It is with great interest I have watched as the race for the coveted Aso rock seat has begun to heat up. The moves and countermoves by both the incumbent fedora wearing gentleman in the villa now and the countless number of individuals who are nursing the ambition to unseat this gentleman is quiet interesting. Looking at the emergence of the APC it makes the contest even better as we are now seeing perhaps the best chance that the opposition parties have to unseat their sworn enemies and opponents in the PDP. This writer is most concerned with what the ordinary citizens stand to gain from this intense politicking which has already started to cause all kinds of ripples in the affairs of both the government and the governed.
To say that the president is not alarmed by the emergence of the APC will be to tell a lie of gargantuan proportions. I can boldly say that the president and his men are rattled because he has his work cut out for him. I intend to be as objective as I can and certainly will not resort to name calling and insults as has been the other of the day when ever youths have cause to write or talk about our president. It is just important that we look at this man JONATHAN and ask ourselves candidly, has he done well? What he has achieved in office so far does it warrant another term in office. This to me is the crux of the whole matter. When we sieve out the dross of praise and bootlicking of his men and cronies and also sift through the huge amount of propaganda being thrown at him by the opposition the question remains is he the man for the job.
Politicians in my country have always proven to have no permanent party, ideology or even consistent manifestoes. What is sure that politicians in my country stand for is permanent interest. This can be observed in the way they cross carpet from one party to another as soon as elections begin to draw neigh. Also the incumbent in this country usually wields power and political strength that is very potent as was seen in the general elections of 2003 ,2007 and even 2011.That being said , I suspect that when the dust which is currently flying in the PDP settles the president will most likely be the flag bearer of the PDP. The APC on its part is not yet fully formed so issues of a presidential candidate and running mate might be premature just yet.
The power blocs in the PDP are varied both in composition and in strength. Currently we have the president and his group which includes TONY ANENIH – the Mr fix it, BamangaTukur- the PDP chairman and most members on the BOT of the party along with Akpabio, a trusted supporter of the president. The general from otta constitutes another power bloc within the fold of the PDP. Perhaps the general’s faction is the most lethal to the ambition of the president. This general is legendary for outsmarting his opponents but frankly this is going to be one of his toughest battles because for once the general has pitched his tent against those who have the power of incumbency. This has not been his play for most of the times when the general has held sway as far as intra party politics is concerned. It will make for interesting showing how the general decides to play and who he does eventually support. we also understand that the general prefers Sule Lamido and Rotimi Amaechi as his anointed ones. A certain Babangida Aliyu is also a force to be reckoned with as this race begins to heat up. He has shown interest in this race by reminding the president of a pact the president was said to have signed. The president as expected denied the existence of any such pact and so things are getting to a head. We also see that within the PDP all is not well. The number of aggrieved politicians is increasing and like I said earlier cross carpeting has already begun in earnest as we must always remember through this discuss that our politicians have no qualms with crossing back and forth from one party or platform to another.
The APC on its part represents the first laudable step taken by opposition in this country. Finally the opposition seems to understand the strength of what they are up against within the PDP. The common man on the street is watching out for who the APC will field as their candidates and this will go a very long way. On a personal note, I believe that a joint ticket carrying Buhari and Fashola might be the answer to this puzzle for the APC. The merits of this combination I can say firmly and boldly outweigh the demerits. Fashola has the backing of his Godfather Tinubu and with intense campaigning can deliver the southwest to APC. Buhari on the other hand has a very strong support base in the north and even in the election with the incumbent it was a close call. This puts these two men in shape firmly for this race. The APC also has in roads into the Niger delta through Edo state which oshiomole can deliver and then Imo which Rochas can deliver. Anambara state will also be in the hands of opposition and so frankly APC stands a realistic chance against the PDP. This coupled with the fact that the handlings of the book haram issue by the incumbent leaves much to be desired and I do not see his campaign train moving fast or even moving at all in the north. Time as always will tell to which direction this whole battle will swing.

intresting