With the heating up of political discussions and rivalry, it is obvious these are the times that our compatriots should remain steadfast in their political convictions. Let us not allow political rhetorics to sway us, Goodluck Jonathan for President!

We all agreed in 2003 that Buhari was not the best for president. Things haven't changed a lot since then. In my opinion, he hasn't changed. He is still a clueless aspirant and will be defeated in a free and fair election come next month. Chosing a southern evangelist doesn't make him less of an autocrat. His legacy is anything but plausible.

That having been said, if he wins the election next month, well, we his political opponents will rally round him and give his all the encouragements. All we need is a free and fair election.

Vote Goodluck!
Don't vote Ohakim!
Don't vote Theodre!
Vote Fashola!
Don't waste your votes compatriots!
Only vote able hands!




http://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFLDE72F2I320110316

UPDATE 1-Nigeria's Jonathan wraps up campaign in Muslim north
Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:38pm GMT Print | Single Page [-] Text [+]
* Northern support key to chances of first round win


* Kano second most populous city after Lagos

* Northern elites fear marginalisation

(Recasts with quotes, colour from rally)

By Nick Tattersall

KANO, Nigeria, March 16 (Reuters) - Thousands of ruling party supporters flocked to a dusty polo ground in Nigeria's northern city of Kano on Wednesday for the penultimate leg of President Goodluck Jonathan's election campaign tour.

Securing support in this ancient Islamic city, Nigeria's second most populous after the southern commercial hub of Lagos, will be key if Jonathan, who is from the southern Niger Delta, is to clinch victory in the first round of the April polls.

As the incumbent, Jonathan is considered the front-runner, but his main rival, Muslim ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has strong grass roots support in many parts of the north and the opposition is hoping to force a run-off.
"We will unite this country, and run an open government that does not discriminate," Jonathan told the crowd, eschewing his usual fedora and kaftan for a red cap and white robes, the traditional dress of the northern Hausa-Fulani ethnic group.

"We are encouraged by the crowd we see here," he said, on the 35th stage of his tour of Nigeria's 36 states.

From Islamic police enforcing a ban on beer and prostitution to its centuries-old market and mosques, Kano feels like a different country to the pulsating southern sprawl of Lagos.
Its dusty, tree-lined streets and throngs of child beggars have more in common with the sleepy Sahelian cities of Niger or Chad than with Lagos in the south, a city built on hustle and home to some of Africa's largest firms and richest tycoons.

Jonathan inherited power after the death of late northern President Umaru Yar'Adua last year and some in the northern elite feel his victory would rob them of what should have been another four years in power for their region.



Buhari's reputation as a disciplinarian won respect from some, who lament the extent to which corruption has spread, and sits well with the conservatism of Kano, one of only four states where uniformed Islamic police are used to enforce sharia law.

He ruled Nigeria between December 1983 and August 1985, an iron-fisted administration best remembered for its "War Against Indiscipline", a campaign against graft in which politicians were jailed and drug traffickers executed.

"Buhari has a clean mind. He is a very religious and Godly person," said Hajia Hadisa Mohammed, 85, buying textiles in Kano's Kwari market, a labyrinth of narrow alleyways packed with stalls made of wooden lattice and corrugated iron roofs.

GRINDING POVERTY

Much is at stake in Kano and Nigeria's other northern cities. Jonathan must win at least 25 percent of the vote in two thirds of the states to clinch victory. The core north, along with opposition strongholds in the southwest, are seen as the most likely regions to prevent him succeeding.

Northern Muslims long pulled the strings of political power.

Four military rulers from the region led the country in the decade and a half before democracy was restored in 1999 but since the end of military rule, the upper echelons of the security forces have increasingly been staffed by southerners and some in the north fear being marginalised.

The south has the oil reserves and sea ports and is home to the headquarters of Nigeria's banks. Rapid economic growth has created a generation of independent wealth no longer so reliant on the political patronage once dispensed by northern strongmen.

On the streets of Kano, such rivalries are considered the preserve of the political elite. For most people in a region where industry and agriculture are in decline, more basic issues such as jobs and reliable electricity supply are the priorities.

"What we want is change. This government has failed us. Buhari is the only option," said Sagir Haruna at his market stall, surrounded by piles of fabric from India and China.

For many of Nigeria's 150 million people, scraping by on a few dollars a day, politics is a game played by the wealthy whose prize is control of oil revenues and government contracts and whose outcome has little impact on their daily lives.

Kano youths grabbed what they could from Jonathan's rally.

Moments after his convoy sped from the polo ground, there was a scramble to strip the podium on which he had spoken, scavenging valuable planks of wood, tearing material from the drapings and even ripping up the red carpet, part of which was offered to this correspondent for 1,000 naira ($6).

"I came with just my legs, but now I've got this," said Abubakar Sadiq, 21, carting off a large scaffolding poll.

"I will keep it in my house and think of Goodluck Jonathan whenever I look at it," he said, but then paused and added:

"Or maybe I'll sell it." (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ ) (Additional reporting by Mike Oboh; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Matthew Tostevin)

UPDATE 1-Nigeria's Jonathan wraps up campaign in Muslim north
# Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:38pm GMT Print | Single Page [-] Text
* Northern support key to chances of first round win


* Kano second most populous city after Lagos

* Northern elites fear marginalisation

(Recasts with quotes, colour from rally)

By Nick Tattersall

KANO, Nigeria, March 16 (Reuters) - Thousands of ruling party supporters flocked to a dusty polo ground in Nigeria's northern city of Kano on Wednesday for the penultimate leg of President Goodluck Jonathan's election campaign tour.

Securing support in this ancient Islamic city, Nigeria's second most populous after the southern commercial hub of Lagos, will be key if Jonathan, who is from the southern Niger Delta, is to clinch victory in the first round of the April polls.

As the incumbent, Jonathan is considered the front-runner, but his main rival, Muslim ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has strong grass roots support in many parts of the north and the opposition is hoping to force a run-off.
"We will unite this country, and run an open government that does not discriminate," Jonathan told the crowd, eschewing his usual fedora and kaftan for a red cap and white robes, the traditional dress of the northern Hausa-Fulani ethnic group.

"We are encouraged by the crowd we see here," he said, on the 35th stage of his tour of Nigeria's 36 states.

From Islamic police enforcing a ban on beer and prostitution to its centuries-old market and mosques, Kano feels like a different country to the pulsating southern sprawl of Lagos.
Its dusty, tree-lined streets and throngs of child beggars have more in common with the sleepy Sahelian cities of Niger or Chad than with Lagos in the south, a city built on hustle and home to some of Africa's largest firms and richest tycoons.

Jonathan inherited power after the death of late northern President Umaru Yar'Adua last year and some in the northern elite feel his victory would rob them of what should have been another four years in power for their region.



Buhari's reputation as a disciplinarian won respect from some, who lament the extent to which corruption has spread, and sits well with the conservatism of Kano, one of only four states where uniformed Islamic police are used to enforce sharia law.

He ruled Nigeria between December 1983 and August 1985, an iron-fisted administration best remembered for its "War Against Indiscipline", a campaign against graft in which politicians were jailed and drug traffickers executed.

"Buhari has a clean mind. He is a very religious and Godly person," said Hajia Hadisa Mohammed, 85, buying textiles in Kano's Kwari market, a labyrinth of narrow alleyways packed with stalls made of wooden lattice and corrugated iron roofs.

GRINDING POVERTY

Much is at stake in Kano and Nigeria's other northern cities. Jonathan must win at least 25 percent of the vote in two thirds of the states to clinch victory. The core north, along with opposition strongholds in the southwest, are seen as the most likely regions to prevent him succeeding.

Northern Muslims long pulled the strings of political power.

Four military rulers from the region led the country in the decade and a half before democracy was restored in 1999 but since the end of military rule, the upper echelons of the security forces have increasingly been staffed by southerners and some in the north fear being marginalised.

The south has the oil reserves and sea ports and is home to the headquarters of Nigeria's banks. Rapid economic growth has created a generation of independent wealth no longer so reliant on the political patronage once dispensed by northern strongmen.

On the streets of Kano, such rivalries are considered the preserve of the political elite. For most people in a region where industry and agriculture are in decline, more basic issues such as jobs and reliable electricity supply are the priorities.

"What we want is change. This government has failed us. Buhari is the only option," said Sagir Haruna at his market stall, surrounded by piles of fabric from India and China.

For many of Nigeria's 150 million people, scraping by on a few dollars a day, politics is a game played by the wealthy whose prize is control of oil revenues and government contracts and whose outcome has little impact on their daily lives.

Kano youths grabbed what they could from Jonathan's rally.

Moments after his convoy sped from the polo ground, there was a scramble to strip the podium on which he had spoken, scavenging valuable planks of wood, tearing material from the drapings and even ripping up the red carpet, part of which was offered to this correspondent for 1,000 naira ($6).

"I came with just my legs, but now I've got this," said Abubakar Sadiq, 21, carting off a large scaffolding poll.

"I will keep it in my house and think of Goodluck Jonathan whenever I look at it," he said, but then paused and added:

"Or maybe I'll sell it." (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ ) (Additional reporting by Mike Oboh; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Matthew Tostevin)

The man wont win one vote in the north.

timbuk two:


The man wont win one vote in the north.

This is what you will keep saying until they swear the man in.

The man wont win one vote in the north.

Is it because he is a southerner, his lacklustre campaign (and manifesto) or his underperformance since he took over from Yar Adua? Perhaps, it's because the North needs to complete another term in the office?

Newscaster:

This is what you will keep saying until they swear the man in.

Na u wan swear for am? This time around rigging by PDP will be resisted vehemently, especially in the SW and the North and from all indications GEJ can eat grass for all these people care.

[size=24pt]Vote BB 2011[/size] for the future of our children

azorjiu:

Is it because he is a southerner, his lacklustre campaign (and manifesto) or his underperformance since he took over from Yar Adua? Perhaps, it's because the North needs to complete another term in the office?

For better of worse it's a combination of all of the above.

Newscaster:

This is what you will keep saying until they swear the man in.

You again! Dude, I've asked you this before: Where are his supporters?? Where are the votes coming from??

Solomon227:

Na u wan swear for am? This time around rigging by PDP will be resisted vehemently, especially in the SW and the North and from all indications GEJ can eat grass for all these people care.

[size=24pt]Vote BB 2011[/size] for the future of our children

Hmmm, Buhari's popularity seems to be 'webometric'. In reality, it appears he is trailing Goodluck.

Solomon227:

Na u wan swear for am? This time around rigging by PDP will be resisted vehemently, especially in the SW and the North and from all indications GEJ can eat grass for all these people care.

[size=24pt]Vote BB 2011[/size] for the future of our children

15 days - and all the noise will stop. Who is shouting rigging? CPC. Why, because they already know they wont win. So they sing the song, rigged.

timbuk two:

For better of worse it's a combination of all of the above.

You again! Dude, I've asked you this before: Where are his supporters?? Where are the votes coming from??

You read, you dont understand, you look, but you cant see.

azorjiu:

Hmmm, Buhari's popularity seems to be 'webometric'. In reality, it appears he is trailing Goodluck.

''In reality, it appears''. . .a tad contradictory, don't you think? 

Newscaster:

You read, you dont understand, you look, but you cant see.

azorjiu:

Hmmm, Buhari's popularity seems to be 'webometric'. In reality, it appears he is trailing Goodluck.

all i can see are buhari supports. EVERYWHERE. if either of you were in Nigeria you would know this. just turn on the tv and watch one of his rallies.

timbuk two:


all i can see are buhari supports. EVERYWHERE. if either of you were in Nigeria you would know this. just turn on the tv and watch one of his rallies.

Were u at the Kano rally? I was.

Newscaster:

Were u at the Kano rally? I was.

where you also there to grab wood and cloth and steel??

Kano youths grabbed what they could from Jonathan's rally.

Moments after his convoy sped from the polo ground, there was a scramble to strip the podium on which he had spoken, scavenging valuable planks of wood, tearing material from the drapings and even ripping up the red carpet, part of which was offered to this correspondent for 1,000 naira ($6).

Mai Suya:

''In reality, it appears''. . .a tad contradictory, don't you think?  

You are absolutely right there. My carelessness.

It appears he's trailing though. I have sampled opinions from a number of people (not very representative of every interest groups) back home. I can't stake my life on it since there wasn't enough sample to make a valid deduction. Be that as it may, there is every reason to believe that Buhari and his cohorts are on a web rampage.

^^^

NairaLand is a ground for Buhari bigots and iconic religious mammoths to vainly conucate the probable angelic deliverance of Buhari to Aso Rock in May, but on ground in Nigeria, the opposite is the case. Only if these Buhari sycophantic homo sapiens can dissipate the energy they use online to postulate the messaihic candidature of Buhari to the would be voting populace, then they would have done good. But they spend the peak of their time online while the opposition does the work of campaigning and wining the crowd, they vociferously allude themselves to visual effects of homo sapiens that graced campaign grounds and conclude without any meaningful hypothesis that Buhari is already sworn in.

They forget, ab initio that the homogenic entity called Nigeria is a connodium of North, South, West and East, if Buhari, a Jihadist and Bakare, fake Abrahamic descendant copulates and gathers mammoth crowd in the North, it does not guarantee a millenia type grand entry into Aso Rock, they still have to numerically garner votes from other piece of the homogeneous entity called Nigeria. Bakare has no political base, so, he doesnt have any iota of knowledge of what he is doing, his demeanor is of the type that parochially choses to vilify the opposition and manipulatively confuses the followership in a manner that brings a negative backlash and ominous damnation.

Ask any foul mouthed BB dunce, why do you want to see Buhari in Aso Rock. Oh, its because of the absolute beauty of his wife, not because of any knowledge of a proven formula to abracadabraically transform Nigeria into a paradise type entity within the stipulated 9months. Trust me.  They forgot that the same Bakare, when asked a few years ago, opened his vocal cavity and vituperates acrobatically that Buhari is not part of the new Nigeria. If Buhari which you astutely pronounced not to be the God appointed material, why are you cascadding with him all over the place. A conjugal romance with someone hitherto seen as a gangantuan jihadist is nothing but a political hell fire and a social malady of no infinitesimal order.

In summary, BB is a political edifice that will soon be washed away with the Tsunamic victory of GEJ/Sambo. The Tsunamic effect will reverbrate so much that the entire BB hob nob will vanish far into an oblivion whose hypo centre will be extremely hard to interpolate, and God in His angelic nature will visit us, because the time to favour Nigeria has finally come.

Noone should be fooled by the archaic juxtapositions of the BB crowd on Nairaland. This is where it ends.


Vote wisely - vote GEJ.

Newscaster:

^^^

NairaLand is a ground for Buhari bigots and iconic religious mammoths to vainly conucate the probable angelic deliverance [/b]of Buhari to Aso Rock in May, but on ground in Nigeria, the opposite is the case. Only if these Buhari sycophantic homo sapiens can dissipate the energy they use online to [b]postulate the messaihic candidature o[/b]f Buhari to the would be voting populace, then they would have done good. But they spend the peak of their time online while the opposition does the work of campaigning and wining the crowd, they [b]vociferously allude [/b]themselves to [b]visual effects of homo sapiens that graced campaign grounds and conclude without any meaningful hypothesis that Buhari is already sworn in.

They forget, ab initio that the homogenic entity called Nigeria is a connodium of North, South, West and East, if Buhari, a Jihadist and Bakare, fake Abrahamic descendant copulates and gathers mammoth crowd in the North, it does not guarantee a millenia type grand entry into Aso Rock, they still have to numerically garner votes from other piece of the homogeneous entity called Nigeria. Bakare has no political base, so, he doesnt have any iota of knowledge of what he is doing, his demeanor is of the type that parochially choses to vilify the opposition and manipulatively confuses the followership in a manner that brings a negative backlash and ominous damnation.

Ask any foul mouthed BB dunce, why do you want to see Buhari in Aso Rock. Oh, its because of the absolute beauty of his wife, not because of any knowledge of a proven formula to abracadabraically  transform Nigeria into a paradise type entity within the stipulated 9months. Trust me.  They forgot that the same Bakare, when asked a few years ago, opened his vocal cavity and vituperates acrobatically that Buhari is not part of the new Nigeria. If Buhari which you astutely pronounced not to be the God appointed material, why are you cascadding with him all over the place. A conjugal romance with someone hitherto seen as a gangantuan jihadist is nothing but a political hell fire and a social malady of an infinitesimal order. 

In summary, BB is a political edifice that will soon be washed away with the Tsunamic victory of GEJ/Sambo. The Tsunamic effect will reverbrates so much that the entire BB hob nob will vanish far into an oblivion whose hypo centre will be extremely hard to interpolate.

Vote wisely - vote GEJ.

Can't stop laffing! 

It is so rare to see Buhari supporters resorting to name calling. In the very few cases this has happened, they have been provoked beyond control. But look around and you'll see most GEJ supporters resorting to name calling every now and then, but that is fine.

There are fundamental questions that need to be addressed. Which of these candidates has the moral and political capability to address these concerns?

Corruption - the root of ALL of Nigeria's problem (c/f with Abu Dhabi, Norway, Brazil and see how far we could have gone),

Political will, political will. It takes political will to fight corruption at the scale we are experiencing in Nigeria at the moment and whoever wants to fight this must have the MORAL CAPABILITY to do so.

Buhari owes no one any allegiance. He is banking on THE PEOPLE to support him. He is not throwing 'recoverable' money around. He has no godfather or goduncle. He is his own man. Above all, he has the moral capacity to fight corruption. He is coming with no baggage.

I don't know why some people fail to see this, but I'm elated a growing number of Nigerians are beginning to see this. Open your eyes people, Nigeria is bigger than our personal egos. I am a southerner and a Christian and even before Buhari decided to go with Bakare, I was already convinced that we need someone like him, with very little baggage and high-handedness to fight the large scale corruption that has eaten deep into our country.

[size=18pt]Where is the crowd?[/size]

In summarry nothing good can come out of PDP. I started loosing faith in GEJ when he surrounded himself with OBJ,ANNENIH,OJO MADUEKWE,ALAMS AND BODE GEORGE. Pls GEJ supporters tell me how he would function as a president with these people behind him, people that have ruled us for the past 12 years and have taken us backwards to the dungeon of poverty, yes i have heard things like he is using them and he will drop them when he wins, ITS A FAT LIE. why? because GEJ doesnt have structures, these people are giving him the political structure to run.and when they start asking him to implement bad policies he cant disobey them or else they withdraw their structures and make governing miserable for him.you see why GEJ is not the messiah. BB 2011 IS WHAT WE NEED COME APRIL, A CHANGE THAT WILL GIVE HOPE TO THE FUTURE OF OUR UNBORN KIDS.