The Presidential flagbearer of the PDP in the 2007 General elections Alhaji Umar Mua Yar'adua has picked the bayesla state Governor Mr Jonathan Goodluck as his presidential running mate, i am surprised anyway beause i was expecting him to choose either Donald Duke or Peter Odili. PDP caucuswould not cease to amaze us with annointed unexpected canditates.

Why is it that Nigerian politicians prefer to pick reluctant candidates for President and Vice President. Simple answer, they want a President they can control and the President wants a Vice he can control, however two reluctant, unexpected and weak candidates will not work. I dare to predict that the PDP will loose the next election and I will actually campaign against them. This is ridiculous, a complete joke.

Nigeria may be better off with Atiku than these two. Nigeria will almost certainly be better off with Buhari than these two. Unbelievable!!!!!!!

Yar'adua announcement video: http://www.ananet.org/yaradua.asf

Buhari may well be the next President at this rate.

@ topic

Its just crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Revolution:

Yar'adua announcement video: http://www.ananet.org/yaradua.asf

Buhari may well be the next President at this rate.

thanx for the link. . . I enjoyed hearing NTA & FRCN CAROL SERVICE more than the news though

There may be a lot of people decamping from the PDP in the next few days, OBJ better pray popular candidates like Marwa and Duke don't decamp and form aliances because I believe a Marwa/Duke pairing in another party will beat Yar'Adua/Goodluck any day.

i don't understand any longer.
what's really happening?
what has Jonathan got to give?
why do we have to use him and yar' adua as guinea pigs,
when there are people like duke who have been tested and certified?
i'm becoming uninterested in this political nonsense.

totally feel you

But i guess thats just naija politricks for you

Well Johnny really had some goodluck there, everyone anicipated a Duke or Odili as the next Veepee, PDP will neva cease to amaze

I'm not longer sure PDP is willing this election?, What are they doing?

Honestly an Atiku/Duke,Buhari/Duke or Marwa/Duke ticket will break PDP's ticket anyday!. I even hope it does. My only problem is that a PDP controlled state government and house of assembly will adversely affect the Federal Government if Yar'adua does not win. PDP is toying with the fortunes of 150 million Nigerian. Nigeria is now an autocracy. This is wrong. Government must atleast have some resemblance to be For The People. Duke is a people person, Jonathan is some name that should stop in Bayelsa. He has not even been governor for more than 15months.

Hope PDP fails. I was for Yar'adua yesterday, i doubt that today!. The PDP equation is wrong!

I think we as Nigerians are forgetful! Why rant over 'his' choice when we all know who is calling the shots? Even at that have we so soon forgotten how Atiku became no 2 man?

DITTOED from "Re: Yar'Adua President in Waiting?"

Its unfortunate sometimes that many of us seem not to see an opportunity when one presents itself.

First we cannot forget the relationship that has existed for a very long time between Yar'Adua (and Yar'adua senior before his execution) and OBJ. I is a tested one and anyone in OBJ's shoes would have done the same. OBJ has always looked for an exit strategy with which he could go to sleep on and he seems to be getting it. He certainly doesn't want anymore stripes on his back!

The choice of Jonathon wasn't so obvious but is understandable. If you have seen the transformation in Yenagoa in the little time he has been there you will start to understand. Though politically weak of base, Jonathon cultivates underestimation, very much like OBJ and Yar'Adua himself and it is very clear that Yar'Adua had him in mind from the outset.

Back to the opportunity. It is clear the country now has a chance to transfer power for the first time in its post colonial history from a still hungry old brigade (of thieving soldiers and soldiering thieves) to two young new faces whom are not (in relative terms) tarnished. The caveat of course is that the old soldier as they say "never die". So we have a choice here move beyond Buhari, IBB, Tofa  et all, hold these two new faces absolutely accountable. In fact it is their very susceptibility to accountability that (not only by us, but by all those within the PDP itself who lost out) that makes them seem palpable.

For once I think we about to get leaders we can ask questions who do not possess the weight of history and chance to assume us a foolish answer. Looking forward to grilling these two!!

Guys you should all know its a political decision, the decision of bayelsa as the VP is just to appease those MEND guys in the niger delta and Dokubo guys.

By the way, this combination is a very wack and weak one, Obasanjo intentionally kept his lackeys there so he can still have an overwhelming influence on the presidency!

Again, this yaradua guy accent sucks, it was innundated with ''ft" , which is commonly noted in dem north's accent .Imagine him making a speech in Marlbough house or UN secretariat!

I hope we dont wake up on may 30 2007 with the gunshots of 'em khaki boys with their gruffy voice heralding another " fellow Nigerian" era!. Yarardua is simply too weak and docile to manage a volatile state like Nigeria .Too weak i must say again!.

y will he be pickd if he isnt weak. tht is the quality they ar lookin 4 so tht he can do their wish

The choice of Jonathan Goodluck as Yar' adua's running mate is at best a very bad joke! If the choise was made to appease the South South, then Odili or Duke would have been a much better choice dont you think. I have never reckon with PDP as a good party, and i still dont!!

Now we all know why OBJ launched Nigersat I and planning to launch Nigersat II, so that he can remotely control the shots comfortably via satelite through his laptop in Ota.
But that is only if PDP wins the elections, the chance of which is very slim

Why are u guys surprised? Obj is fixing in people who he believes will protect him after he leaves office. Yar'adua is calculated to be the sort of complacent ,"gentleman" who will not rock the boat for obj when he lives office but the reality of the scenario is that when u give a man power and u step aside it is impossible for u to control him

as for the other permutations bandied by some guys abt atiku/duke or duke/marwa or atiku/odili(l ) it is near impossible to realise . like it or not pdp is d factor here and no opposition party has gotten its act together to convince of being serious to give the ruling party a good fight.

i thank God that odili has been finally removed entirely frm the scenario because he lacks wat it takes to either be president or even vice for that matter. Jonathan is at best manageable

@Topic,

If we take into consideration the record set by the governor of Katsina in recording a budget surplus of N6B in his state (whereas other states keep playing around with budget deficeits) and the fact that Jonathan did some meaningful work in Bayelsa after Alami (the Ijaw Governor General who champiomed the course of the Ijaws on one hand while siphoning his people's wealth to foreign bank accounts on the other) was removed then it may be a good omen.

In a country when corruption is too common and often taken for granted, I think choosing people that are not too reckless with public funds may not be totally out of place.

The PDP primaries went well, there was no single complain from any of the other aspirants, which is good. Some say the governors were forced to step down, if that was the case and they obeyed (assuming, against their wish) then it means we are better off without them if they cannot stand by what they believe in based on principles.

It seems Yara'dua will certainly become the next president because we do not have any opposition in Nigeria, what we have is a collection of former big men in PDP that lost out of the power play and a few non PDP members that cannot really do much in reality.

How many of us writing here have even registered let alone will be voting on the election day?

Or, are we going to speak all the grammar only to let the hired thugs, corrupt INEC officials and "money for hand, vote for ballot people" decide what happens on the election day?

Until we are ready to die for what we believe in, nothing will change because the ruling class understands the mindset of the average Nigerian - always ready to talk and never willing to take action.

Afam, God bless U, well said once again! Also the big Q to all you whiners and ranters~ do your(you and I) votes count?

Stop reading things on the surface, did EFCC give those two rogues of a thief a clean state?
Dont we know where all the malicious manipulations and gimmicks to ensure that PDP comes back in 2007 lies?

Nigerians know better than to allow some bunch of rogues who are subject to the manipulative/reformer deceptive vices of a man with hidden agenda comeback again.

Question: Do you think a man whose third term agenda was rubbished will let go like that? We ought to know better, that a wounded lion is the most dangerous animal not to play with!

The political terrain of Nigeria is so unique that you can say what will happen in the end. The just concluded PDP Primary that produce Kastina State Governor is not a surprise to me but the real JOKE is the issue of the running mate which most people think the battle line is between Odili and Duke but sources within the presidency have it that BABA is highly favour Odili for the slot. I think Odili doesnt merit the slot at all, i know Duke will have being a good and dedicated Vice President. Since we Nigerians advocates for generational change from the old politicians, i pray these governors should perform well in office.

NAija people, nothing comes out of nothing.

The North are back OBJ supported the plan, If South-South candidate had been nominated, PDP will loose the Northern Vote (VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT VOTESSSSSSSS ) Now Jonathan has been picked. So do the arithmetic.

70% of Northern Vote + All the Ijaw vote (Largest ethnic in the South, Very very large population ) courtsey of Jonathan + 70 % of South-South votes (they have no choice aaaaaahhh ) + A bit of western Vote ( Courtsey of OBJ assuming leadership of PDP ) + Normal wayo, jibity, mago-mago-wuru-wuru.

Yardua will come out and take the position his Late elder brother ought to have clinched years back.

Very simple, the script is now in motion. In 2007 It will be in the Cinemas !!! It has 90% chance of being a BOX office hit.

Once again I weep for naija. Someone will say play your part, VOTE !! No way !!! not when the architect is in Power . STATE POWER is POWER !!! .
It will be used thanx to OBJ and his cronies and he intends to manage his new empires through it. Who get sense buy shares in all the OBJ related biznesses. I weep for Naija.

UNTIL WHAT HAPPENED IN ARGENTINA YEARS BACK HAPPENS IN NAIJA,
UNTIL WHEN nigerians RISE again like when they got tired and REMOVED ibb himself,
UNTIL All Nigerians HAVE THE INTREST OF ONE ANOTHER AT HEART, irrespective of ethnic, religion, brother or sister and selfishness,

It will be same and may remain same. Hardlife for LIFE.


I don talk

Some people are funny o; they are saying that PDP will not win the election when they know what happens. Did you see the way Yar Adua won his ticket? That is how PDP will dismantle the other parties unless a miracle occurs.

absolutely spot on!!!!

Most of you guys simply failed to acknowledge the wisdom (do our leaders really have any?) of
picking Jonathan Goodluck as VP. Yes, he is a nobody, has weak political base, etc., but have
you guys bothered to think that may be the intent of PDP/Yar Adua was to pacify the Niger Delta?
What a better way to implement the Niger Delta development blueprint unveil several months
ago than by actually having a VP from Baylesa spearhead that?

I read the article of the guy running MEND a few days ago in which he is promising to introduce
suicide bombers (I think he is bluffing - Nigerians love life so much to be playing with stuff like
that), whether true or not, we all must agree that the Niger Delta situation is getting out of hand.
With Goodluck as VP, perhaps, they may see this as a gesture that the Federal Government is
trying to reach out to them. Plus if your man is the #2 guy, and his government fails to deliver,
you can really lay the blame elsewhere.

Finally, what are you guys really complaining about, how many heads of state and their VPs has
Nigeria had that one can really use to compare to both Yar Adua and Goodluck. For starters,
Yar Adua has a Masters degree in Chemistry and Goodluck has a PHD as well (I believe). If you
ask me, I think these two gentlemen are more qualify than most of the bunch of fools and morons
that have led Nigeria in the past. Is it because both don't have General or Admiral in front of their
names?

Personally, I wanted Duke to be president, but hey, that didn't happen. Its time to move on.
For those engaging in wishful thinking, you can merge all the opposition parties together and they
will not beat PDP, its sad but is the truth. For starters, most of those in the opposition are really
PDP at heart, its just that they fell out of favor and are simply looking for ways to make them self
relevant. Politics is not pretty and sometimes the best men never gets the jobs!

Iyke-D:

Most of you guys simply failed to acknowledge the wisdom (do our leaders really have any?) of
picking Jonathan Goodluck as VP. Yes, he is a nobody, has weak political base, etc., [b]but have
you guys bothered to think that may be the intent of PDP/Yar Adua was to pacify the Niger Delta?[/b]What a better way to implement the Niger Delta development blueprint unveil several months
ago than by actually having a VP from Baylesa spearhead that?

I have heard that particular train of thought today from someone else. But is that not setting a bad precedent.

I have read all contributions and have this to say-Nigerian politics is a movie set and the script writers/director(s)/producer(s) are still at work!Anything can still happen just as was Yar A'dua/Goodluck combo did to me and countless others including prophets, soothsayers, shieks and marabouts! . Let's all watch and see!More is yet to come

@nilla,

How does picking a VP from a region that produces most of the country's wealth a bad precedent? How does
paying attention to a region of the country that is turning into a war zone a bad precedent? If Goodluck is VP
for 4 or 8 years, MEND or other Niger Delta militants' case of neglect is weakened if after this period there is
still nothing to show by the way of any meaning development via the Federal Government. Their man is best
situated to articulate their concerns and needs.

Like I also said, Goodluck may not be Duke, but as far as qualifications goes for becoming a Nigerian leader
given what we have seen over the years, I think he is very well qualified. People need to give rest to the myth
that democracy should always be a popularity contest.

Iyke-D:

@nilla,

How does picking a VP from a region that produces most of the country's wealth a bad precedent? How does
paying attention to a region of the country that is turning into a war zone a bad precedent? If Goodluck is VP
for 4 or 8 years, MEND or other Niger Delta militants' case of neglect is weakened if after this period there is
still nothing to show by the way of any meaning development via the Federal Government. Their man is best
situated to articulate their concerns and needs.

Like I also said, Goodluck may not be Duke, but as far as qualifications goes for becoming a Nigerian leader
given what we have seen over the years, I think he is very well qualified. People need to give rest to the myth
that democracy should always be a popularity contest.

Its not about it being a popularity contest.
It's about them trying to appease. . .(yes, the niger delta thing is a problem that needs to be dealt with before it escalates)
But still going on the train of thoughts of a blog that i read. . which obviously i see reason with. . . whats to stop other regions that are aggrieved from doing the same thing (violence) that the niger delta are doing, so that they can get into power.

You don't want it to be a popularity contest. . .i agree with you.
But should it be an appeasement process??

@Nilla,

I believe the perculiar environment we find ourselves is responsible for politics of appeasement or attempting to remedy certain perceived or real injustices of the past.

In other words, for Nigeria to move forward, concessions must be made, feelings must be assuaged, honest attempts at making things better must be pursued.

More importantly, ceding the presidency to the North and VP to the South South seems a good omen at the end of the day as it help reduce the tension in the land.

I think the records set by Yar'adua in Katsina is enough to support him rather than support the likes of Duke or Odili who could not stick to what they believed in to begin with.

If they were persuaded to drop their ambitions and they did so without contesting then they are not fit to rule this country.

Nigeria requires a strong leadership, not the type that is dictated by what OBJ wants or what he doesn't want.

If Duke really wanted to serve this country then he should have decamped to another party just like Pedro did in Lagos.

Spending a lot of money moving from one part of the country to the other and at the end of the day you are not even one of those contesting seems like a lot of wasted funds and unseriousness on the part of the likes of Duke and Odili.

@Afam

I find it hard to say this but I actually concur with a lot of what u have said.

I think there has been an informal understanding since the end of the military era of the need for a rotational presidency.I don't however think Yar'adua is the best candidate the North has to offer.

However Yar'adua is much better than the morally supine duo of Odili and Duke,a hopeless bunch of Obasanjo yes men who don't have the courage to pursue their political ambitions