelle but healthy phenomenon – defeated parties to an election calling the winners to concede victory and accept defeat – a previously unknown phenomenon in Nigeria. Most memorably, amongst many of these magnanimous gestures, were those of Governor Fayemi calling Mr. Fayose to concede and congratulate him after the Ekiti Governorship election and of course the more epochal case of President Jonathan calling General Buhari to do same even when the full and final results in the presidential poll were yet to be announced. These are undeniable milestones in our electoral reform process and due credit must go to the leadership of President Jonathan in this regard.
And why not? Since Jonathan’s inauguration as President, there has been a clear, deliberate and consistent effort to strengthen and improve the electoral system and processes in Nigeria. Legislative reviews resulting in new and improved electoral acts; the progression of the TVC into PVC plus the introduction of card readers and a dozen other reforms which added significant value to the electoral process. The culmination of all these reforms is what Nigerians have just experienced in the 2015 general elections which not only produced desired outcomes but also set a benchmark standard for future elections. From the onset, President Jonathan’s ‘body language’ actions and rhetoric left only few in doubt as to his avowed commitment to reforming Nigeria’s electoral system. Consistently, he averred that ‘No Nigerian’s blood is worth his ambition to be President’. He affirmed his determination to confront and resolve the pathologies that have hitherto held sway in our electoral system. The evidence on the table today, strongly suggest that President Jonathan largely succeeded in this quest.
Without any doubt, the bulk of the elections conducted under President Jonathan are substantially better than all the elections previously conducted in Nigeria. The 2015 elections, in particular, have given Nigerians a new hope. A new confidence and renewed optimism. Nigerians should not and must not attempt to take away from President Jonathan his tangible and enormous accomplishments in the area of electoral reform.
So, while we enjoy: the surprising new reality of voting and having our votes count; our new found power to remove an incumbent Nigerian President from office through the ballot; our right to vent our disappointments, rage, frustration, ire, etc at the seamy six year stewardship of President Jonathan, we should however, not forget to also pause a while and remember that the same man made possible the credible elections that we are today celebrating. President Jonathan could very easily and recklessly have taken a hard line do-or-die stance and rig the elections in a brazen manner. He could have appointed someone less honorable than Professor Jega as INEC Chairman. He could have disallowed the use of PVC’s and card readers. He could have denied INEC the huge funds they required to execute their work effectively. He could have contested the presidential results and refuse to hand over to Buhari and by so doing, possibly, plunge Nigeria into its second civil war. He could have done so much before, during and after the elections to deny Nigerians this shining moment in history. For this reason alone, I strongly believe that Nigerians ought to be magnanimous enough to spare a kind thought, a compliment or two for President Jonathan.
President Jonathan in the run up to the 2011 elections promised Nigerians fresh air. Quite frankly, at the end of his four year tenure, the evidence on the ground shows that he succeeded in fouling the little fresh air Nigeria enjoyed prior to his coming. But in the singular area of electoral reform, President Jonathan not only breathed fresh air but he wielded a magic wand and demonstrated uncommon leadership. In this sense, President Jonathan’s record on the electoral reform front stands out brilliantly as his greatest and most enduring accomplishment in his morally challenged presidency.
That is why recognizing that President Jonathan has done more than any other Nigerian President to reform our electoral processes and systems and according him the credit due him in this regard is the view less canvassed that ought to, in fairness, be boldly canvassed.
Anthony Ubani, a leadership & Communication development advisor, writes from Abuja
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Anthony Ubani