Political parties tend to stay the course; rise and ebb with elections. Nigeria practices the Politics of the Purse, whereby players swing from party to party; hedging their bet in order to make sure they are not losing. It is a winner takes all political environment, so a POLITICAL MOVEMENT.
 
Nigeria’s politicians do not run on principles and values, it is mostly for convenience and comfort believing that once in the right party, winning an election is guaranteed. Add tribal lines, and one is exposed to a bunch of sheep looking for a shepherd.
 
Obasanjo did not cause the failure of PDP. Anyone could come up with reasons Jonathan did not win. Assigning Obasanjo the undue power of having derailed PDP, is exaggerated. Obasanjo, a fox, probably saw the handwriting on the wall, and wanted to be part and on the side of history. He is an opportunist. Also, if the Igbo saying – ofu onye adi akali oha – a person should not be greater than the community -  is anything to go by, then giving Obasanjo credit negates the saying.
 
Give Nigerians the credit: They got fed up and fired their president. Going forward, I hope this resonates so that anyone accorded the opportunity to serve takes to heart that it is an honor and not hand-up to abuse the people.
 
Nigerians just got wiser and elected to teach PDP party a lesson. Buhari’s winning was by default because people did not have another compelling choice. Again, if he can bring back the attitude of 1983-85, Nigerians will align and line up. PDP and its Zoologist turned president encouraged political indiscipline.
 
Nigerians must be commended for standing up against a dysfunctional government. Jonathan liked being president but lacked the ability to be presidential. His cabinet looked like college faculty – doctors and doctorates, yet as the country got sicker and sickened, he acted like a zoo master – allowing the tamed and untamed animals run afoul of what makes sense. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Diezani Allison-Madueke should have been fired in 2012/2103 when the oil subsidy was a hot matter. Instead, the ladies in council who counseled Jonathan, were allowed to look like untouchables but the economy lifeline depends on oil and the finance ministries.
 
The Naira lost more value during Jonathan’s term even as the oil price traded in 3-digits, and even as Jonathan inherited a period Nigeria foreign debts were either forgiven, written down or suspended. Instead, Ministers of Finance and Petroleum bungled the situation and Jonathan acting clueless and ineffectual kept quiet.
 
Stella Oduah, buying bullet proof cars, should have called for instant dismissal, with demand to refund the money or have the cars auctioned.  No one should forget Patience, Madam First Lady, who accepted absentee job in Bayelsa. It comes a time one has to call their family members to order in service of the nation. Jonathan could not or did not. Everyone in Bayelsa claimed him as brother/father/uncle/cousin, all posturing as gatekeepers. Jonathan had more people claiming him as a relation than there are weeds in Bayelsa.
 
Touching on National Security, Boko Haram was another matter Jonathan did not know what to do. At the heat of the moment, he went to France to consult. Really!

By Ejike E. Okpa

Dalla, Texas.