From The Archives: Jonathan Advocates Stoning For Non-Performance

The past week has seen Nigerians hurling stones at the Presidential convoy during campaign rallies. In any other job, this reaction from a crowd has only one meaning: the people are displeased with the man whom they stoned.

In politics, corollaries and alternative theories always intersect: some say the 'stoners' are opposition-sponsored, while the opposition says the incumbent hired the people itself to make them look bad. 

Whatever!

Anyway, this brings to mind something that happened in February 2012. It happened when the then Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, was deposed and Seriake Dickson took his place.

Jonathan accused Sylva of failing the State. 

He said Sylva failed to execute key projects in the State and reneged on his campaign promises. 

Then interesting part was when he turned to Dickson, his beloved, and said unto him: 

"You have brought people from Abuja to Yenagoa today. The only thing I want to tell you in the presence of Bayelsa State is that I was here in this place some months ago and Bayelsans stoned the governor [Sylva]. You must work hard to make sure that Bayelsans don’t stone you. The day I come here and Bayelsans stone you, I will follow and stone you."

By this, we can't blame those who obeyed the commandment of the Commander-in-Chief and stoned him in Katsina and Bauchi States. Obviously, the action was in compliance with what the president advocated in far away Yenagoa in February 2012.