I believe that the 2015 General Elections will be a walkover for Buhari and APC if he picks the right VP Candidate. For me,no other Nigerian typifies what we need as VP like OBIAGELI EZEKWESILI. Her Wikipedia Profile reads:

Obiageli Ezekwesili is a Nigerian chartered accountant. She was a co-founder of Transparency International, serving as one of the pioneer directors of the global anti-corruption body based in Berlin, Germany. She served as Federal Minister of Solid Minerals and then as Federal Minister of Education during the second-term presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo. Since then, she has been the Vice-President of the World Bank's Africa division.
[b]
Ezekwesili holds a Master's degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, as well as a Master of Public Administration degree from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She trained with the firm of Deloitte and Touche and qualified as a chartered accountant.[1]
Prior to working for the Government of Nigeria, Ezekwesiili was working with Professor Jeffrey Sachs at the Center for International Development at Harvard.

Ezekwesili started off in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration as the Pioneer head of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (aka Due Process Unit). It was in this position that she earned the sobriquet of "Madam Due Process" for the outstanding work she led a team of professionals to do in sanitising public procurement or contracting at the Federal level in Nigeria. She was the architect of the Bureau for Public Procurement legislation, the NEITI legislation and the new Minerals and Mining legislation during her six and a half years stint in government.

She was appointed Minister of Solid Minerals (Mines and Steel) in June 2005 during which time she led a vibrant reform program that led to Nigeria's global recognition as a credible mining investment destination. She was also the Chairperson of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and led the first ever national implementation of the global standards and principles of transparency in the oil, gas and mining sector. In June 2006, Ezekwesili was appointed the Federal Minister of Education, holding this post until she took up her World Bank appointment in May 2007.[1]

In March 2007, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz announced the appointment of Ezekwesili as Vice-President for the Africa Region starting on 1 May 2007.[1] This year, she successfully completed her stint as the World Bank Vice-President Africa Division, a position to which she was appointed in 2007. As vice-president she was in charge of the bank's operations in 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and supervised a lending portfolio of over $40 billion.Since leaving the World bank she has established herself in the Nigerian and international speaking circuits. She was a co-founder of Transparency International and served as one of its pioneer directors. As a senior economic advisor for Open Society, a group founded by billionaire George Soros, she advises nine reform-committed African heads of state including Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia.On 1 October 2012, one of the world's leading telecommunications firm, Bharti Airtel, with operations in 20 countries, named Ezekwesili as a director on its board. She is also on the boards of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the School of Public Policy of Central European University, The Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy, New African magazine, The Center for Global Leadership @ Tufts University.In May 2012, Ezekwesili was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSC) degree by the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in Nigeria.

In March 2014, she delivered a keynote speech at the national summit of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the leading opposition party in Nigeria. She criticised the many migrating governors and urged the party to " a conversation deeper than how you're going to chase (the ruling)PDP out of power".[2].In the aftermath of the nearly 300 mainly Christian girls were abducted from Chibok by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.,[3][4][5] Ezekwesili was instrumental to the start of the viral #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media, which trended internationally. She had on 23 April, at the opening ceremony for a UNESCO event honouring the city of Port Harcourt as the 2014 World Book Capital city]], urged Nigerians to not just tweet but actively participate in efforts to "bring back our girls".[6][7].As she prepared to board a British Airways flight to London to appear on the BBC programme Hard Talk in July 2014, she was detained by Nigeria's secret service, the SSS, who also seized her passport.[8][9] She was later released that morning, making it just in time to the plane. Some of the personalities who have supported the clamouring for the release of the abducted schoolgirls and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign include: Michelle Obama, Chris Brown and others.[/b]

These are the following 7 reasons I think she is the best VP that will give Buhari the advantage over GEJ:

1. Oby is core Igbo : Igbos have been sort of marginalized politically. Rochas has been a disgrace of late and Oby can sway at least 2 or 3 states in the general elections because the Igbos will see it as their best change to get someone from the core east nearest to the Presidency.

2. Oby is a staunch Christian: It is obvious and sensible that APC has 'zoned' the VP slot to a christian for balance sake. Oby is a pastor's wife and she will ensure that any tendencies for islamic extremism in the presidency will be diluted. She is not a christian that will close her mouth.

3. Oby is globally acclaimed to have zero toleration for corruption: She is the co-founder of Transperency International. That itself speaks volumes to the global community. Corruption is in for a hard time if buhari and Oby come in.

4. Oby is a good President-designate just in case Buhari needs to branch upstairs: Buhari is above 70. Nobody will live forever. Whoelse would you want as a President if the sitting president falls ill and indisposed.

5. Oby is a technocrat of International Economics and Public Policy: Apart from Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, no other Nigerian with federal governing expereince displays global standard capacity for performance than Oby.She is a former MD for world bank in Africa.Just take a look at her CV. The average chartered accountant is naturally thorough. Oby did very solid work as Madam due process. She was on track also in education.

6. Oby is a radical:A Perfect match for Buhari. Her campaign in the Brink Back our Girls campaign gave her global acclaim. She single handedly fought the government on it.

7. Oby is a very good talker: News has it that APC had to sack the consultant who invited her to speak at the convention in 2014. She is a no nonsense talker. Just watch he video recently on BBC hard talk. Buhari is the opposite. Buhari needs her to be able to do his articulation for him in the lead up to the election.

Conclusively, lets look at OBY dispassionately. OBY is a very good candidate. Buhari is very sure of the Northern states, Tinubu can assure the party of a good part of the west. Goodluck is also at his weakest position going to the election. Even her low hair cut will scare Jonathan to his pants . And she has Obasanjo as a strong supporter.

Personal opinion :Name someone who matches OBY for Vice and justify it dispassionately.

Obasanjo's concubine?

Aunty Oby

I love her, but is she a card carrying member of APC?

OrlandoOwoh:
I love her, but is she a card carrying member of APC?

To get Card no cost na? Afterall, she came to give a speech at the APC Convention.

She'd equally make fellow women to vote Buhari, she makes a good match.

@OP

I like and respect Ezekwesili but it will never happen. Who will she appeal to given the realities of the day ? It is time educated Nigerians begin to put arrogance aside to note what the grassroot will embrace and turn out enthusiastically for.

Ezekwesili is therefore disqualified as a relative and politically unappealing nonentity in this regard. That is the hash and non-senrimental truth that may be hard for educated and exposed Nigerians to accept . Alas it is not about that very small class of people but about the average Nigerians.

As if they are goin to win... GEJ till 2019!!

This would have been perfect but I don't see that happening.

This would have been perfect but I don't see that happening. She wasn't even nominated? so much for the change we need.

Gbawe:
@OP

I like and respect Ezekwesili but it will never happen. Who will she appeal to given the realities of the day ? It is time educated Nigerians begin to put arrogance aside to note what the grassroot will embrace and turn out enthusiastically for.

Ezekwesili is therefore disqualified as a relative and politically unappealing nonentity in this regard. That is the hash and non-senrimental truth that may be hard for educated and exposed Nigerians to accept . Alas it is not about that very small class of people but about the average Nigerians.

''relative and politically unappealing'': That is the departure Nigeria needs to have. I guess Deziani is politically appealing.

''grassroot'': who is the grassroot we are talking about. Who championed the BBOG project when the government was bent on burying the story. That my friend is grassroot. She is by no means elitist, she has always been for the masses.Nigerians want a departure from the normal politician; not the likes of Amechi, rochas and other political 'gladiators'.

I agree she may never get it due to her non-conformist stance but she really is what Nigeria needs. she oozes performance with her every step.

Well, I quite agree with the salient points you have brought forth. but the number 2 is way to myopic and lacks basis. Staunch christian??...that alone makes this not worthy of consideration. As a matter of fact, what Nigeria needs now is change!!!..I mean drastic and in the most aggressive way. when the soil is fertile, then any sane Nigerian like Oby can operate fully within the right environment

Gbawe:
@OP

I like and respect Ezekwesili but it will never happen. Who will she appeal to given the realities of the day ? It is time educated Nigerians begin to put arrogance aside to note what the grassroot will embrace and turn out enthusiastically for.

Ezekwesili is therefore disqualified as a relative and politically unappealing nonentity in this regard. That is the hash and non-senrimental truth that may be hard for educated and exposed Nigerians to accept . Alas it is not about that very small class of people but about the average Nigerians.

Igbos don't even like the woman because of her bringbackourgirls campaign which has put their god jonathan in bad light, you only need to go on twitter and Facebook and see how her kins redicule her.

prodam:
Well, I quite agree with the salient points you have brought forth. but the number 2 is way to myopic and lacks basis. Staunch christian??...that alone makes this not worthy of consideration. As a matter of fact, what Nigeria needs now is change!!!..I mean drastic and in the most aggressive way. when the soil is fertile, then any sane Nigerian like Oby can operate fully within the right environment

Ok.....may be ''staunch'' was not appropriate there but she is a christian. Everyone knows that a Muslim Muslim ticket would be dead on arrival due to the current political and religious realities of Nigeria. I would have opted for a Buhari -Fashola but even a very 'quiet' Muslim like Fashola wont fly; despite the top performer he is.

So,lets consider the political realities of Nigeria, VP has to be a christian...or else,it will be a cheap victory for GEJ.

django1:


Some Igbos don't even like the woman because of her bringbackourgirls campaign which has put their god jonathan in bad light, you only need to go on twitter and Facebook and see how her kins redicule her.

please learn not to generalize. Thank you!

berem:
please learn not to generalize. Thank you!

Edited.
Thanks to Wengernomics.

berem:
please learn not to generalize. Thank you!

Oga Django....I just looked at the response you referred to and she did not even put ''SOME'' in her statement..........