Two stories from today serve to hint how precarious Nigeria’s political situation might be if Goodlove Jonathan’s Interim Presidency goes awry.
In his first day in power after taking over the presidency for Umaru Yar’Adua, who is hospitalized in Saudi Arabia with no indication if he will ever recover well enough to return to power, Jonathan shuffled his cabinet. Chief Mike Aondoakaa has been removed from his positions as Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice and he has been shifted (and let’s face it, demoted) to the Special Duties Ministry. Aondoakaa has been controversial in his tenure in office and the demotion may prove to be for the good of Nigeria. But in some circles it will seem that Jonathan is trying to reshape the government in his own image rather than simply serving as a steward of Yar’Adua’s office. And the perception, more than the reality, may matter in a country divided in the myriad ways that Nigeria is divided.
Well away from the capital city of Abuja, meanwhile, there are allegations of corruption in the recent election that was held in the state of Anambra in South-Central Nigeria. There are widespread rumors of vote buying and the run-up to the election saw considerable coercion, including gangs of youths beating people up and stealing ballot boxes. But the problems plaguing Anambra are not local or isolated. Yar’Adua had promised to sort out Nigeria’s notoriously corrupt elections process after he was elected in 2007 in a vote that was marred by corruption, violence, and general perfidy. Now the problem may be Jonathan’s to inherit, and so his own legitimacy will be part of the equation of Nigeria’s success in addressing its political problems.
