If that is Ribadu's desire then I wish him the best of luck. It can only be good for Nigeria , in 2015, if the CPC is fielding the likes of Ribadu while ACN is hosting Fashola. Good to see that , finally , those who can make a difference are getting involved and staying involved.

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17733:ribadu-set-to-dump-acn-for-cpc&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

Ribadu set to dump ACN for CPC .
Monday, 25 April 2011 04:24 Suleiman M. Bisalla   


Presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Malam Nuhu Ribadu may call it quits with the party in the coming days following his dismal outing in the presidential election in the south west. Ribadu may be heading for Gen. Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a source close to the CPC candidate has disclosed.

According to the source, Ribadu is yet to understand the record low turnout and ACN’s poor outing in the presidential election of April 16, a phenomenon that was exactly the opposite of the party’s feat during the National Assembly election the week before.


“In fact in the next two weeks, there is the possibility of him dumping the ACN for CPC,” the source said adding that some pressure groups within the ACN and the CPC are already holding talks.

The ACN won all but one of the senate seats and cleared most of the federal constituencies in the region that were contested on April 9. However, Ribadu lost to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in all the states in the zone apart from Osun State. In Lagos State, home of the party’s strongman Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the ACN lost woefully to the PDP which scored over a million votes leaving the ACN trailing behind with a little over 300, 000 votes.

“We feel completely betrayed by the ACN leaders. They brought him on board to give the party the semblance of a national party and also win international acceptance because of his international status. But you can see that they were clearly not sincere to us. If they say anything to the contrary, how could ACN lose steam within seven days and how do you explain the low turnout?” the source asked.

Reflecting back on the election, the source said the party’s leaders had starved the north of funds that were to be used to mobilise agents and failed to mobilise canvassers and agents in many states of the south west.

“They left us vulnerable in the north. We could not mobilise our agents most of whom succumbed to inducement by the PDP. We were also told that they failed to mobilise canvassers and agents like they did the previous week. In fact one senior leader of the party called me while voting was still going on and said we were losing Lagos already because of these problems,” he said.

The source also said three reasons informed the decision of the anti corruption tsar to look the way of the CPC. “First, he stands for the same principles as General Buhari especially on fighting corruption. Second, he has an untainted record of service like General Buhari and third, both men have a passion for reforming the system and getting it to work for the benefit of future generations,” he said.

According to him that is why Ribadu agreed to step down for Buhari in the last round of alliance talks before the election. Ribadu is also said to be angry that he was kept in the dark by Tinubu and some party leaders during the alliance talks with ACN.

The source also expressed regret that the ACN leaders are battling with the backlash of the party’s loss during the presidential election.

The source said: “They are in serious confusion now, thinking that it may boomerang. In fact Tinubu’s fear is that he might even lose Lagos, that is why you see the adverts and jingles have more than triple.

“You can trust PDP has every reason to justify whatever they do to win the election. They will say after all we won just last week.”

Is this why he has refused to concede defeat so far?

Ribadu has become unimportant to Nigerian politics.

mikeansy:

Is this why he has refused to concede defeat so far?

If the Party he ran with (ACN) plans to challenge GEJ's win in Court why should Ribadu undermine them publicly by conceding defeat or congratulating Jonathan?

Arosa:

Ribadu has become unimportant to Nigerian politics.

Who decides these thing? Emotional folk who think a person who lost an election is "finished" ? Ribadu , if anything , will become even more important for the North as the reality sinks in for the region that only visible Northerners , popular and liked throughout Nigeria, can bring power back to the region. Atiku too was labelled "unimportant" to Nigerian politics after 2007 yet we saw how he , out of many , was the politician who challenged GEJ for the PDP ticket.

That will be the end of his political life in 'Nigeria'

Gbawe:

If that is Ribadu's desire then I wish him the best of luck. It can only be good for Nigeria , in 2015, if the CPC is fielding the likes of Ribadu while ACN is hosting Fashola. Good to see that , finally , those who can make a difference are getting involved and staying involved.

Gbawe, That is the key right there in bold.

Exactly what I expected them to do, rushing out to make noise 6 months to election every four years is just silly politics. I hope they stay on and challenge PDP policies with workable alternatives till they can try again.

Hopefully Buhari will put his weight behind these more progressive  Northern leaders -El-Rufai, Ribadu and co.

It's time to chase touts and laggards out of politics and policy making.

Gbawe:

If the Party he ran with (ACN) plans to challenge GEJ's win in Court why should Ribadu undermine them publicly by conceding defeat or congratulating Jonathan?

Does the word principle mean anything to anybody thesedays?

The smart politics for Ribadu and ACN would have been to concede defeat in Presidential elections and double their effort to expand their base in the forthcoming guber elections. They need a grass-root base and to position themselves as the alternative to PDP before they can think of beating the PDP in presidential elections.

I do not honestly see the political benefit of Ribadu keeping quiet or challenging the PDP over their victory at the Presidential polls.

Before we can have civility in our politics, the opposition needs to also show some level of civility. Otherwise you are simply providing evidence to help enthrench do-or-die politics.

Gbawe:

Who decides these thing? Emotional folk who think a person who lost an election is "finished" ? Ribadu , if anything , will become even more important for the North as the reality sinks in for the region that only visible Northerners , popular and liked throughout Nigeria, can bring power back to the region. Atiku too was labelled "unimportant" to Nigerian politics after 2007 yet we saw how he , out of many , was the politician who challenged GEJ for the PDP ticket.

Atiku is a powerfull . Ribadu on the other hand is not. Ribadu has no confident in himself, he is not a leader material but a follower. trust me.

This Ribadu is not using his brain at all by questioning the sincerity of the ACN leaders for the loss of the party in the presidential poll.

Ribadu is just not marketable and thats it. Did Ribadu win in his own constituency in His state talk less of winning in his own Adamawa State? was his loss the fault of bola tinubu or Bisi Akande?

Hes a hausa man, yet he won in a Yoruba state of Osun. Did he win a single state out of the 19 northern states? This man is talking B.crap.

This Election was simply[b] north vs South[/b]. The yorubas simply voted for a southern in place of a northerner. Why did Atiku win the SW in 2007 vs Yar adua of PDP? it simply shows the 2011 Election was Ethnically contested.


Ribadu go sidon look jare

mikeansy:

Does the word principle mean anything to anybody thesedays?

Ribadu might believe the ACN have a legitimate case . We don't know the real reason Ribadu has not conceded defeat and , by and large , we are speculating here. The point is that he may have good reasons for not announcing that he has accepted GEJ as the winner. Lets at least give those who took part in the race time to come out with their opinions after deep rancour has subsided .

Gbawe:

Ribadu might believe the ACN have a legitimate case . We don't know the real reason Ribadu has not conceded defeat and , by and large , we are speculating here. The point is that he may have good reasons for not announcing that he has accepted GEJ as the winner. Lets at least give those who took part in the race time to come out with their opinions after deep rancour has subsided .

The country is burning because of unfounded disputes in certain quaters. Anybody who calls themselves a leader would have taken a stance ages ago. It seems to me our National Security does not matter to anybody. Political calculations come first.

Ribadu should do some soul searching, did he even campaign enough to win this election? He could not even win Adamawa. So what is the point of his silence. What does he stand to benefit from it.

Taking a stance now may actually help his future political aspirations and as far as I am concerned he is 2weeks late on leadership on this issue and I am disappointed.

Arosa:

Atiku is a powerfull . Ribadu on the other hand is not. Ribadu has no confident in himself, he is not a leader material but a follower. trust me.

Did Atiku just drop out of the sky to land on Earth as a "powerful" politician? Atiku, IBB , Buhari and others all have political histories that has made them the visible and "powerful" figure they are today. Ribadu has started writing his own political history he must be commended for running last week because , naturally ,  and for those studying all the permutations, it is obvious he is now a front-runner (along with El Rufai and others) to succeed the old boys (Buhari, IBB, Gusau, Atiku et al) who will recognize that the game has changed forever .  

IBB , for example, has admitted he is leaving politics for the set of Ribadu, El Rufai et al because "it is their turn". Look at the most ambitious young guns from the region currently (EL Rufai, Yuguda, Saraki, Babangida Aliyu, et al) and it is obvious it may be the North , if it now sees what needs to be seen, that may be making overtures to Ribadu .

mikeansy:

The country is burning because of unfounded disputes in certain quaters. Anybody who calls themselves a leader would have taken a stance ages ago. It seems to me our National Security does not matter to anybody. Political calculations come first.

Ribadu should do some soul searching, did he even campaign enough to win this election? He could not even win Adamawa. So what is the point of his silence. What does he stand to benefit from it.

Taking a stance now may actually help his future political aspirations and as far as I am concerned he is 2weeks late on leadership on this issue and I am disappointed.

Surely , you cannot expect Ribadu to congratulate GEJ if he genuinely believes there was massive rigging as the ACN has asserted? Chris Okotie has publicly rejected GEJ's win so where does that put him ?

Then I wish Ribadu the best of luck. I do like him.

Who decides these thing? Emotional folk who think a person who lost an election is "finished" ? Ribadu , if anything , will become even more important for the North as the reality sinks in for the region that only visible Northerners , popular and liked throughout Nigeria, can bring power back to the region. Atiku too was labelled "unimportant" to Nigerian politics after 2007 yet we saw how he , out of many , was the politician who challenged GEJ for the PDP ticket.

@gbawe, gud talk. but without ribadu building from the bottom up his grass root support. his castle is simply in the air. how many votes did he manage in adamawa his home state .
charity begins @?

@Gbawe

Do you see that Ribadu has more or less taken the advice i was giving on the other thread last week. Remember i told you that for Ribadu to be relevant in Nigerian politics, his future lies in another party and not with Tinubu.

Ribadu is hurting and feels betrayed by the ACN top dogs, I am happy he is thinking of joining Buhari and El Rufai in CPC. Even if he does not contest in 2015 at least he will be able to build a base for himself in the north.

I still insist his adventure with ACN was a misadventure and the only thing posisitve he gained is the hard lesson he was taught by Tinubu and his boys.

Remember i told you if you ever had the opportunity of speaking to Ribadu in private he will tell you he felt betrayed and within 1 week my assertion is coming out to the public domain.

This news has vindicated me bro, and I am sure you can see it clearly.

Kilode?!:

Gbawe, That is the key right there in bold.

Exactly what I expected them to do, rushing out to make noise 6 months to election every four years is just silly politics. I hope they stay on and challenge PDP policies with workable alternatives till they can try again.

Hopefully Buhari will put his weight behind these more progressive  Northern leaders -El-Rufai, Ribadu and co.

It's time to chase touts and laggards out of politics and policy making.

My brother , Ribadu is actually more intelligent than folks give him credit for. He takes the time to studiously learn how effective politics is played . I expect him to strategize effectively for 2015 unlike our past politicians who are entirely haphazard and disjointed yet , like clockwork, show up every four years hoping to win elections .

In the UK , for example, the opposition Parties never take a break. Not even for a second !!! This is how they sensitize the populace to vote out poor administrators . What Ribadu has done voluntarily makes me optimistic that he will play opposition better than we have seen it done in Nigeria. Opposition politics , to date , has been extremely pathetic . This is why the PDP strolls to victory , despite their misrule, consistently in many communities where there is no internet to deliver the awareness me and you have that can counter the money-based grassroot presence and influence of the PDP.  

If Ribadu goes to the CPC I wish him success. It is a new Platform . Ribadu and others (EL Rufai et al) can achieve for the CPC what Tinubu has done for the ACN . The PDP needs serious opposition that frees all of us from their deleterious monopoly and damaging majority control of the influential positions in our politics.

This was my comment last week on the thread:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-649066.0.html#msg8153396

Ribadu has been severly damged politically and the earlier his supporters realise this the better. It will do him a lot of good to perhaps join CPC and start to build a base of his own in the north as some people in the SW might always accept him. He needs to shake off the Tinubu stigma now in order to bounce back stronger.

CPC will be the ideal forum for Ribadu though formidable opponents like El-rufai & co. are in the wings possibly eyeing CPC presidential position at the next election. However Ribadu need to plan and align his political future aright now that the north is trying to re-engineer against 2015.

Lagosboy:

@Gbawe

Do you see that Ribadu has more or less taken the advice i was giving on the other thread last week. Remember i told you that for Ribadu to be relevant in Nigerian politics, his future lies in another party and not with Tinubu.

Ribadu is hurting and feels betrayed by the ACN top dogs, I am happy he is thinking of joining Buhari and El Rufai in CPC. Even if he does not contest in 2015 at least he will be able to build a base for himself in the north.

I still insist his adventure with ACN was a misadventure and the only thing posisitve he gained is the hard lesson he was taught by Tinubu and his boys.

Remember i told you if you ever had the opportunity of speaking to Ribadu in private he will tell you he felt betrayed and within 1 week my assertion is coming out to the public domain.

This news has vindicated me bro, and I am sure you can see it clearly.

Lagosboy, the bone of contention was that Ribadu was wrong running on the platform of the ACN. I disagree . He has to learn lessons in politics and some of those lessons may be harsh but necessary to develop the mentality that makes some men winners. Ribadu joined the ACN because he believed that the ACN is not about Tinubu alone and , from what we can all see, I can see he was right to think like that . Fashola , Fayemi et al enjoined Ribadu to come on board and you cannot fault Ribadu for listening to those type of folks. He may have fallen short this time but things not working out politically is not reason enough for us to start concluding folks made the wrong choice . Adversity that comes out of the choices we make can shape us for greater future success.

I would really love see people like Ribadu begin preparation for 2015 Presidential elections from this moment, but decamping to the cpc is the first wrong move.
It would have even made more sense for him joining a relatively new party with REAL Progressives.

This Ribadu is not using his brain at all by questioning the  sincerity of the ACN leaders for the loss of the party in the  presidential poll. Ribadu is just not marketable and thats it. Did Ribadu win in  his own constituency in His state talk less of winning in his  own Adamawa State? was his loss the fault of bola tinubu or  Bisi Akande? Hes a hausa man, yet he won in a Yoruba state of Osun. Did  he win a single state out of the 19  northern states? This man  is talking B.crap.  This Election was simply  north vs South . The yorubas simply voted for a southern in place of a northerner. Why did Atiku  win the SW in 2007  vs Yar adua of PDP? it simply shows the  2011  Election was Ethnically contested.
Ribadu go sidon look jare

True talk!

Gbawe:


Lagosboy, the bone of contention was that Ribadu was wrong running on the platform of the PDP. I disagree . He has to learn lessons in politics and some of those lessons may be harsh but necessary to develop the mentality that makes some men winners. Ribadu joined the ACN because he believed that the ACN is not about Tinubu alone and , from what we can all see, I can see he was right to think like that . Fashola , Fayemi et al enjoined Ribadu to come on board and you cannot fault Ribadu for listening to those type of folks. He may have fallen short this time but things not working out politically is not reason enough for us to start concluding folks made the wrong choice . Adversity that comes out of the choices we make can shape us for greater future success.

Bro, you will make a good spin doctor , i remember Alistair Cambell and Balir at the iraq enquiry right now   .

You have put it in a very nice way , but let us not use sugar cover am. What really happened was that Ribadu dioscovered ACN was all about Tinubu and his head was shaven in his absense. Like i said from the begining , he made the wrong choice of which events have proven and Ribadu himself has confirmed by seeking his political future elsewhere.

Gbawe as an ACN guy i think you should sincerely work within the party to effect chnages in its internal culture, there is a limit to where the current culture can take the party to. I am only giving constructive criticism and i hope the powers that be in your party listens. People are not foolish and cannot be taken for a ride for too long , Nigerians forget too soon and all the good works of a politician can be forgotten in one day as a result of a bad political move. Ask Lateef Jakande who is still the best governor Lagos has produced.

Dav.e:

I would really love see people like Ribadu begin preparation for 2015 Presidential elections from this moment, but decamping to the cpc is the first wrong move.
It would have even made more sense for him joining a relatively new party with REAL Progressives.

Idealistic but unrealistic with what is on the ground in Nigeria. Why do you all think Jonathan prefer blood is spilled and Nigeria is badly divided , with so much rancour and bad blood everywhere,  just so he got the chance to run on the PDP platform? My brother Nigeria is still what it is . Let us not begin to 'daydream'. Ribadu , overnight , can gain what may take him 10 years for him to achieve simply from Buhari endorsing him as a "son" .

We have to remember that this is only based on an article that may be merely speculating .If Ribadu ends up moving to the CPC then him and others (like El-Rufai) will have the chance to shape the CPC into a modern progressive Party that may gain more popularity across Nigeria as a moderate and progressive face of the North.

One man i Pray joins politics is SLS, I so much wish after his term expires he joins politics and contests for the 2015 election. Ribadu and El Rufai should work with him and Buhari should endorse him.

SLS with a deputy from the SW like Fashola will perform wonders for Nigeria. Maybe Fashola himself should leave ACN and join CPC midway into his 2nd term tenure. That will surely leave tinubu in the lurch.    I hope i havent touched a nerve in Gbawe 

Gbawe:

Surely , you cannot expect Ribadu to congratulate GEJ if he genuinely believes there was massive rigging as the ACN has asserted? Chris Okotie has publicly rejected GEJ's win so where does that put him ?

Then he should publicly reject the result if that is what he believes and provide evidence accordingly.

Why is he non-existent in this debate like some kind of pawn.

The CPC brand may be irrevocably tarnished in the south. Not clear to me that joining it is his best bet. We shall see, though.

Regarding accept/reject election results. . . perhaps he is still gathering information. He is under no pressure to immediately respond.

Lagosboy:

One man i Pray joins politics is SLS, I so much wish after his term expires he joins politics and contests for the 2015 election. Ribadu and El Rufai should work with him and Buhari should endorse him.

SLS with a deputy from the SW like Fashola will perform wonders for Nigeria. Maybe Fashola himself should leave ACN and join CPC midway into his 2nd term tenure. That will surely leave tinubu in the lurch.    I hope i havent touched a nerve in Gbawe 

Tinubu is a  minor consideration as per what we all want i.e a Nigeria that is making progress. As for Sanusi, you will have to wait for him to signify an interest. Not all great footballers make the transition to great coach.

Gbawe:

Tinubu is a minor consideration as per what we all want i.e a Nigeria that is making progress. As for Sanusi, you will have to wait for him to signify an interest. Not all great footballers make the transition to great coach.

very true , it all depends on him , i am only thinking of those who can take Nigeria to the next level.

ekt_bear:

The CPC brand may be irrevocably tarnished in the south. Not clear to me that joining it is his best bet. We shall see, though.

Regarding accept/reject election results. . . perhaps he is still gathering information. He is under no pressure to immediately respond.

I really dont think the CPc name can be damaged like that in the south. If PDP as bad as it is can win an election in this country with 22 million votes, i personally think with good governance of CPC governors and progressive minded guys at the helm of affairs things will go well for them.

The PDPs objective was to damage the CPC brand anyway and they acheived that amongst shallow minded people in the south of the country. Anyway time will tell.

Why exactly is anyone expecting a SW/North alliance in 4 years with the SW taking VP?

If GEJ is performing well, what incentive do we have to accept only VP?

You'll have to deliver a lot more than that.

ekt_bear:

Why exactly is anyone expecting a SW/North alliance in 4 years with the SW taking VP?

If GEJ is performing well, what incentive do we have to accept only VP?

You'll have to deliver a lot more than that.

I am not a proponet of zoning but it think it will be extremely unfair for the south to produce the president again in 2015. I know GEJ will contest again but having a Northern president should be the ideal thing IMO.