A new phrase has entered the nation’s political lexicon. An aide to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who has announced his bid for re-election, has described his principal as “a victim of the tyranny of expectations”. The aide simply wants Nigerians to stop blaming the President for what they consider as failures in his three years in office.
In 2015 when the President was elected, many Nigerians believed that with the retired general emerging at the helm of affairs in Abuja, the ills of the past would be rectified. That is even fair. Some expected him to be a magician with his wand. But Buhari’s unique selling point was his achievements when he served briefly as military Head of State from December 31, 1983, to August 27, 1985.
However, when he hit the campaign trail after emerging as the APC presidential flag-bearer, Buhari promised to fix the nation’s troubled economy, end the high level of corruption in the public sphere and win the war against Boko Haram. Therefore, the voters have tangible factors to consider before deciding whether to re-elect him or not.
There can be no doubt that President Buhari means well for Nigeria. But he seems to be operating at a pace that does not suit the nation’s present circumstances. Consider that it took him more than three months to put his Cabinet in place, resulting in the tag, Baba Go-slow. For sure, many Nigerians from various ethnic groups feel that the President should step down after his first term expires next year. The convenient excuse is that the man’s health and age have become drawbacks in the mammoth task of handling state affairs effectively.
His achievements in the area of security, especially in degrading Boko Haram insurgents have obviously been marred by the wave of herdsmen running amok in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states where innocent villagers are gunned down daily without any cause or warning.
But politics is a game of numbers. Who and who will be competing against the incumbent? If the opposition parties will unite and support a younger, more vibrant and competent candidate in 2019, President Buhari is not likely to find things as easy as his handlers believe.
