The voting pattern that saw GEJ win many northern states may not reflect what will happen at the general elections after all. These delegates appear to be on their own. In fact I'm just reading now how their people protested against their delegates votes at the primary:

http://sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5798:backlash-of-pdp-presidential-primary-protests-in-katsina-jigawa-adamawa&catid=54:lead-stories&Itemid=127

http://sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5798:backlash-of-pdp-presidential-primary-protests-in-katsina-jigawa-adamawa&catid=54:lead-stories&Itemid=127

from the comments, it shows that the country is about dividing!

Which North? Please, when you talk about North, endeavour to specify because the Middlebelt is NOT part of your North.

You cant have your cake and eat it. They have Ribadu in ACN, and he's a decent candidate.

Very interesting. Hmm.

The youths who were protesting should really think more about their own futures than the political careers of their demi-god politicians.

April is beset with unpredictable scenarios . I have stated it many time that abolishing zoning , with a GEJ win , may not happen , without serious reppercussion, when it is the most clannish region in Nigeria that loses out. The ACN , CPC and ANPP are all showing tacit acquiescence with zoning with how they are all fielding Northern candidates in their Presidential slot. Some of us educated folks , in our high-handedness, simply do not understand the sheer number of malleable illiterates running around joblessly and aimlessly. We think things can happen and consequences be damned , simply because we want it to , when in reality our Nation may not be ready for such events.

IMO,  Jonathan will find it difficult to lead Nigeria if indeed , like many claim , he signed up for zoning only to now dump it for his own gain. Part of being a good and effective Politician is knowing the limit you can push the populace to with actions that may be irresponsible. You must understand those you lead very well also . I hope the Nigerian polity , in general , is mature enough for a Jonathan win in April given the prevailing scenario of bitter rancour caused by the zoning issue.

Gbawe:

April is beset with unpredictable scenarios . I have stated it many time that abolishing zoning , with a GEJ win , may not happen , without serious reppercussion, when it is the most clannish region in Nigeria that loses out. The ACN , CPC and ANPP are all showing tacit acquiescence with zoning with how they are all fielding Northern candidates in their Presidential slot. Some of us educated folks , in our high-handedness, simply do not understand the sheer number of malleable illiterates running around joblessly and aimlessly. We think things can happen and consequences be damned , simply because we want it to , when in reality our Nation may not be ready for such events.

IMO,  Jonathan will find it difficult to lead Nigeria if indeed , like many claim , he signed up for zoning only to now dump it for his own gain. Part of being a good and effective Politician is knowing the limit you can push the populace to with actions that may be irresponsible. You must understand those you lead very well also . I hope the Nigerian polity , in general , is mature enough for a Jonathan win in April given the prevailing scenario of bitter rancour caused by the zoning issue.  

so because of the fear that the large no of illiterate northern may unleash mayhem on the country if a jonathan wins the other parts of the country should soji now?

by the way with the emergence of ribadu,shekarau and buhari wouldn't the votes in the north be split?

eku_bear:

Very interesting. Hmm.

Indeed . I would urge Nigerians to go down memory lane and think of OBJ's last tenure i.e 1999 t0 2007. OBJ who is goading GEJ on should tell us of his frustration with some actions of disgruntled Northern leader when it was , according to the zoning formula, the turn of the South !!! Anyone following events would know the real reason Sharia was introduced during OBJ's tenure. We saw many crisis and chaos , deliberately instigated, under OBJ in the North . Yet OBJ , who is no shrinking violet , could never act decisively because he deliberately did not want to play into the hands of those spoiling for confrontation and an excuse . I just wonder why OBJ would then want to place Jonathan in a far more difficult position than he was in. Then again, some say OBJ , as the ultimate egotist, does not want any Nigerian to out-perform him , as President, while he is alive.

asha 80:


so because of the fear that the large no of illiterate northern may unleash mayhem on the country if a jonathan wins the other parts of the country should soji now?

by the way with the emergence of ribadu,shekarau and buhari wouldn't the votes in the north be split?

I am not saying that . I am suggesting that deliberately selfish actions may put Nigeria in a situation we may all regret . That is is cold reality.  What may happen because of selfish ambition may cause problems . Looking at what all the political Parties are doing shows, as I have argued , that the political establishment tacitly endorses zoning. Democracy is a Journey . absolute insistence on certain ideology , even if philosophically desirable, will not work sometime because of those we are dealing with . If zoning had held sway before perhaps opportunism that aggrieves a very clannish region(Yar Adua's death) may not be the best way to truncate it. We will no doubt be free of zoning in future because Nigeria cannot exist in a vacuum. Nonetheless , our leaders must be selfless if they want our nation to get where it needs to.

As it is many indolent misrulers have made it back as Governors and legislators because of their deal with GEJ . Are we really better off ? What Jonathan should have done to make him the father of modern Nigeria is to eschew selfishness by standing down to conduct a free and fair election. Believe me that if Jonathan is not contesting then every Party would produce a Northern presidential candidate just like in 2007. Jonathan , through free and fair elections , could ensure that , as much as possible, Nigeria gained the best leaders everywhere. that would be far more transformational , less rancourous, more peaceful, than a situation where he opportunistically induces everyone so he remains in power with the same thieves who have underdeveloped Nigeria for the past couple of years while presenting a headache for Nigeria over the possible fallout his win may cause after May. long and short? Jonathan's win may cost us plenty yet gain Nigeria very little since we are stuck with the same looting misruler Governors like Alao Akala and indolent legislators who refuse to pass any law that will move Nigeria forward.

Gbawe:

I am not saying that . I am suggesting that deliberately selfish actions may put Nigeria in a situation we may all regret . That is is cold reality.  What may happen because of selfish ambition may cause problems . Looking at what all the political Parties are doing shows, as I have argued , that the political establishment tacitly endorses zoning. Democracy is a Journey . absolutism will not work sometime . If zoning had held sway before perhaps opportunism that aggrieves a very clannish region(Yar Adua's death) may not be the best way to truncate zoning. We will no doubt be free of zoning in future because Nigeria cannot exist in a vacuum. Nonetheless , our leaders must be selfless if they want our nation to get where it needs to.

As it is many indolent misrulers have made it back as Governors and legislators because of their deal with GEJ . Are we really better off ? What Jonathan should have done to make him the father of modern Nigeria is to eschew selfishness by standing down to conduct a free and fair election. Believe me that if Jonathan is not contesting then every Party would produce a Northern presidential candidate just like in 2007. Jonathan , through free and fair elections , could ensure that , as much as possible, Nigeria gained the best leaders everywhere. that would be [b]far more transformational , less rancourous, more peaceful, than a situation where he opportunistically induces everyone so he remains in power with the same thieves who have underdeveloped Nigeria for the past couple of years while presenting a headache for Nigeria over the possible fallout his win may cost after May. long and short? Jonathan's win may cost us plenty yet gain Nigeria very little since we are stuck with the same looting misrulers like Alao Akala and the indolent legislators who refuse to pass any law that will move Nigeria forward.

ok

@Gbawe: Rampaging almajiris, sharia aren't enough for me to support zoning. And I suspect if this was all there was to it, you'd not give a damn about zoning either. So what do you fear? Coup?

If it is coup, then I'll agree that there is some cause for concern. But almost anything less than that, and I'm inclined to support GEJs (probably selfish) effort to destroy zoning.

eku_bear:

@Gbawe: Rampaging almajiris, sharia aren't enough for me to support zoning. And I suspect if this was all there was to it, you'd not give a damn about zoning either. So what do you fear? Coup?

If it is coup, then I'll agree that there is some cause for concern. But almost anything less than that, and I'm inclined to support GEJs (probably selfish) effort to destroy zoning.

you still don't get my point.  I dislike zoning as much as everyone else . Where we differ is that I feel , in a very divided nation where distrust is high , we must move cautiously at all times by judging the mood of the polity to ascertain when it is possible to press forward and when it is not. Nigerian leaders are fond of trying to bully their way forward without considering the fallouts from their selfish actions.   The article Jarus supplied shows that it may only take some radical utterances from some Imam about "usurpers" for Nigeria to experience serious chaos. The Americans have expressed their theory of chaos many times .

I believe in fighting for what is right but I cannot fight for the self-centred ambition of visionless and selfish leaders . It is what Nigerian leaders do . They make very selfish decisions and expect the expendable Nigerians to go into the streets and die for their own selfish choices . There are several ways to skin a cat. That adage should make sense to selfless leaders who really care about Nigeria.

@Gbawe: Hrm, I thought I understood your point. You and I differ I think in what costs we think are acceptable. I'm willing to accept unrest short of a coup;  you are not willing to accept anywhere near that much. Is that a fair characterization of your position?

Anyway. . . so if I don't support zoning the Northerners will cause "serious chaos"? I must support zoning to appease some imam?

Are we in a democracy, or not?  Why must I be held hostage in my own country?

the northern governors traded their own tickets for GEJ. most of them will not be reelected comes April because they did NOT represent the wishes of their people. if GEJ manages to win april election many of them will become members of his cabinet shikenan

Almajiri's will always be used by the vultures that colonised the North and brought rampant illiteracy, deseace and poverty to the region. Nigerians will continue to face up to them, the country belongs to us all.

The likes of Gbawe are preaching the politics of ethnic bigotry and cowardice, while the rest of us are embracing a new dawn where merit, not ethnicity is king.
For your info, GEJ's govt has kicked off a project for the FG to educate the almajiri, with Western education forming a part of their curriculum. This will make them into productive, rather than destructive cogs in society.
In the meantime, rather than profer or key into solutions, the Gbawe's of Nigeria continue to propagate and encourage the primitive politics of ethnic bigotry with statements of startling shamelessness like the below:

Gbawe: April is beset with unpredictable scenarios . I have stated it many time that abolishing zoning , with a GEJ win , may not happen , without serious reppercussion, when it is the most clannish region in Nigeria that loses out. The ACN , CPC and ANPP are all showing tacit acquiescence with zoning with how they are all fielding Northern candidates in their Presidential slot. Some of us educated folks , in our high-handedness, simply do not understand the sheer number of malleable illiterates running around joblessly and aimlessly. We think things can happen and consequences be damned , simply because we want it to , when in reality our Nation may not be ready for such events.

No sir! We do not give in to terrorism in any guise.

eku_bear:

@Gbawe: Hrm, I thought I understood your point. You and I differ I think in what costs we think are acceptable. I'm willing to accept unrest short of a coup;  you are not willing to accept anywhere near that much. Is that a fair characterization of your position?

Anyway. . . so if I don't support zoning the Northerners will cause "serious chaos"? I must support zoning to appease some imam?

Are we in a democracy, or not?  Why must I be held hostage in my own country?

No. You must however try to understand the agitations of others . What is the cause of majority of the problem facing the world if not downright insensitivity to the feelings of others ? I don't support zoning but if Jonathan had , as many have testified, consented to zoning in the past then I can understand why some people may be angry with his current stance. You say you are willing to accept unrest . I am not. Life is sacred to me . becomrich supplied an image of a dead Nigerian girl with severe and horrific wounds to her head . Ostensibly , she is the victim of sectarian violence . Till now the image is in my head because I think of what that poor girl could become growing up in a peaceful, united and thriving Nation.

I reject the idea that unrest is acceptable . for what ? So GEJ gets  4 or 8 years supported by returning misruler Governors and the same indolent legislators who failed to move our nation forward? look into history. No one will argue against fighting on the side of what is right. What is wrong is for folks to die because of the deciet and insincere lies of politicians . Tony Blair is walking around making millions yet many Britons died over his lies that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that must be neutralised . I resent that and I resent Jonathan's opportunistic ambition , that may cost many Nigerians their lives, when many testify that he signed up for zoning in the past. Even amongst thieves there is honour.

Defeated fair and square in party primaries, the Atiku bandwagon has taken to politics of the ridicoulous.

The Chairman said further that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Hadejia had informed him that [size=14pt]the protesters were minors[/size], hence the police could not make any arrests.

In their rush to promote their primitive politics, the criminals and their sympathisers like Gbawe see nothing wrong in child abuse, no step is too far.

We all resolutely reject the politics of terror and ethnic bigotry and we will win this battle.

^-- You are now characterizing @Gbawe as a sympathizer of these dudes?  Did you even read what he wrote? Show some class, man. His concerns are worth considering, not blindly discarded.

How long until you regain your senses and are able to talk as a rational person, rather than a GEJ sycophant?

Gbawe:

I am not saying that . I am suggesting that deliberately selfish actions may put Nigeria in a situation we may all regret . That is is cold reality.  What may happen because of selfish ambition may cause problems . Looking at what all the political Parties are doing shows, as I have argued , that the political establishment tacitly endorses zoning. Democracy is a Journey . absolute insistence on certain ideology , even if philosophically desirable, will not work sometime because of those we are dealing with . If zoning had held sway before perhaps opportunism that aggrieves a very clannish region(Yar Adua's death) may not be the best way to truncate it. We will no doubt be free of zoning in future because Nigeria cannot exist in a vacuum. Nonetheless , our leaders must be selfless if they want our nation to get where it needs to.

As it is many indolent misrulers have made it back as Governors and legislators because of their deal with GEJ . Are we really better off ? What Jonathan should have done to make him the father of modern Nigeria is to eschew selfishness by standing down to conduct a free and fair election. Believe me that if Jonathan is not contesting then every Party would produce a Northern presidential candidate just like in 2007. Jonathan , through free and fair elections , could ensure that , as much as possible, Nigeria gained the best leaders everywhere. that would be far more transformational , less rancourous, more peaceful, than a situation where he opportunistically induces everyone so he remains in power with the same thieves who have underdeveloped Nigeria for the past couple of years while presenting a headache for Nigeria over the possible fallout his win may cause after May. long and short? Jonathan's win may cost us plenty yet gain Nigeria very little since we are stuck with the same looting misruler Governors like Alao Akala and indolent legislators who refuse to pass any law that will move Nigeria forward.

We may not agree with their politics and everything the party stands for, but the truth remains PDP holds the ace, at least for now, in Nigerian politics. We can rightly say that when PDP sneezes, the other parties catches cold. Which is the reason why the other parties fixes their primaries right after PDP has concluded theirs. The rush to adopt Northern candidates as their flag bearer in the presidential election is not because other parties tacitly endorse zoning but I think it has to do with political expediency. And now that PDP has jetissoned zoning, it presents other parties the opportunity on a platter of gold to wrestle power from the PDP especially because of the flood of protest votes that are likely to swing to other parties from the North.

asha 80:


so because of the fear that the large no of illiterate northern may unleash mayhem on the country if a jonathan wins the other parts of the country should soji now?

by the way with the emergence of ribadu,shekarau and buhari wouldn't the votes in the north be split?

The politicians are not docile; they have committees that are brainstoming on scenarios that will give them victory. That is why they have been talking about alliances and if it works, they stand a better chance of snatching victory from PDP.

eku_bear:

^-- You are now characterizing @Gbawe as a sympathizer of these dudes?  Did you even read what he wrote? Show some class, man. His concerns are worth considering, not blindly discarded.

How long until you regain your senses and are able to talk as a rational person, rather than a GEJ sycophant?

stalker. . .

eku_bear:

^-- You are now characterizing @Gbawe as a sympathizer of these dudes?  Did you even read what he wrote? Show some class, man. His concerns are worth considering, not blindly discarded.

How long until you regain your senses and are able to talk as a rational person, rather than a GEJ sycophant?

Rolling over and giving in to those who employ minors to carry out ethnically bigoted protest will never be an option in my books. It could be in yours though, its a big World.
The simple fact is, it is the bold that change the World and cowards die several times; there is nothing to consider in Gbawe's stance. It is simply a plea for the status quo to carry on because the whole nation should be scared of hired kids on rampage.

Perhaps, you have a brand new definition for the term, "rational," which includes appeasing almajiri hirers, rather than tackling the roots of the almajiri problem.

oyb:

stalker. . .

Abeem:

We may not agree with their politics and everything the party stands for, but the truth remains PDP holds the ace, at least for now, in Nigerian politics. We can rightly say that when PDP sneezes, the other parties catches cold. Which is the reason why the other parties fixes their primaries right after PDP has concluded theirs. The rush to adopt Northern candidates as their flag bearer in the presidential election is not because other parties tacitly endorse zoning but I think it has to do with political expediency. And now that PDP has jetissoned zoning, it presents other parties the opportunity on a platter of gold to wrestle power from the PDP especially because of the flood of protest votes that are likely to swing to other parties from the North[b].The politicians are not docile; they have committees that are brainstoming on scenarios that will give them victory. That is why they have been talking about alliances and if it works, they stand a better chance of snatching victory from PDP[/b].

it is either they ally or they have their votes split.let me see which one of hem will blink stepdown for the other.

I am against the idea of the nation standing still in order to appease some Almajiris in the north.
i'm only sorry for the Almajiris. the are victims of northern elites oppression & corruption.
it won't be a bad idea if they wake up & turn against their puppet master/ slave drivers

Beaf:

Rolling over and giving in to those who employ minors to carry out ethnically bigoted protest will never be an option in my books. It could be in yours though, its a big World.

Dude, personally I don't give a damn about the threat of almajiris. What I'm concerned about is coup. Now, is my concern regarding this risk completely unwarranted? If so, why?

The simple fact is, it is the bold that change the World and cowards die several times; there is nothing to consider in Gbawe's stance. It is simply a plea for the status quo to carry on because the whole nation should be scared of hired kids on rampage.

Easy for you and I to say, since we don't live in any affected areas like Jos. And I suspect that you (like me) can easily escape from Nigeria if Nigeria falls apart into chaos. But what about those who don't have an exit plan?

Perhaps, you have a brand new definition for the term, "rational," which includes appeasing almajiri hirers, rather than tackling the roots of the almajiri problem.

Well, those education programs you suggest will take 5 or 10 years to have an impact. And how do you know that education will even help things? You can only lead a horse to water, cannot force the horse to drink.

eku_bear:

Dude, personally I don't give a damn about the threat of almajiris. What I'm concerned about is coup. Now, is my concern regarding this risk completely unwarranted? If so, why?
Easy for you and I to say, since we don't live in any affected areas like Jos. And I suspect that you (like me) can easily escape from Nigeria if Nigeria falls apart into chaos. But what about those who don't have an exit plan?
Well, those education programs you suggest will take 5 or 10 years to have an impact. And how do you know that education will even help things? You can only lead a horse to water, cannot force the horse to drink.

What coup are you talking about? The almajiri's do not command the army.
Simple observation shows that the cabal that has been shunted from power will go to any length, question is; why have they not been able to use their vaunted army? Perhaps the extent of their influence is simply the loudness of their vocalisations to which the weak have trembled.

Fear and intimidation have always been key weapons in their asernal. They have even threatened to shoot Jonathan several times, eg http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5512632-146/jonathan_honours_the_military_in_fear.csp

If neutralising their almajiri hoards is a 5 - 10 year project, then the only way to sort the problem in Jos (and elsewhere) is by staring the perpetrators directly in the eye with a mixture of diplomacy and hard action, just as govt is doing now. Appeasing almajiri's or quaking in fear because some loser has employed minors to storm the streets is the road to another cycle of failure. Times have changed in Nigeria, and they have changed drastically; it is now a World of merit where nobody will bow to ethnically driven terrorist tactics, its always better to get the terrorist.

The North deserves a better, dedicated and worthy leadership, and they will get it.

@Gbawe
I want you to do me a favour and read your posts again! When you are done reading, ask yourself these questions; How come I'm such a hopeless irredeemable ethnic jingoist??
Your posts are a bit repulsive and is doing your education no good, especially given the fact that you seem to have arrogated to yourself the ability to divine the nation's true interests. Why, if not for ethnic bigotry is it easy for you to become sympathetic to the sensibilities of violent clansmen up north, and yet refuse to consider the potential misgivings that would emanate from the Niger Delta if Jonathan, who has every right whatsoever, is disallowed on the ground of pacifying these clansmen.
You need to do a rethink. Your fixated hatred for Jonathan is turning you into an apologist for a system that has held the country bound to its knees for decades. Seriously, re-read your posts!

PapaBrowne:

@Gbawe
I want you to do me a favour and read your posts again! When you are done reading, ask yourself these questions; [b]How come I'm such a hopeless irredeemable ethnic jingoist??[/b]Your posts are a bit repulsive and is doing your education no good, especially given the fact that you seem to have arrogated to yourself the ability to divine the nation's true interests. Why, if not for ethnic bigotry is it easy for you to become sympathetic to the sensibilities of violent clansmen up north, and yet refuse to consider the potential misgivings that would emanate from the Niger Delta if Jonathan, who has every right whatsoever, is disallowed on the ground of pacifying these clansmen.
You need to do a rethink. Your fixated hatred for Jonathan is turning you into an apologist for a system that has held the country bound to its knees for decades. Seriously, re-read your posts!

Wonders shall never end !!! I am the ethnic jingoist and not you folks from Jonathan's region of origin who cannot even bring yourself to acknowledge let alone criticise one thing he has done wrong when there are many ? You guys are something else . Anyway , my points are clear to those who are not blinded by an ethnic yearning to see Jonathan win in April by all means and at all cost.

eku_bear:

^-- You are now characterizing @Gbawe as a sympathizer of these dudes?  Did you even read what he wrote? Show some class, man. His concerns are worth considering, not blindly discarded.

How long until you regain your senses and are able to talk as a rational person, rather than a GEJ sycophant?

Eku Bear, that why Oyb calls him a stalker. Following me  , from thread to thread, to discredit what I write is an obssession with the chap . Pathetic really.  look at the his first response to this thread where he is invited to talk up his candidate and all he can do is attempt to talk down Gbawe;
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-585949.0.html

straight in shouting Gbawe . There are many more examples like that . I think I better get an IP adress scrambling software . I would not want a deranged psycho showing up at my door .

Gbawe's comment about corruption being Nigeria's main problem is completely wrong and displays a fundamental lack of understanding of the Nigerian fabric, but going further to build his candidates profile around that is almost hilarious.

More anti-PDP primary results protests in teh north: http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10173:pdp-convention-more-protests-in-kaduna-bauchi&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

these governors risk losing re-election