While receiving some APC governors, legislators, and political leaders in his Daura residence in Katsina State during the last Sallah, President Muhammadu Buhari declared that he is “eager to go”. In unmistakable terms, he stated that the last seven years of his administration have been “tough”.
This leaves much to be desired for a man who made three attempts in the past to ascend the highest seat in the land to openly declare that he is tired of the office before the end of his tenure. Having desperately sought to occupy the seat of the president with much determination and having succeeded in occupying that seat for only seven years amid eviscerating conditions in the country, one would think that Mr. President would show love for his office and ameliorate the terrible social fortunes of the country before leaving office.
President Buhari should ask his conscience whether he has delivered on his promises on corruption, power supply, infrastructure and security before hurrying from office.
Mr President’s “eager to go” declaration shows a man who, from the beginning was not prepared for the office which he has occupied for seven years.
The first signs of his unpreparedness immediately after he was elected became obvious after it took him many months to constitute his cabinet. That delay by Mr President earned him the sobriquet Baba-Go-Slow. And he did not do much to change that perception. From then on, his administration has been marked by all manner of tensions, especially in the economy and security.
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During the first four years of his administration, Mr President, and his party the APC made excuses that it would take a long time to clean the mess left by former President Goodluck Jonathan under the PDP. Indeed, Nigerians bought into that lame narrative and gave Buhari and his APC government all the support they needed.
At the end of the first four years in power, it was clear that his administration lacked focus and direction. Yet, Nigerians argued that perhaps, he would need another four years to steer the country to new heights. Rightly or wrongly, Buhari won the next election in 2019, thus kick-starting another four years of his administration. From 2019 till now, the country has regressed on many fronts.
But it can be argued that he has made appreciable progress in the infrastructure sector. Whatever achievements he recorded in that sector have been overshadowed by the almost collapse of the Nigerian economy.
Also, the country has been in the strangulating grip of insecurity with many people insisting that the president has not been sincere in dealing with the menace. Corruption within the period of Buhari’s tenure in office has acquired monstrous shadows with corrupt politicians becoming heroes immediately after they cross carpet to his APC party.
Under the watch of the president, monies belonging to the public have been stolen without any consequences. The judiciary has also been compromised with Judges in numerous reckless acts of misconduct. In all of these, it is expected that Mr. President will be challenged to correct so many wrongs that have shaped his time in power as a democratically elected government.
For him to declare that he is ‘eager to go” shows a man who does not have any willingness to affect change of any kind in his country. Indeed, if Mr. President is sincere with his “eager to go” declaration, then he can immediately tender his resignation letter and hand over to the Vice-President to complete his tenure.
There is nowhere it is written in the Constitution that an elected president must complete his tenure even when it is obvious that he is no longer interested in the job. If Mr. President resigns, Nigerians will rejoice and gladly accept his resignation.
But because his “eager to go” declaration is not sincere he would rather cling to power until the last day. The President’s “eager to go” declaration shows a man who is tired of his job but wants to remain in office for ceremonial purposes. The regular practice across the world is that when a President or a political leader is tired of his job, he resigns immediately.
To be sure, Nigerians are also eager to see the President go. The inertia in government is debilitating to the body politic. If a president is ‘eager to go’ and the people are also eager to see him go, he should just go! Mr President, do the right thing: JUST GO!
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