Reluctantly to the election

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THE INSIDE VIEW

The combination of militia attacks in the Middle Belt, killing over 200 people, and bombs in the Niger Delta has given Acting President Goodluck Jonathan the pretext to assert his authority – despite his questionable constitutional position and the opposition of most of the 36 state governors. The sacking on 17 March of all the ministers appointed by ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua means the balance of power swings back in Jonathan’s direction. He started the process by removing the much excoriated Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa, then sacked National Security Advisor Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar and is now reshaping the regime, helped by three veteran soldiers: Lieutenant General Theophilus Danjuma, who chairs Jonathan’s Advisory Council, the new National Security Advisor, Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, and former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi. The mass ministerial sacking may be a ploy to purge Yar’Adua’s placemen but reappoint committed reformers, such as Oil Minister Rilwanu Lukman and his Deputy, Odein Ajumogobia, and Finance Minister Mansur Mukhtar. It may also prompt another clash with the governors who have sided with Yar’Adua’s camp in recent weeks. It may be a risk worth taking, given the outbreak of political violence around the country. After clinging to Yar’Adua’s baba riga for months, the more ambitious politicians may now press for early elections, while they block attempts to reform the present corrupt system.