Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has predicted that Maj. General Muhammadu Buhari will be elected on 28 March as Nigeria’s new president, to succeed incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan.

At the same time, he dismissed fears of any election annulment as it happened in 1993, under the Babangida administration, when the election of Moshood Kashimawo Abiola was annulled by the military junta.

Obasanjo spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun state today, when he met a group that styles itself, Concerned Citizens of Nigeria.

According to the former Nigerian leader, there will never be a repeat of what happened in the country in 1993 after the Presidential election.

Obasanjo declared that he has confidence in the All Progressives Congress,APC Presidential candidate, General Muhammed Buhari because he was a trained military officer.

The group called on the former President to intervene in the country’s looming political crisis before matters degenerate.

“We have come to express our deep concern over series of dangerous political miscalculations currently going on under Jonathan administration.

“We are afraid that crisis is seriously looming and it is like another June 12 crisis is on the way and it may be very tragic for the country. We want you to as a matter of urgency intervene into the matter before it is too late sir,” the group opined.
In his response,the former President allayed their anxieties, saying that the 2015 election will never be like the June 1993 election.

“You need not to worry about anything. There can never be any June 12 annulment again. Buhari is not Abiola, he is a trained and highly intelligent soldier.

“Oyegun is not Anenih, Osinbajo is not Kingibe. Jega is not Nwosu, Jonathan is not IBB and this time around, Obasanjo will not support any interim government.

“Obasanjo will rather support a free, fair and credible election.”

The #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group has called for independent reportage of the war against insurgency in the North-east to erase doubts of some unbelieving members of the public about the efforts of the Nigerian Army to win the fight against the Boko Haram sect.

A statement signed by Dr Oby Ezekwesili and other leaders of the group emphasised the importance of having journalists among the ground troops to independently cover the counterinsurgency efforts, adding that such practice is a global standard by militaries prosecuting wars in various countries.

“We have observed that this practice has been adopted by the Chadian military who have allowed independent reportage of their operations,’’ it said.

The group noted the displeasure expressed by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) over the unwillingness of the military to give journalists access to the war front, and urged the military authorities to engage the NGE in resolving the issue.

“We absolutely consider it appropriate that our military would act like those of our neighbouring countries and designate independent journalists as part of its contingents within the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF),” it said.

It, however, commended the military for backing up the reporting of its successes and challenges in the war against the insurgency with relevant evidence which it said had enabled citizens to fully grasp the progress being made, and urged them to sustain the effort.

“For instance, we and members of the public took delight in watching a video of an aerial combat in which our Military was decimating a Boko Haram enclave. We applaud such public confidence boosting visuals and ask for more of such evidence.

The reason is simply that at times like this, such evidence-based messages of victory at the battle front enormously help to rekindle citizens’ trust in the counter insurgency operation considering that it has unfortunately been ridden with many suspicions and challenges,” it said.

The group added that it will continue to provide a weekly report of the renewed military operations until the six weeks timeline given by the government expires.

holyokoto:


See your life, If there is no pix you will be the one to proclaim "pix or I dont believe". where do you want to get a Cameraman for these dreaded saga? Maybe you think is Nigerian film

OgologoDimkpa:

You sounded like an APCheat

The White House released copies of President Barack Obama's original long-form birth certificate Wednesday, seeking to put an end to persistent rumors that he was not born in the United States. Below is a digital copy of the original birth certificate released by the White House on Wednesday

ahaika23:
WEll, I hope so. He has to come back fast before only one like remains for him on nairaland.

clevvermind:
i'm with you. i have noticed it. apc is already going down.

The Peoples Democratic Party has said President Goodluck Jonathan is ready to face Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.) on March 28 for the Presidential election.

While Jonathan is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Buhari is the candidate of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress.

The APC has alleged that both Jonathan and his party were planning to scuttle the elections as they were alleged not to be ready.

The opposition party claimed that both the President and the PDP were afraid that they would be defeated during the election.

Responding to this, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said that it would be foolhardy of anyone to say that President Jonathan was not ready for elections.

He also debunked the claim that the ruling party and the president were sponsoring some lesser political parties to shift the elections, especially in the North-East.

Fani-Kayode said, “How can anyone say we are not ready for the elections?

“President Jonathan is ready to challenge General Buhari anyway
because he’s going to defeat him. We were ready for the last election and we are also ready for this one.

“We have people coming to this office every day to strategise. Leaders of the party from the national chairman to other members of the National Working Committee are there?”

Fani-Kayode also berated former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the spokesperson of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who he said were accusing him of many crimes, including bad health.

He said, It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but rather Bola Tinubu that slurs when he speaks. It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but Bola Tinubu that has to take 20 pills before he can speak.

“It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but Bola Tinubu that his hands shakes when he tries to eat and lifts a fork and knife. it is not me, It is not Femi Fani-Kayode that his breath is so bad, it is so bad enough to knock off the beard. It is not Femi Fani-Kayode. So, if anybody is to talk about ill health. They should talk about themselves and not about me.

“My name is Femi Fani-Kayode, and nobody can Kill me before my time. Nobody can cut me short and I habour no fear of violence and I do not take threats lightly. Neither do I fear for my life.

“Because I have never shed blood and I do not believe in violence, the angel of the Lord will strike that person dead before they point a gun at me in Jesus Name.”

Meanwhile, the party has expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their renewed solidarity and overwhelming support for President Jonathan.

The party said its National Chairman, Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, has directed all PDP candidates as well as would-be government appointees under the party to prepare to go the extra mile to make huge sacrifices after victory.

koboko69:
But PDP boasted of a free and fair elections in 2011. Why are they suddenly jittery cos Jega plans tonuse card readers and PVCs

infogenius:
Honestly I don't why APC are so bothered about
Jega's removal.

March 28 elections will hold, why create unnecessary tension
when there is none.

Kingspin:
We must be very sick? Did u saw mr president name among the delegates you better go and find ur problem or u comunicate reasonable to us here.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the sickening and outlandish claim by the Jonathan campaign Organization that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu plans to become Vice President through the back door was designed to divert attention from the runaway success of the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the Chatham House in London last Thursday.

In a statement issued in London on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the PDP and the Jonathan Administration still do not have any answer to what has now become an epochal moment that has separated the wheat from the chaff.

”Our presidential candidate’s globally-acclaimed outing has presented Nigerians, and indeed the global community, with a choice between a bumbling, ineffective, incoherent, clueless, visionless and incompetent President and an assertive, knowledgeable, dignified, purposeful and principled President-in-waiting.

”Having failed to discredit that outing with a rented crowd, some of whom confessed to have been paid to carry placards they do not even understand, the PDP and the Jonathan Administration have now resorted to making nauseating claims that are totally untrue, absolutely incomprehensible and nothing but sheer bunkum,” it said.

APC said the claim is the latest in a series of desperate moves by the PDP and the Jonathan Administration since the emergence of Gen. Buhari as the APC presidential candidate, and the clearest indication yet that they have no answer to the unstoppable momentum of a man of history.

”They have thrown everything imaginable at Gen. Buhari, but he has continued to wax stronger and stronger: They said he was not qualified, that he was too old, then they fabricated a medical report of an illness of their own choice, sponsored death wish adverts against him and instituted a myriad of court cases to stop him.

”After they failed to stop him, they went after the election itself, using the PVCs as a tool to launch a campaign for postponement and, when they realized that would not work, came up with the bogey of insecurity in the North-east to force a postponement of the election, hoping they can buy enough time to revive their electoral misfortune.

”With everything working against them, they engaged in a show of shame at The Chatham House that backfired badly, on the heels of their bare-faced lies that Gen. Buhari was hospitalized in London. The preposterous claim of a secret oath – reminiscent of what they do in their own party – by the apparently ailing spokesman of the Jonathan Campaign Organization, Femi Fani-Kayode, is their latest desperate act,” the party said.

APC said in as much as it has so far refrained from engaging Fani-Kayode in his game of character assassination, abuses and irresponsible name calling, the party is becoming seriously concerned that he may be caving in under pressure and reverting to his undignified past of substance abuse.

The party said it would be a real tragedy if the obviously-disturbed spokesman of a doomed presidential campaign will have to be rushed to a back house in Ghana for therapeutics, hence the need for his handlers to quickly put him on a leash before it is too late.

henryangelo:
[s]GEJ is already on that,he approved the confab and should another government comes the confab will be thrown into the trash bin cos we all knows that APC never wanted decentralising of power especially the northerners amongst them. [/s]

Kingspin:
Support the report of the national conference to be full implement, so that Nigeria will move grow and forward.

itetemi:



wait and see..........even the international community will support a parallel government on that basis.

dein77:


Bro, why will GEJ sack Jega that's about to continue his administrative retirement leave?

Jega will go on his retirement leave, and NOTHING will happen.

GEJ is winning the elections!

ozoigbondu:
[s]This crazy northern elders at it again.If maurice iwu was sent on an adminstrative leave nothing will stop Jega from going on his own too.He will go and nothing will happen.If this rabid old men try any nonsense i trust our soldiers to whip them back in line.

Isn't this same rabid group that was screaming genocide that led to the removal of the best COAS so far ihejirika.They even threatened to sue him and till today ihejirika is enjoying his retirement.

Meanwhile GEJ till 2019 [/s]

Leaders of Ndigbo resident in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, have confirmed that they were given money by President Goodluck Jonathan during his recent visit to the state to solicit for their support and votes.

Making this known is the former President of Ohaneze, Lagos State, and coordinator of Goodluck Jonathan Support Group, Dr Oliver Akabueze.

He said that the president solicited for their support and asked the leaders to mobilise Igbos in the state to vote for him.
He explained that the money received was not a bribe but campaign fund to mobilise the Igbos in the state to vote for the president who is seeking re-election.

Akabueze also stated that the president donated a luxury bus for his campaign and that the bus must be fuelled and a driver must be employed to drive the bus around the state during the campaign for Jonathan.

Though he declined to disclose the amount of money the president gave them in Lagos, sources said it runs into billions of naira.

Investigation revealed that the manner the money was shared has divided the leaders. Some of the leaders are grumbling because some got more money than the others.
P.M.NEWSlearnt from one of the leaders that while some got N500,000, others were given N300,000 and N100,000 respectively.

Some of the leaders who spoke to our reporter but did not want their names mentioned, said the money has caused division as some of the leaders who felt shortchanged said they will not campaign for Jonathan, saying those who got more money should go ahead and campaign for the President.

Last week President Jonathan spent five days in Lagos during which he held series of meetings with various ethnic and socio-cultural groups and their leaders to seek their support for his re-election.

During his stay, he reportedly doled out billions of naira to the groups, though his media aide, Reuben Abati, denied that the president gave out money to any group.