‎Justice Salami’s Insights and the Intrigues of Jonathan’s Ambition

‎By Danjuma Muhammad.
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‎When speculations over former President Jonathan’s plan to stage a come-back as President hit the public space, keen observers of political events in Nigeria dismissed the the speculation as a mere rumour, or at best, a ploy by dishonest politicians, to bite from the the huge pie of Jonathan’s retirement benefits, by luring him into the murky waters of partisan politics.
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‎The unlikelihood of former President Jonathan’s return to electoral contests was reinforced by his wife’s public declaration of the former first family’s loyalty and support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
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‎As the nation witnessed the body language of the former President, through his hobnobbing with opposition politicians of different political creeds, it became clearer by the day that, though his decision to contest the presidential election in 2027 may not originate from him, the former President was intentional in his quest to stage a come-back to power in 2027.
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‎He suddenly found the voice of a ‘statesman’ to criticize government policies and actions in a manner unusual of his person, posture, and character, in the bid to elicit public endorsement for his undeclared presidential ambition.
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‎Retired Justice Ayo Salami’s opinion article on former President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the presidential election in 2027, would have passed as a normal individual observation of Nigeria’s constitutional process that did not carry the weight of the law. But because it came from a retired Justice of the highest judicial order, who also qualifies to be described as a living legend of jurisprudence in Nigeria, it is generally perceived within the unlearned circle, as an authoritative pre-trial judgment.
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‎The air of finality with which retired Justice Ayo Salami concluded that “it is painstakingly and dispassionately demonstrated to all and sundry that the ambition of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest for the office of the President for the second term in the 2027 general election is effectively and undoubtedly shot down..” must have emanated from an empirically faultless legal premise, in my opinion.
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‎The implications of retired Justice Salami’s opinion article to the Jonathan political camp could be enormous, especially when viewed from the prism of the motives behind the former President’s desire to stage a come-back to power.
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‎No matter the angle from which one looks at Salami’s standpoints on Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility for office of President, not much explanations would be required to convince anybody that the learned perspective of the former President of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, was a devastating blow below-the-belt, to the gladiators and proponents of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s second coming to power.
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‎Similarly, the silence of the grave yard that welcomed Salami’s incisive views into the circle of pro-Jonathan politicians like Prof. Jerry Gana, Nasiru El Rufai, and former Federal Attorney General Abubakar Malami etc, strongly suggest that the initial take-off of Jonathan 2027 flight may have been quietly aborted.
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‎The group of politicians that attempted to package the former President for the 2027 presidential race, did so for ulterior motives, that had nothing to do with the quality, but convenience of his candidature. They planned to use his one-term validity period as a campaign slogan.to confront President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the presidential race, without breaching the established order of rotational presidency between the North and the South. A factor that got desperate contenders like Àlh. Abubakar Atiku and Mr. Peter Obi to adopt the one-term model, as a bait to get the presidency in 2027.
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‎The attractions of the candidature of Goodluck Jonathan’s second coming to eccentric politicians like Prof. jerry Gana, Nasiru El Rufai, and Abubakar Malami etc, was all about personal political beafs and considerations. They intend to use the former President’s ambition to exact revenge on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over real and imaginary personal grievances. For them, defeating President Tinubu in 2027 presidential election is a task that must be done, even if it is at the expense of current macro and micro economic milestones.
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‎Ayo Salami’s insight into the validity of Jonathan’s return voyage to power, has not only exposed the true intentions of the political shenanigans that floated the idea, but also enlightened Nigerians and the world in general, on the constitutionality of Nigeria’s democracy.
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‎The Jonathan camp is certainly in a state of confusion resulting from Salami’s opinion article. And until they reel out their next options to the public, Nigerians would continue to believe that the mid air flight of Jonathan’s political ambition, has experience an emergency landing.
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‎Danjuma Muhammad is the Vice Chairman of the Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI)
‎Abuja.
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