Jonathan's Legitimacy and the Absence of Value Judgment in the Polity.

Boko Haram's demands are not new to us. For a start, Nigeria is a secular state; therefore, any form of extorted or forceful religious indoctrination of the unaffiliated is treasonable - an act of war against the sovereign. And it should be treated as such. Two, President Jonathan was duly elected, and as the Vice President, he has every right to step into the vacated office that came up following the death of President Musa Yar’Adua. His legitimacy is unequivocally unquestioned.

The truth is that the zoning formula adopted by the PDP during the primaries, ceased to be of any legal or logical relevance once President Yar’Adua and Vice President Good Luck Jonathan ran, won, and sworn in as President and Vice President respectively. So, on the death of either the President or Vice President; it is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that defines succession process, not the zoning law or formula that was adopted by PDP during the primaries. President Jonathan's right to worship or serve his God the way he chooses is a protected right. Three, demanding that the President must convert to Islam and that Sharia Law should supersede any other law in the land are rickety and ridiculous at best.

Four, President Jonathan yielded to the demands of the northern elders and made Sambo Dasuki, a distinguished retired Military Officer, and infect, one of their own, his Security Adviser. Then he agreed to dialogue with leadership of the sect. In addition, and contrary to all expectations, he dangled offer of amnesty before the sect and their sponsors. Yet, nothing could avail them to disarm. And in the process, millions of Naira was squandered romanticizing with bogus groups masquerading as Boko Haram or its affiliates.

Five, there is no similarity between Boko Haram insurgency and militant activities in the Niger Delta as some maverick/intellectuals want the world to believe. With respect to the militants’ activities in the Niger Delta, late President Musa Yar’Adua and his emissaries were able to meet with ascertainable names and identifiable personalities to negotiate agreements that were mutually beneficial to all parties involved.

So, as we move towards a new era in the war against Boko Haram, Boko Haram sympathizers should stop the comparison. One is fighting a just and legitimate battle following years of neglect and desecration of their environment by careless multi-national oil companies and by Federal Institutions dominated by Nigerians who do not know what it takes to survive on contaminated water and polluted air. The other is waging a war of attrition, diabolical and unfathomable, hiding under the cover of darkness, killing and maiming defenseless Nigerians mercilessly.

And six, 2015 is around the corner; lets the voters make their voice heard. It is high time credible candidates – if there are any out there - stand head and shoulder high and step into the scene for a run against President Jonathan in 2015. Until he is defeated at a popular election, he is our President, imbued with all the respect and perquisites deserving of that office. Anything to the contrary is a call for anarchy.

He is clueless, so goes the popular saying in and around the social media. If that is the case, one would have thought that by now, given his vulnerability, the political environment would be abuzz with campaign slogans and names of potential Presidential candidates from the other political parties. In other words, he is an easy target - one very easy to take down. Surprisingly, none of that is happening. So far, the field is bereft of quality candidates. The Presidential election is about a year from now, and the only Presidential candidate standing is President Jonathan.

Anything but Jonathan as most commentators want us to swallow is not good enough. Nigerians want to see credible and quality candidates ready to fight a good fight. This is no time for ad hoc leadership and management.  

His major critics as well as those who should be in the race right now - meeting with potential voters, interest groups and supporters, and delivering speeches all over the country - are not doing so for obvious reasons: They are stupendously rich and stupendously corrupt. They would rather gang up against President Jonathan, than enter the Presidential race and run on their list of accomplishments. It is all about credibility. And as Jesus Christ would say, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The Presidential election is less than a year, in spite of that, none of the more than twenty six registered political parties is yet to produce a credible candidate capable of taking down PDP. Nigerians know who President Jonathan is, but they don't know who you are and what you are bringing to the table. It is time you start making a case for acceptance.