As I've followed the presidential debate over the past few months I've become really saddened by the quality of comments I've been reading in the political section. Most Nairalanders seem to think the upcoming election is like the premiership race or the world cup instead of a major decision that will affect our lives and the lives of our children for years to come.

I've seen people trumpet the most ridiculous arguements and others accept them as fact. Almost like Arsenal fans who argue that their club is the greatest in the world despite all evidence to the contrary.

Today, I've read dozens of people proclaiming that the embarrasing sham organized by BON is more credible than the NN24 debate. I've seen people gloss over Buhari's worrying record and Ribadu's weak manifesto. I've seen people claim that a GEJ government will be different even though he's been a major PDP insider for 12 years and has been running the country in the same corrupt, incompetent PDP way for the past year.

I'm tired of reading posts like "your father is a bast.erd, sai Buhari!" or "you must be a sens.eless monkey, fresh air!" 

My people, we need to wake up. If we elect the wrong person next weekend there will be no winners, all of us will lose! We need to stop all the tribalism and blind fanboyism. We need to stop the trolling and the childish insults.

We need to argue rationally and objectively like mature people. And when we're trying to convince others to our point of view, lets keep our minds open so that others can also convince us.

This election is too important for us to be behaving like small children.

Full disclosure: I'm an Arsenal fan, a southerner, and while I used to support Ribadu, but I will most likely be voting for Buhari (anyone but the PDP!)

Long story short: support your candidate, but please be rational and respect other people's points of view. All the candidates have their own k-leg (some worse than others).


I'm sure that there are some sensible peole in each camp who want to have a clean, rational discussion about the election. Please don't post ridiculous, trollish things like "PDP is not corrupt" or "Buhari is a true democrat". If you don't have anything original to say then you don't need to say anything. We don't need anybody to derail this thread like they have so many others.


And for God's sake, don't pretend to be a sensible person when you're only supporting your guy because his home town is near your village.


If you're interested in having a level-headed discussion about the election, please post your thoughts ITT.

Another BB convert, Lagos would definately experience a gridlock when hurricane BB rolls into town. God bless my brother.

KnowAll:

Another BB convert, Lagos would definately experience a gridlock when hurricane BB rolls into town. God bless my brother.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of Buhari and I like Bakare even less. I'm only voting for him because I feel he has the best chance of defeating Jonathan and the PDP. Even if the lead opposition candidate was a pregnant she-goat I would still vote for it (her?) rather than Jonathan.

Make no mistake, the PDP has to go whatever the cost. Nigerians need to establish the principle that when the leaders misbehave and make the ordinary people suffer, the people can punish them by kicking them out of office.

If Buhari messes up, he'll be easy to get rid of in 4 years time. On the other hand, if the PDP wins, they'll consolidate their position by weakening democratic structures and passing laws that favour them ala Obasanjo. In 4 years time, they may be so strong that it'll take a military coup to remove them. Just like the NPP before 1966.  

If Nigerians keep rewarding bad behavior by re-electing the PDP, then whatever happens is our fault.

^^ my thoughts exactly.

I'm not a BB fanatic and I don't think Buhari is any Messiah, but it really will be sad if PDP wins this election. We need to penalize misrule and punish mismanagement.

It is sad that we have to recycle a former military head of state but I have to be realistic about it, it is better than a military coup.

The possibility that we can start changing the mindset of our people by removing politicians who take us for granted like these PDP goons have done in the last 12 years is heartwarming. We need to remove PDP from power and send a clear message to CPC and other political parties.

Anyway, I still think GEJ will win because the opposition failed to form a strong alliance, but I'm holding out hope for a run-off.

Evil Brain:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of Buhari and I like Bakare even less. I'm only voting for him because I feel he has the best chance of defeating Jonathan and the PDP. Even if the lead opposition candidate was a pregnant she-goat I would still vote for it (her?) rather than Jonathan.

Make no mistake, the PDP has to go whatever the cost. Nigerians need to establish the principle that when the leaders misbehave and make the ordinary people suffer, the people can punish them by kicking them out of office.

If Buhari messes up, he'll be easy to get rid of in 4 years time. On the other hand, if the PDP wins, they'll consolidate their position by weakening democratic structures and passing laws that favour them ala Obasanjo. In 4 years time, they may be so strong that it'll take a military coup to remove them. Just like the NPP before 1966.  

If Nigerians keep rewarding bad behavior by re-electing the PDP, then whatever happens is our fault.

Well put!!!  Buhari is the best WRENCH we have to throw in the way of the PDP right now, and if only the Ribadu team would get on board, we will say goodbye, hopefully forever(here's hoping the majority will finally get their comeuppance), to the PDP engine!

Evil Brain:



My people, we need to wake up. If we elect the wrong person next weekend there will be no winners, all of us will lose! We need to stop all the tribalism and blind fanboyism. We need to stop the trolling and the childish insults.


Full disclosure: I'm an Arsenal fan, a southerner, and while I used to support Ribadu, but I will most likely be voting for Buhari (anyone but the PDP!)

Actually, I don't agree that all of us will lose. There are always a minority that gain from bad/wrong leadership. Such people as rational human beings will always champion causes that ensure their survival and benefit.

Stromae:

Actually, I don't agree that all of us will lose. There are always a minority that gain from bad/wrong leadership. Such people as rational human beings will always champion causes that ensure their survival and benefit.

Of what good will that be to them when the vast majority of Nigerians, and the Nation in the end, loses? Ever heard the saying "No man is an Island"?

Kobojunkie:

Of what good will that be to them when the vast majority of Nigerians, and the Nation in the end, loses? Ever heard the saying "No man is an Island"?

I know the saying and believed it till I superimposed it on the situation in Nigeria, in Nigeria with enough money, a man and his family can be an island.

Luckily or unluckily, I have become friends and acquaintances with certain children of people in the political and elite classes of Nigeria, thereby giving an opening into the inner happenings of their lives.

I don't have much time now, but let me say that some people use their position to ensure that they and their family get enough money to live comfortably (like they can run and maintain diesel generators 24/7), and also travel out of the country without planning or budgeting etc. They do not (directly) feel the effects of fuel price increase, shortage of food, lack of power, decay of education system (their children school in the best schools abroad), police oppression (they and their kids are usually constantly protected by MOPOL), etc.

In summary they have get enough money by whatever means they can in their position, usually illegally, to finance their easy life. If you hear some of them laugh at the problems of the common Nigerian in their AC'd and MOPOL led convoys you will be thoroughly disgusted. The annoying thing is they themselves know the education system decay allows them to propagate themselves.

@Poster
I think my earlier comment below validates your points. . . . . I also think it will give you more insight on what is to come, whether we like it or not.

@Op

Like someone noted earlier, you seem to be achieving what you set out to achieve. . . to indirectly stir up comments in support of BB. It doesnt have to matter where the story used to stir up these comments are coming from. Tho in other issues, the sources of stories like this becomes the basis for the debate, not the content.

Take some time to check out the headline again. . . Buhari Rejected Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala As Running Mate. Now, how do you think the debate would look like if you see a topic like. . . .GEJ rejects Buhari's wife as running mate, against Bakare's advice?
What do you think we will be debating; the intergrity of Buhari's wife or the source of the info?

@Nlanders and Nigerians.

As much as I in my little way will work to making sure that the best man wins, its so clear that ethnicity and religion will be the deciding factors in the April presidential election.
Before the selection of Bakere as Buhari's running mate, lots of the people here believed that Buhari was worst than a thousand of GEJs put together. Not sooner than Buhari chose Bakere, these same dudes switch their opinion over night and immediately concluded that Buhari is the Messiah of Nigeria. Shocking I say! Shocked

Honestly,I absolutely dont see nothing wrong with supporting Buhari for all the right reasons. However, it becomes hyper-hypocritical to shut down those Igbos using ethnicity and religion as their basis for supporting GEJ even when most Hausas and some Yorubas are supporting Buhari for exactly the same reasons.

After all these hues and cries of change and how it could be achieved, Nigerians are still pretending not to know what their probs are. Very unfortunate indeed! Shocked Shocked Angry

For those who think were fools and use the PDP script for 12yrs corruption before obj came to power nigeria was the 3 most corrupt nation on earth today check our ranking and see were we are today.I certainly not vote in an ex coupist or a prophet of doom or a confused corrupt crusader who now has one of the person he said was the biggest theif in nigeria his godfather we are not fools again I won't vote by party.a party that has abachas son as a governorship candidate is not the party that would bring change neither would a party that has all the relations of the bigwig of the party imposed on people would bring change.I will vote individaul that has the people at heart.GEJ for president.fashola Governor lagos state. house of assembly members I would vote credibly people irrespective of party

Evil Brain:

Nigerians need to establish the principle that when the leaders misbehave and make the ordinary people suffer, the people can punish them by kicking them out of office.

If Buhari messes up, he'll be easy to get rid of in 4 years time.

Thank you for those lines!
We need to use this election to send a clear signal to the political parties that we care less who their opponents are, if they fail us, we kick them with our votes. Just as Labour and the Republicans were kicked out in the UK and US.
The ultimate power resides with the the electorate!

@nuzo
I don't think you can do much about the millions of misguided people who are voting based on ethnicity. You can try and educate your your friends and family members but that's about all. unfortunately, there will always be people like this no matter what we do.

But this doesn't mean we can't take advantage of the situation. Most of the northern tribalists won't be voting for the PDP. If we can convince enough southerners to join them against their own parochial instincts, then can kick out the ruling party.

In time enough people will come to their senses and realize that democracy is not about tribe or religion but making the ruling class answerable to the masses. But until then we have to do whatever we can to prevent a one party state.

karl max:

For those who think were fools and use the PDP script for 12yrs corruption before obj came to power nigeria was the 3 most corrupt nation on earth today check our ranking and see were we are today.I certainly not vote in an ex coupist or a prophet of doom or a confused corrupt crusader who now has one of the person he said was the biggest theif in nigeria his godfather we are not fools again I won't vote by party.a party that has abachas son as a governorship candidate is not the party that would bring change neither would a party that has all the relations of the bigwig of the party imposed on people would bring change.I will vote individaul that has the people at heart.GEJ for president.fashola Governor lagos state. house of assembly members I would vote credibly people irrespective of party

You've completely missed the point. At this piont, it doesn't matter whether Buhari is an ex-coupist or if Abacha's son is a CPC candidate. The PDP has become a bigger threat to Nigeria's democracy than anything else. They are a bunch of corrupt, unrepentant vote riggers and they need to be put in their place.

You'll probably want to argue that you're voting for personalities not parties and that Goodluck can reform the PDP but deep down, you don't really believe that. No rational person can. The guy has been a member for 12 years, was their number 2 man for 3 years and has been the commander in chief for more than 1. If he was really different from them, it would have been obvious to all of us by now. If he was different, how come so many of the known PDP thieves are backing him? If you swim with sharks then you're a shark, end of story.

The PDP needs to lose to show the ruling class that power belongs to the people. A guy who calls himself Karl Marx should be able to understand that.