Jonathan is obstructing the rule of law- Chris okotie

Rev. Chris Okotie’s article titled, “Is Jonathan obstructing the rule of law?”, asked a most relevant question at this critical stage of our political evolution. This article by the pastor-politician was published in The PUNCH edition of June 9, 2014. Though it dwelt primarily on the de-registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission of the Fresh Democratic Party founded and led by the Reverend, the article raised issues that had greater implications for the polity as a whole
.As the President and Commander-in-Chief, the buck naturally stops at Goodluck Jonathan’s table. In a statement in The Washington Post of June 26, 2014, titled, “Nothing is more important than bringing home Nigeria’s missing girls, Jonathan said, “…We are also committed to ridding our country of corruption and safeguarding human and civil rights and the rule of law”. It is therefore glaring that he would condone a brazen act of disrespect for the same rule of law by his appointee at the electoral agency, just because it serves a good purpose for him.Certain issues don’t get off the ground without a nod of approval from “the-oga-at-the-top”. If the aim of the deregistration is really to sanitise the political space, then maybe INEC should start by deregistering parties that have been known to rig elections, and the Senate should reamend the Electoral Act to that effect. That is something Nigerians will wholeheartedly applaud, and the international community would like to cheer about.On the heels of the just concluded 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil came the sacking of the Nigeria Football Federation Chairman, Aminu Maigari, by a court. Before we could say Jack Robinson, the sports minister had hurriedly enforced the judgment, ousting the NFF board. But not so in the case of the FRESH Party recertification judgment which was delivered at the Federal High Court 5, Abuja under the Honourable Justice G. O. Kolawole about a year ago. Mr. President cannot feign ignorance of the deregistration and subsequent judgment, so why the double standard?Even parties like the Progressive People’s Alliance which won two governorship seats at the last elections in 2011, are no longer in government or any parliament, as their contestants have defected to the ‘bigger party’(PDP).

 The late General Andrew Azazi was quoted once at saying that, “…With this type of system, how would the largest economy in Africa become the richest country in Africa? Injustice is everywhere”!Mr. President cannot deal with the recalcitrant Chairman of INEC because his obduracy is accomplishing a welcome desire: Stamp out the opposition. The Senate also cannot caution him, as it is largely protected by the same recalcitrance, more so as the Senate, which is constituted largely by the ruling party, and a co-defendant in the re-certification suit, has just passed a law to re-amend of the voided Electoral Act 2010.The recent impounding of distribution vans and seizing of national newspapers by security operatives, and the spate of impeachments in some states across the nation, could be traced to the need to secure these organs towards the 2015 elections. When the political climate is strung so as to ensure that opposition governors are edged out to make way for loyalists, then it cannot be too far-fetched to see who wields the proverbial sword of Damocles.If the President’s appointees and coterie of PAs are not giving him a true picture of the state of the nation (despite their seven-figure salaries), then he takes the blame for the fallout because he is the boss: The buck stops at his table as the elected President. Issues like security and disregard for court judgment have far-reaching consequences which may not be obvious now. They have a way of assuming a life of their own and affecting the national balance negatively. They are encoded with trouble, with destructive repercussions, and as such should not be taken lightly; except of course if it’s in line with the German Philosopher, G. W. F. Hegel’s Law (he attributed the terminology to Immanuel Kant); the dialectical triad of thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis.This deregistration was supposed to be a clean sweep, no-questions-asked, of the affected parties, but INEC did not figure that a presumably feeble party would go all out to challenge the action and win (especially as three other parties had failed in previous bids); then follow through with a relentless demand for the electoral body to honour the court judgment.“Everyone considered him the coward of the county… something always told me, they were reading Tommy wrong”. Those famous words are an excerpt from Kenny Rogers’ song titled: Coward of the county. This brings jarringly to mind INEC’s obvious disposition towards Fresh Party; it seeks to undermine the party’s resolve to participate in the coming elections.Someday in the near future, when this reactionary ruling class has run its course, forward-thinking and progressive-minded people and caucus groups will emerge as political organisms to take up the mantle of change that will bode well for Nigeria.