This is a situation many political watchers have imagined. If Rawlings had been a Nigerian, would he have conceded victory and handed over power to his long time opposition leader just like that? The Ghana example is another African instance of peaceful power transfer which other African leaders should strive to emulate.
Unlike Ghana, Nigeria remains one country whose leaders are yet to recognise the wish of the people as supreme.
Had Rawlings been a Nigerian, he would probably have ordered all his hatchet men to truncate the wishes of the people by rigging out the popular candidate.
Of course, Rawlings had all the executive power and wherewithal to keep his choice candidate in power.
He could have ridiculed the constitution and the legal system by formulating a law to deny John Kuffuor the eligibility to contest. But he did not do that.
No Nigerian leader will stand a run-off election without suffocating the opponent into submission. But Rawlings did test his popularity among the people for about two decades.
When Rawlings came into prominence in Ghana in 1979, he was seen as the messiah. He revamped the battered economy and brought Ghana back to its position in the comity of nations. His achievements are still very visible and when he removed his uniform and contested in an election regarded as free and, he won convincingly and he got the support of all Ghanaians. He was loved till the last moment and even as he handed over power, he was still being praised.
Nigeria lacks that integrity in all of its leaders. The patriotism running in Rawlings' blood made him call on members of the armed forces at a parade to mark the end of his rule by showing loyalty and professionalism under Kufuor's rule. He also wished the in-coming president well.
If Rawlings had been a Nigerian, he would probably stirred up ethnic crisis and probably gone to court and attempt to delay his succession by the new government, and perhaps negotiated for a reimbursement for the millions of naira that went into his campaign.
But Rawlings did not do that, and what he got in return far exceeds the material gains. The love and respect of the people for him have increased . Above all, he has been offered a role as a Roving Ambassador for 2001 by the United Nations. He has also agreed to join in the battle against malaria in Africa. Rawlings' name is indeed being written in gold.
