Is this how he will take Nigeria out of the mess? He has the same penchant for wasteful spending as his Chief Campaigner and former President Obasanjo, if not more.

http://www.saharareporters.com/news-page/jonathan-storms-new-york-120-man-delegation-36-hour-trip-un

Let Jonathan, IBB and Atiku carry on with their arrogant and "business as usual" campaign that seeks the support of the powermongers yet fails to involve average Nigerians. That is the clearest signal of how they will ignore average Nigerians , and their needs, if elected to highest office. Ribadu is already energetically engaging real Nigerians not rented crowds and bullied Governors . Ribadu and the ACN will have a lot to attack Jonathan with since Mr.President is a profligate leader who typifies the elitist , "business as usual", style of leadership  that has kept Nigeria pathetically underdeveloped despite his story of walking to school with no shoes. Nigerians are aware of the excessive financial largesse being deployed , to the detriment of Nigeria, to make our politicians the best paid in the world despite their total uselessness to us. Jonathan represents that largesse. He is not austere or sensitive at all.

Meanwhile IBB and Atiku are political jokes and damaged goods . In a nation of sane folks who genuinely want liberation from unbearable suffering, a poor national image and deliverance from gangsters everywhere posing as leaders, then IBB, Atiku , Jonathan and Saraki should be outrightly rejected . It should be Buhari or Ribadu without question. Too much negatives has beset our nation for us to be contemplating another expensive gamble as Yar Adua represented back in 2006. We must go for someone we are certain will make a difference. We should not vote for those (Jonathan) who have been mediocre their political lives yet posit they can now perfom as President or those who are outright crooks (IBB and Atiku) now wanting to convince us they will manage Nigeria's resources  prudently on behalf of Nigerians.



The support behind Ribadu will be energetic and manic. The business as usual/rented crowd/bullied leaders/do-or-die/operation totality campaign of other candidates will seem like graveyard meetings in comparison to how Nigerians will listen to , and follow, Ribadu. Is the Obama revolution about to happen in the bggest black nation on Earth ?


http://saharareporters.com/news-page/ribadu-change-nigeria-needs-%E2%80%93-former-nba-president-akeredolu


.RIBADU:OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE
Submitted by OMOLOLU CACTI (not verified) on September 22, 2010 - 15:58.
Mobilizing for Ribadu to ensure we change Nigeria is our collective responsibility. Out of all the aspirants, including GEJ, Ribadu stand out. He is the only one that command respect, has the sinews for change and the patrotic zeal to reposition Nigeria.
He is the only one that can protect, secure and defend the future of our youths and children from collaspse, invasion and outright ruins, occassioned by high and low levels corruption.
As for CHILDRENS ANTI-CORRUPTION INITIATIVE (CACTI), we will take The Ribadu initiative to all voting age children. We will tell them that it is only in Ribadu that their future would be guaranteed

reply.ONWARD RIBADU!
Submitted by Omo Baba Agba (not verified) on September 22, 2010 - 15:40.
I back Ribadu a zillion percent and as a Yoruba man, I follow my conscience without apology to anyone. I read somewhere of someone saying the Yorubas have a moral obligation to support Jonathan, the colourless one. How! The Yorubas have never enjoyed the support of the Rivers/Bayelsa axis in the political equation of this country. In the second republic, Rivers?Bayelsa voted NPN. In the 3rd republic, they were in NRC. Even on June 12, when the whole nation rose as one in support of MKO and MKO won even in Kano, Rivers/Bayelsa voted solidly for Tofa, and against MKO! When they "voted" for Obasanjo in 1999, they did so against the interest of the Yorubas because Obasanjowas not the choice of the Yorubas. I am sure Edwin Clark (ex NPC, NPN and NRC) cannot open his mouth to ask the Yoruba nation for payback. Because they are not indebted to anyone, the Yorubas have a singular opportunity to look for and support the best candidate with the brightest prospect in the field. There are quite a number of good candidates e.g Dele Momodu who has declared, and Pat Utomi and Donald Duke who have not. The good one with the brightest chance however is NUHU RIBADU! I SUPPORT HIM. As for Jonathan, he should go back to his first love, the Zoo. He has a lot of catching up to do in research about animals. ONWARD RIBADU!

@ Gbawe,

I like your take on the issue but I have a big reservation with Ribadu candidacy. My problem with him emanates from his financier Tinubu, plus his response when he was asked about his romance with Tinubu whom he had said to be a corrupt leader of international dimension while he was the EFCC boss. I hope you are aware of what he said. He does not mind dining with the devil to actualize his dream.

I will always prefer Buhari to any of the others, but he is "unfortunately" too principled to win Nigerians to his side. This is responsible for him not being able to join PDP or even remain in a political party for a reasonable period of time. He is the type that is fit for a complete civilized society. Just like people like Gani Fawehinmi - despite the love Nigerians had for him, the man could not even win his ward let alone his LG when he ran for Nigeria's top job. 

Giyaz:

@ Gbawe,

I like your take on the issue but I have a big reservation with Ribadu candidacy. My problem with him emanates from his finanier Tinubu plus his response when he was asked about his romance with Tinubu whom he had said to be a corrupt leader of international dimension while he was the EFCC boss. I hope you are aware of what he said. He does not mind dining with the devil to actualize his dream.

My brother, It is the season of political mudslinging and mischief . Some politicians control powerful news agencies/sources they use Partisanly. I will wait to hear more before I am convinced of what Ribadu "said". Being quoted out of context deliberately is something Ribadu has to get used to as per Nigeria politics of money , "do-or-die" and "operation totality".  They say he fell out with Jonathan because his "demand" for the Job of NSA was turned down. Ribadu denied this flatly. When he said he needed 5,000 policemen mischief makers immediately went to work to chide Ribadu for naive utterances when the former EFCC boss was actually talking about something totally different to what they were hinting (see below). People can talk but all I see is Ribadu going out there to engage Nigerians and sell himself and his ideas while worn out relics like IBB and Atiku feel the old ways of buying a win will suffice.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/ribadu-change-nigeria-needs-%E2%80%93-former-nba-president-akeredolu

He called for a change in the criminal justice system, a rational reform in the police and he noted that these changes can only come to be if and when there is “a cocktail of initiatives which includes training, professionalism and better remuneration”.

Giyaz:

@ Gbawe,

I like your take on the issue but I have a big reservation with Ribadu candidacy. My problem with him emanates from his financier Tinubu, plus his response when he was asked about his romance with Tinubu whom he had said to be a corrupt leader of international dimension while he was the EFCC boss. I hope you are aware of what he said. He does not mind dining with the devil to actualize his dream.

I will always prefer Buhari to any of the others, but he is "unfortunately" too principled to win Nigerians to his side. This is responsible for him not being able to join PDP or even remain in a political party for a reasonable period of time. He is the type that is fit for a complete civilized society. Just like people like Gani Fawehinmi - despite the love Nigerians had for him, the man could not even win his ward let alone his LG when he ran for Nigeria's top job. 

I pray Ribadu does everything to win the presidency and when he gets there probe the murtha firkers.
If Gani had dined with devils he probably would have ended up winning the presidency.
You have to play the game as it is played and when you win then you hit the murtha firkers.


                                                                  

                                                                         PEACE OUT!!!

@ Gbawe,

I perfectly understand your points. I still have my reservations though. We 'll wait and see as only time will tell.
I see that you cleverly avoided talking about Buhari. Even though I know you have a soft spot for him, I see that you prefer Ribadu to the General. No qualms, but may I ask you why you think Ribadu will make a better president than Buhari.

HERE IS THE PDP ZONING FORMULAR AS DRAWN IN 1999 AS I KNOW IT:

ASSUMING 2 TERMS EACH;

                          PRESIDENT     V. P.    SEN. PRES.    H. OF REP
1999                       SW              NE               SE          NW
2007                       NW              SS               NE          SW
2015                       SE               NC               SS          NE
2023                       NE               SW              NC          SE
2031                       SS               NW              SW         NC
2039                       NC               SE               NW         SS

Giyaz:

@ Gbawe,

I perfectly understand your points. I still have my reservations though. We 'll wait and see as only time will tell.
I see that you cleverly avoided talking about Buhari. Even though I know you have a soft spot for him, I see that you prefer Ribadu to the General. No qualms, but may I ask you why you think Ribadu will make a better president than Buhari.

My brother, I have the utmost respect for Buhari. How can anyone not respect the stateman-like demeanour of Buhari lately that makes him stand out as a giant amongst Nigerian politicians? Who was one of the first prominent leader to insist the cabal must allow Jonathan to be made acting President while Gusau and IBB were playing Ostrich and Saraki,Yuguda( now Jonathan's campaign coordinator) and other spineless AGIPs (any government in power) , who now support Jonathan , left him to drown back then?

Who was the first Northern leader to unequivocally state that Jonathan should be allowed , as a Nigerian, to run for the Presidency in 2011?

There is much more but the long and short of it is that Buhari consistently says and does what is best for Nigeria lately especially when he has nothing to gain for doing so!!! In the end we must recognise that Buhari will do well for Nigeria and Ribadu will too. It is just that , right now , Ribadu is far more iconic and charismatic. He has achieved a Robin Hood-type popularity with Nigerians . This is the only type of popularity that may defeat the PDP. Money , political power, kingmaker support, executive power cannot do it because the PDP has those things in abundance far more than anyone else . Grassroot mobilisation of Nigerians is the only way . We saw Tinubu use this well in Ekiti till the PDP decided to rig shamelessly with Jonathan in cahoot !!!

Ribadu can reach all Nigerians in ways Buhari cannot . Young, old, progressives, students, women's group, societal groups, etc. IBB can buy support and GEJ can bully others to support him but , like Obama, many will ideologically pledge their money and support for Ribadu freely and without inducement or coercion , because they genuinely believe in him, as Akeredolu (former NBA boss) has come out to do . It is an open secret that Soyinka, Falana, Okey Ndibe and many, many respected Nigerians support Ribadu. More will come out now that Ribadu is campaigning. In the end this is my personal opinion. Ribadu has done sterling work while outside Nigeria. He is highly respected internationally. He addressed the American congress to applause in a sign he has come of age politically and internationally with the honour , not bestowed on many, of speaking to the lawmakers of the "bastion of democracy".  I do not posit that Ribadu is a better candidate than Buhari. I just think Ribadu , at this point, is better positioned than Buhari , if several things align, to defeat the PDP. Let us watch as events unfold. I feel Ribadu , with his energy, will force everyone to step it up. That can only be good for Nigeria.

@ Gbawe,

I concur as I do not have any personal reason not to want Ribadu to be our president. Just that I fear for the type of the people carrying him around. Hope I will be proved wrong in the end. I also hope that a truly democrat/progressive will emerge at the end of the day to rule Nigeria.

It may interest you to know that I was going with IBB. Yes, you heard me right. However since the delaration of Ribadu and Gusau (cos I know that Buhari's party can not win the presidency), I have started to lean more towards Gusau and a bit toward Ribadu. In any case, my order of preference is :

1. Buhari - very doubtful as a result of his party and uncompromising principles
2. Gusau - very likely and possible especially if he emerges as the Northern consesus aspirant after the delibrations
3. Ribadu - likely and possible but very difficult as a result of his party except if adopted by the North especially if Jonathan picks PDP's ticket.
4. IBB -Possible only if he becomes the consesus aspirant of the North - though I doubt he will be picked.