Goodluck Jonathan or Muhammadu
Buhari? Muhammadu Buhari or
Goodluck Jonathan? Both have their
strengths and weaknesses. A
renowned Naij.com guest author
Japheth Omojuwa compares the two
most prominent candidates in the
2015 race to the presidential seat.
General Buhari is running as a
presidential candidate for the 4th
time in a row. The only difference
between his current effort and the
three previous ones is the fact that
this time, he goes to the polls as a
clear favourite. Surely, there must be
a reason why a man who, it looked
like, never had a chance in the last
12 years is now solidly placed to
win.
The reason? Two words: Goodluck
Jonathan.
President Jonathan said he deserved
credit for the APC becoming what it is
today. The president is right, but he
missed the irony in his own
assertion. He wants the world to
believe the APC exists because his
government created an enabling
environment for the opposition to
thrive when, in actual fact, the
opposition rose on the hills of
Jonathan’s incompetence.
General Buhari has always been a
phenomenon in the North – he still is
– but the same could not have been
said of the South until the run-up to
the 2015 elections. Why is that?
Because of the same old gee,
Goodluck Jonathan. Nigeria’s current
president has failed so many times
many Nigerians are inclined to
choose to vote for just about any
form of matter over him.
Where exactly has Jonathan failed
and why his failures should not be
overlooked?
The president’s most telling failure is
his inability to address the
insurgency in the North. For many
years, the president’s disposition to
Boko Haram was: “they are killing
themselves to make my government
look bad”. This position was echoed
by the president’s men and allies.
The belated response to the of 59
Buni Yadi boys in Yobe, the absurd
delay in even believing the Chibok
girls were truly abducted until some
18 days later, the Kano rally dance
that came 24 hours after the Nyanya
bomb blast, and several other
shocking responses to Boko Haram’s
activities sold the president out as
being indifferent to the pains of
Nigerians who live under the
constant menace of terror.
Meanwhile, General Buhari’s history
as a no-nonsense leader proves he
will not approach Boko Haram with
kid gloves or underrate the terror
group, to which President Jonathan
has confessed.
Corruption and government
accountability are major issues in
this election, and understandably so.
A November 2012 report says some
N5 trillion was either misappropriated
or outright stolen under the Jonathan
administration. At least N1 trillion
was stolen under the guise of fuel
subsidies, if the House of
Representatives’ report is correct.
There is the $20 billion the then-
Central Bank governor and now Emir
of Kano HRH Muhammed Sanusi II
said wasn’t remitted to the
Federation Account. Two days ago,
he was on CNN’s Amanpour insisting
the government’s explanation for that
was not satisfactory.
Another former CBN governor, Prof
Charles Soludo, insisted some N30
trillion has been lost due to the
current administration’s
mismanagement. As these words get
written, the government has not
issued a reasonable response to his
charges. They offered a lot of
emotional tantrums through President
Jonathan’s campaign and the
Ministry of Finance.
On this front, Buhari comes out on
top again because of his reputation
of never being the one about
amassing wealth or using his
privileged position to loot the
country. He is generally perceived as
upright. His choice of Pastor Yemi
Osinbajo helped to cement that
perception.
The third major deciding issue for
this election is the economy. The
Nigerian economy is walking on
tightropes. The government likes to
claim it has made Nigeria Africa’s
No.1 economy. The economy was
rebased in 2014. All the government
did with the “rebasing” was to
account for the inclusion of new
sectors like the entertainment
industry and telecoms into the
calculation of the country’s GDP.
This was accumulated over the
previous 20 years or so, but the
government has sold this as one of
its achievements. Pictures of
Cameroon were presented as
completed road projects of this
administration, and an image of a
housing estate in Lekki was used as
that of completed housing projects in
the Northeast.
Four out of every five Nigerian
graduates are out of jobs. Extreme
poverty is unacceptably high, the
naira is seeing worst trading days
ever. Perhaps, the greatest picture of
that reality is Aliko Dangote, Africa’s
richest man, losing $7b in November
2014 alone; since then, he has lost
enough money to make another
person the 2nd richest on the
continent. Nigeria’s foreign reserves
continue to take a plunge. Its debts,
local and foreign, continue to rise. It
is all a mess out here.
This is what the elections are about.
It is a direct Yes/No referendum on
president Jonathan. Not a few people
voting for General Buhari will do so
just to vote against President
Jonathan .
Voting Buhari is the right thing if this
really is about the future of Nigeria.
Of the two available options,
President Jonathan is a failed
president. In a sane world, he would
not even dream to be a candidate, let
alone become one.
General Buhari used to be a dictator.
He has since learnt democratic
tenets having, without resorting to
violence, trusted the courts three
times after losing previous elections.
It is obvious he is in this because he
firmly believes he can be the wise old
man who sets Nigeria on the road to
socio-political and economic
recovery.
General Buhari gets my vote. Easily.
It is the most logical decision. In a
country where money and
materialism hold sway (including in
the so-called religious houses),
those who are able to share dollars
will certainly turn many heads. What
will matter in the end is how much
Nigerians want “change” . Another
four years with Goodluck Jonathan
would be a disaster for Nigeria. It is
time for Buhari.
www.naij.com/406399-omojuwa-on-chances-of-buhari-and-jonathan-in-2015-election.html

Another
four years with Goodluck Jonathan
would be a disaster for Nigeria. It is
time for Buhari.

BROS PLEASE BE SINCERE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR NATION.
you did not tell us that buhari, the former army general swore to make our country ungovernable.
you denied that buhari's military regime made the worse human rights decree ever in africa.
you also tried to suppress the sad fact that ur buhari truncated our first democracy in this country in december 1983 (i dont want to talk about its effect on the leadership of this country)
SAY THE TRUTH AND BE SET FREE.
For me and the true lovers of NIGERIA, the old coup plotter shall never be president of this country.
BUHARI WHERE IS UR CERTIFICATE.

@op,see your life,nobody is even bother to comment cos of thrash that you wrote.nonsense

Dis is d only reason dey kept on attacking GMB in all th campaign cos dey ve nothing to sell.

Na only almajiri sch dem dey use now For campaign and dat 25,000 km invincible roads dey constructed.

Bookemark dis even Tanoids here ll come here to attack GMB persons and not presenting Gej achievement

ojobekehinde:
@op,see your life,nobody is even bother to comment cos of thrash that you wrote.nonsense

what is this blabber saying!

magmack can you show us the copy of that affidavit he sweared to make the country ungovernable pls.
and know that jonathan sweared not to contest in 2015

Vote your choice...



You will hear a lot from such people the aim is to win your heart, never you give time to such joke

magmack:
BROS PLEASE BE SINCERE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR NATION.
you did not tell us that buhari, the former army general swore to make our country ungovernable.
you denied that buhari's military regime made the worse human rights decree ever in africa.
you also tried to suppress the sad fact that ur buhari truncated our first democracy in this country in december 1983 (i dont want to talk about its effect on the leadership of this country)
SAY THE TRUTH AND BE SET FREE.
For me and the true lovers of NIGERIA, the old coup plotter shall never be president of this country.
BUHARI WHERE IS UR CERTIFICATE.

Can you please shut up for once and stop wilfully deceiving yourself and others with this stale argument. The world (including you) is aware that Buhari never made any statement about making the country ungovernable but you Jonathanians keep feigning ignorance of this simple fact and you keep using this as your main argument. Are you guys so intellectually deficient not to be able to think up a reasonable argument other than continually propagating this stale false gist?

..and you you have the guts to ask someone else to be sincere when you cant even be sincere to yourself.

magmack:
BROS PLEASE BE SINCERE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR NATION.
you did not tell us that buhari, the former army general swore to make our country ungovernable.
you denied that buhari's military regime made the worse human rights decree ever in africa.
you also tried to suppress the sad fact that ur buhari truncated our first democracy in this country in december 1983 (i dont want to talk about its effect on the leadership of this country)
SAY THE TRUTH AND BE SET FREE.
For me and the true lovers of NIGERIA, the old coup plotter shall never be president of this country.
BUHARI WHERE IS UR CERTIFICATE.

You are the one who needs to be sincere. For deliberately attributing to Buhari a statement made by an agrieved PDP chieftain who felt letdown by Jonathan's betrayal of their tacit agreement for a one term tenure.

While we may not have the actual certificate, we have seen the transcripts O' level transcript of the General and his classmates are still alive and testify that he was the Senior Prefect.

Buharis appeal is that in a country where we have taken for granted that our government official must steal from the nations coffers, Here is one man of impeccable integrity who never did. ...that alone is an inspiration to millions to many Nigerians that there is hope after all.

magmack:
BROS PLEASE BE SINCERE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR NATION.
you did not tell us that buhari, the former army general swore to make our country ungovernable.
you denied that buhari's military regime made the worse human rights decree ever in africa.
you also tried to suppress the sad fact that ur buhari truncated our first democracy in this country in december 1983 (i dont want to talk about its effect on the leadership of this country)
SAY THE TRUTH AND BE SET FREE.
For me and the true lovers of NIGERIA, the old coup plotter shall never be president of this country.
BUHARI WHERE IS UR CERTIFICATE.

Do you know the damage the Shagari regime was causing and the extent it would have been to Are you sure it's the first democrazy* Do you think most young and vibrant millitary officers of then are as unpatriotic as many of us are now I don't bliv a millitary coup is the answer to all, bt I give kudos to him and colleagues who took that bold step then(at least on patriotic grounds).

I won't disclose my age but I'm nt yet 20, didn't even offer history in Sec. Schl....if u actually have dis warped view and a knowledge of Nigeria's history as old as you may be, then there is fire on the mountain for 9ja.


Back2dtopic: Japheth, one guy I personally admire, u actually said it all, tho openely biased. GEJ also tried in what he 'thinks' is the best in some really few cases......but if you're nt competent enough for a job, it's really better to quit heroically than do some further 'Dr. Damages' show

My complete sentiments correctly encapsulated in the op...

I tell people this election is a referendum on GEJ ...a yes or no to the present way Nigeria is going.

Only kids that are still being fed by parents...people directly benefiting from this government or those that are just simply gullible to believe that only when their own tribal or religious person is the man in charge would they be comfortable..just that symbolic satisfaction.

Majority of Nigerians want change and they will use the PVC to effect the change.