The year 2015 held out a lot of promises. Politics was the major agenda, according to this recap by Correspondent SAM NWOKORO.
Heated political campaigns
On January 6, the then opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) formally flagged off its presidential campaign in Port Harcourt where it presented Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate.
Two days later, the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declared its own presidential campaign in Lagos with Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate.
That set the stage for the most hotly contested presidential election in Nigeria’s history.
January to March was dominated by campaign promises, slogans, and intense politicking by both the PDP and APC to win votes.
Buhari promised that, if elected, he would fight corruption and insurgency as well as revive the economy as soon as he was sworn on May 29.
Jonathan pitched for the consolidation of his economic policies, saying: “Nigeria under our watch has made significant strides in every aspect. Our economy is the strongest and the largest on the African continent and preferred destination for foreign direct investment.
“We have focused on job creation and the expansion of opportunities for our teeming youths as well as interventions to promote small and medium scale enterprises.
“Through an internationally acclaimed transformational agricultural programme, we have re-established agriculture as a business and a major driver of economic growth.”
Thus much of the first quarter of 2015 centered on the integrity of Jonathan and Buhari.
People rated Buhari better than Jonathan during the electioneering because of Jonathan’s perceived weakness.
The presidential election was originally scheduled for February 28.
But it was later shifted to March 28 because of insecurity and logistics hiccups of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was then chaired by Attahiru Jega.
Boko Haram ferocity
Boko Haram insurgency in the North East was unceasing throughout the year, with frequent killings and maimings.
The violence paused shortly after the presidential election then resumed with ferocity around June after Buhari assumed office.
The problem tasked the military which had many soldiers ambushed and killed by the jihadists, especially in Borno, Yobe, and Bauchi.
The insurgents also caused mayhem in Kano, Plateau, Nasarawa, and Abuja. It threatened the election and held the nation on edge.
Voting exercise
Public consciousness characterised the general election. For the first time since the return to democracy in 1999, the ballot was narrowed down to two major contenders as if it were between the right and the left of political ideologies.
While the PDP anchored its continued relevance to Nigeria on democratic credentials and economic reform and pushed for consolidation until 2019, the APC arrested attention with rampant allegations of corruption and security compromise in the PDP administration.
The APC attributed insecurity and Boko Haram torment to corruption among Jonathan’s men who infiltrated the Army and the security apparatus.
Corruption and insecurity were the two main planks on which Buhari fought and won the argument which led to his victory against Jonathan.
Diplomatic interventions
Nigeria garnered more diplomatic goodwill during the election. Many countries showed interest in a free, fair, and peaceful election in Africa’s most populous nation.
United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, visited Nigeria and made Jonathan and Buhari to sign an agreement to keep the peace before and after the vote.
There were fears that Nigeria might break up if the election degenerated into violence, fed by the hardline positions of both camps.
Besides, Jonathan’s loyalists felt that he was being blackmailed out of office by Northern power brokers, some of whom are alleged sponsors of Boko Haram.
Hitches and glitches
Irregularities witnessed in the election proper included
• Registration of under aged voters.
• Disfranchisement of qualified voters whose names were missing in the voters’ register.
• Controversial allocation of polling boots and collation centres.
• Malfunctioning of card reader machines in many polling units.
• Voter intimidation.
• Ballot stuffing.
• Rioting.
• Bombing of party headquarters (as in Port Harcourt).
• Announcement of allegedly rigged results.
• Concern for the safety of electoral officers.
Jonathan’s historic step
When Jonathan conceded victory to Buhari, the heart of the nation which was hanging like a basket of eggs hanging on rooftop, mellowed and jubilation reigned.
Jonathan bequeathed to the nation an environment where democratic behaviour has become entrenched.
Eulogy still trails that singular action which is a new vista in Africa.
APC’s burden of victory
Another major matter that came up soon after the APC assumed power was how to share the loot of victory.
Buhari had said he would settle with whoever were elected principal officers of the National Assembly (NASS) irrespective of party.
Bukola Saraki staged a coup against his fellow APC renegade senators – whom he did not trust – and emerged Senate president.
The public was infuriated further when the Senate went on recess for more than a month, resume briefly, and went for another one month recess.
Fury over appointments
Buhari himself caused a stir in various sections of the society by his lopsided appointments, especially in picking service chiefs.
The South East complained of being sidelined when no Igbo made the top grade in the Army, Navy or Air Force.
Many thought that Ogbonnaya Onu, now Science and Technology minister, would be part of Buhari’s kitchen cabinet as secretary to the government of the federation. But a Northerner got the job.
Naira bashing
The value of the naira took an unprecedented slide from N156 to N220 to the dollar after Buhari took office.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, restricted foreign exchange (forex) sale in the official window for the importation of certain goods as part of measures to stabilise the naira and shore up foreign reserves.
This has failed to stem the slide of the naira which now exchanges at N260 to the dollar at the parallel market.
Public pressure
This was a year Nigeria came to the edge of the precipice before it miraculously wriggled out.
Buhari is beginning to face agitation from a public yearning for true change.
What happens in 2016 will be determined in part by the implementation of his $6 trillion budget.
