The cold war between President Goodluck Jonathan and some prominent forces of opposition, especially governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been described as an anathema to democracy and an act capable of giving the nascent democracy a bad name.
Speaking exclusively to Blueprint in Kano, a renowned public affairs analyst, Alhaji Zubairu Amadu Rawayau, said it is wrong for the political class to relish washing their dirty linen in public, stressing that, there is a subtle way they can criticize each other with some semblance of decorum and honour.
He said, “The level of animosity between Jonathan and opposition forces is unprecedented, even though we are practicing a democratic system, but that does not preclude us from respecting each other. What is happening is a bad omen for democracy and it is high time we buried the hatchet.
“The office of the president is a prominent institution that must be respected and revered with honour, with equal respect accorded governors and other eminent personalities. Followers should not be made to believe that, in a democracy respect and decorum should not be espoused.”
According to the public affairs analyst, the electorate had placed too much expectation on the political class to deliver the much needed dividend of democracy without rancor, stressing that, with unnecessary acrimony and endless vendetta the quest for entrenching a sound and foul-free democratic system would be an exercise in futility.
Taking a retrospective look at the days when the late first civilian governor of Kano State, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Rimi, engaged President Shehu Shagari in a psychological war of attrition during the second republic, the analyst maintained that Shagari had acknowledged the fact that, Rimi had been the first person to greet him every morning stressing that, he had been doing that knowing that, Shagari was the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“There is nothing bad for a governor to welcome the president to his domain on a visit. Having had some ideological differences, does not give room for a president to be snubbed. Once he is welcomed, he would be fully convinced that he commands considerable respect. Doing that does not mean that, the opposition is over.”
He further revealed that the president should not be deterred in his mission to deliver the dividend of democracy to opposition states all over the country, considering the fact that, he is a leader saying. The governors themselves have nothing to lose when they go cap in hand seeking presidential favours.
He called on President Jonathan and the APC governors to sheathe their swords for the sake of making the nascent democratic system to survive, warning that, perpetuating the animosity would only spell doom for the nation.
