The fever and tension is growing high, the electorates are growing more confused with all the campaigns of the two presidential candidates (Yes I say two cause the others are just wasting money and time) and their followers trying to convince them with various campaigns.

Before I move, I'd like to give this disclaimer:
This article is from an unbiased view. I'm neither PDP nor APC. I'm not one who's even into politics but as a Nigerian. I am just stating from my careful study.

Few years ago, we all clamoured for a saviour in Nigeria, someone of the masses, someone who knew us and is ready to fight for us. There came a certain very meek and humble Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, loved by the people and Nigeria was expected to hit a certain paradise.

Fast forward today, Jonathan is the enemy, he is the reason for our continuous downfall, everyone hates him and want him out. And their reasons being he is incompetent, he is too weak, he is corrupt and so many of them. Nigeria is a country that has been destroyed years back and I wonder how 6 years can be enough to repair a country. Corruption has been there for years and except you want a man who rules with an iron fist, corruption cannot be driven away in so short a time. People say Jonathan is weak but you forget what it means to be meek? His quietness has made so many people see him as being weak when its his nature.

When I ask people what they want this time around, all I hear is change! And I ask them, what has changed in the APC that is dominated by defected PDP members? Aren't they all the same? What guarantees do you have that they won't steal if you called PDP corrupt? You know I used to think the bad eggs from PDP were the ones who defected to APC when they couldn't get all they wanted from PDP - my funny thoughts though.

Buhari is a good man I respect and believe he'd be a great president but so many controversies follow the man. I want us to carefully examine the man Buhari before we all decide cause what I have come to see in the electorates are so many people jump on the bandwagon. So many young Nigerians are too weak to read or look into our history. The first thing I want to point out is Buhari achieved so much; he achieved a lot as MILITARY head of state in less than 2 years that we all clamour
for his return. But what we all forget is he was in the military. With my experience in the military, if Jonathan was a military head of state, Nigeria would have been so much a better place by now. We all forget that in the military, all it takes for change is just one word of command; GO! and everyone moves. We all forget Buhari had the military to command to bring all the orderliness and corrupt officials to book. He had the military to command to bring drug dealers to book and have them killed. Yet he had a certain guy called Brig. Gen Tunde Idiagbon who was there to help him dictate whenever he makes these decisions and when that guy was away to Saudi Arabia, his government was dethroned.

What I am trying to say is, its been so long and he had a vulnerable Nigeria to control with his military upper hand. How will he survive in a country with democracy? How will he survive in a country where Amnesty Internation have their eyes all fixed on? Most of his successes came when he was a military commander that knows nothing order than give a command that must be followed; how would he thrive in a country where the House of Reps and House of Senate are comprised of people with different orientation coming together to box their way into agreements and disagreements? Would he force them? Besides, he says he would imprison corrupt officials, would he start from his party heads?

People say he declared War against indiscipline, he executed drug dealers and I ask aren't these signs of dictatorship if he achieved all that in less than 2 years? Yes the man has zero tolerance for indiscipline but throwing people into kirikiri without giving them fair trials, is that what we call democracy?

Coming to the discussion islamizing Nigeria, I do not think that Buhari would Ismalize Nigeria, that has never been his plan. When people quote his comment on a tabloid he made several years ago, some Buhari faithfuls remind them of the part where he said, he would make sure sharia gets to all parts of Nigeria and educate non-muslims that they do not have to fear. That exactly is what he intended to do; make sure sharia spreads to all parts of Nigeria where there are muslims, all mosques in all Nigeria but non muslims do not have to fear cause sharia isn't for them. Fair enough, but have you thought of this; if he still intends to carry out this promise, would you be able to stand where a muslim friend of yours in your area looses his hand cause he went against the sharia laws? Won't that bring the international focus on Nigeria again? I hope this isn't what he meant though. I hope this doesn't happen if he wins.

The man Buhari achieved a lot in his time I reiterate, but while achieving all these, he committed a lot against human rights, he had people killed, thrown in jail and all that. But welcome to Nigeria were the sins of a man is forgiven so easily when they feel there are no alternatives. Whatever happened to APC fielding a Fashola or even Tambuwal; why Buhari for the 4th time after he had said he wouldn't be vying for the post again. Did someone compel him? Did someone promise him something in exchange for something? Even the so called politicians now forgive so easily or should I say scales fell off their eyes? Here's a statement from El-Rufai about 4 years ago:

"General Buhari has remained perpetually unelectable because his record as military head of state, and afterwards, is a warning that many Nigerians have wisely heeded. His insensitivity to Nigeria’s diversity and his parochial focus are already well-known.”

So El-Rufai changed his persectives after he decamped to the APC? What about the well publicised comments from Tinubu years back? smh!

Buhari himself made this comment when he said he wouldn't be running for presidency again in 2011. He said:

“Nigerian politicians have no one to blame but themselves when they find themselves out in the cold. They are their own worst enemies. They have little commitment to democracy beyond Election Day. As I said elsewhere, many Nigerian politicians are not true democrats; they are democrats of convenience- extolling the virtues of democracy when they campaign, that’s the rule of the jungle with the added burden of having to vote for it. Conversely, when they lose, politicians refuse to accept the verdicts and invite the military to return.”

I don't think intelligent men should make comments and come back to eat their vomits. They are always careful to make comments so they stand for it whenever they are brought up.

We all agree the man from Otuoke is too slow. 6 year is enough to make viable changes that would shake the Nation and people would have to speak for you rather than more people speak against you. But is accepting the old general the way forward? Are there no better candidates the APC could field except the crown was promised to Buhari? We want good roads, we want electricity, we want a corrupt free Nation, we want jobs and we want security. These are basic stuffs but won't we be patient to get them if we were patient enough for over 50 years? Why the sudden clamour for change? Are Nigerians just waking up or simply the APC imbibing into the electorates? Strategy you say. But these things we cry for are like building a firm, you take time to build each of the sectors.
Any man that says he'll drive away corruption in less than a year without using force is deceiving you I'm sorry to say. Any man that says he would bring steady light in Nigeria within a year and still chase away insurgency in that same year is deceiving you. Multitasking isn't exactly something a Nigerian government is good at. Jonathan isn't the best, we know these but do we want an iron fist back? We have to sit down and ask ourselves.

I think we all heard about the $20billon oil scam, the two failed arms deal in South Africa and a lot more. From my own perspective, I think all these were found out because this government haven't imposed themselves on anyone like the previous governments. This government have given freedom of speech and haven't arrested or imbibe fear on individuals to make them shut up unlike previous government.

Is Buhari the saviour we now seek in 2015 just as we seeked few years ago? Has he suddenly changed to be that saint that we have so forgiven his dictatorship in a well developed civilized Nigeria? Has he suddenly become a democrat that Tinubu and the likes of El-Rufai now turned ties with him? One thing I only see here is, Buhari of 2007, 2011 is not the same as Buhari of today. However side or perspective you see this from.

And lest I forget, Buhari has said he would abolish the office of the first lady, does that mean he doesn't need his wife around him or he is being too strict and thinks he could work alone? Just like a Nigerian writer said: "If your own spouse is not at the forefront of your dream, it could be interpreted in several ways. One is that the woman does not believe in you enough, or that you do not have faith in her abilities, or you are the alpha male who believes women should be seen and not heard. Any which way, it does not look good." Does Buhari really believe in woman empowerment?

At the end, it is one man one vote, and I believe if it stays this way - free and fair - Buhari might just nab it as APC looks to be winning the election campaign already with their strategies. They're succeeding in turning the heads of the masses as the PDP continues to shoot itself by the foot with the level Reno Omokri and his cohorts have stooped to.

And at the very end, one man will eventually emerge, and Nigerians will accept him no matter who it is. There might be post election violence, court cases, but one man will be president and we will end up accepting him just as we've done for over 50 years now.

For me, I haven't made up my mind yet on whom I would vote, I might end up not voting, but if I do go up there to vote, I'd make sure I vote whom I'd end up not regretting. I'm sure not ready to take risks on the clamour for change!

Make up your mind and vote, do not get carried away by each of the parties. Vote wisely!

Douglas Eze
eze_douglas@yahoo.co.uk

#FEBUHARI

JONATHAN!!!

I don't need to read all these buhari buhari

thanks you Op

Nigerians are perennially inflicted with short memory

why would any right thinking 9ja support buhari?

Fashola, Kwankwaso, and Amaechi would have been better options

Buhari has age and military dictator history against him

FAILBUHARI

goodluck still remains the best option for now

GEJ until APC feature Kwankwaso