₦airaland Forum

dayokanu:
The meaning of all this trash is that we should continue to stand the useless group of individuals in PDP like Bode George, Akala, OBJ, Adedibu, Omisore, Oyinlola or GEJ and his Anenih Godfather?

God forbid bad thing.

Dayokanu I believe those are the only PDP members you know.

I never knew that only these people make the PDP.

Sorry I am not planning to vote for PDP but i intend to vote credible candidate.

Instead of all this clamour of Jonathan been compromised, we should remove the compromise or Buahri and Ribadu will be in bigger trouble if they manage to win without their party being in the majority.

It is not for us to do the work of the politicians, If they can not invest ingiving their parties national appeal then you cant blame the PDP for having national spread.

Is it news that ACN can not win a state in the north or east and ANPP cannot win elections in the whole south even if it had an angel running on its platform against a goat and cow in ACN and PDP.

The common denominator in the elections here in Nigeria is the PDP, if the PDP is not winning a state it is always the opposition can this be said of other parties, some can not win elections in their chairmans council!!!.

Let the best man win.

The sentiments on Nairaland is getting too much and supporters of the opposition are becoming too sentimental.

When did it suddenly become PDP that is the problem, pls can anyone tell me that al states controlled by the opposition are better than all states controlled by PDP.

I dont and wont hold brief for PDP, but a lot of us on this forum are making a mistake and they want others to join them in their band wagon style mistake.

Why should I blindly vote a Buhari ACN combination against the PDP, is Buhari actually better than GEJ

Why is it that all of a sudden everyone realises that Buhari is incorruptible, when he contested against Obj in 2003, why did you guys not clamour for him evn in 2007 he was unable to beat Yaradua and if yaradua's election had been nullified and they were asked to go for a rerun Yaradua would ahve trounced Buhari without batting an eyelid.

I have reason to believe that ethnicity is becoming a real incentive to those advocating for ousting the PDP.

I have posited that it is wrong to think that sacking PDP will solve all our problems as a nation, just like we thought that asking the military to go would solve all our problems, guys look back to the period between 1995 to 1999 didnt all these professional opposition to government feed us the belief that the exit of the military would lead us to paradise, 12 years after the exit of the military they have found a new enemy the PDP, what will happen if ever Buhari or Ribadu gets there, these same people will be dienchanted if they do not have access to the booty as they expected or they would be part of the artrangement sharing the booty.

I am not against the opposition coming together but then we are making a big mistake if we think that once we sack PDP from the presidency our woes are over, in my humble opinion, who ever leads at the Local Government levels os more important than who becomes president, the members representing us at our various local councils and state assemblies are more important than who will be in Aso rock after MAy 2011, the govs and senators are more critical to our development as a nation.

We accuse Goodluck of sharing N1tr to state govs just to get their support, are the opposition states not part of the share, what have they done with their share of N1tr, what is the essence of having excess crude account and owing oil marketers their subsidy allowance and thereby subjecting the masses to sleepless nights at fuel stations, A president who in his first budget equally allocated almost N1tr to education when defence got about N350b, a president who is interested in what they say about him, he quickly asked his children to stay home when we started complaining, gosh!!!! an angel I know is better than a spirit i dont know.

Buhari belongs to Nigerias past Goodluck is present tense pls Ribadu should patiently wait cos he is the future, when you understand your position you can never be frustrated!!!

Is Jarus following the debate between skyblue and gbawe, before he comes to a conclusion again that Gbawe has good arguing skills.

He has continued to post that i described Ribadu as a despot, when what i said was Ribadu could become a despot if he started politics as a president, take note of the word could, can a man be a despot before he is given an opportunity to lead, it is only when in position of authority and power that we can tell if you are a despot or not.

A lot of very passionate people tend to miss it when they get to office most especially when they dont grow thru the ranks.

Ribadu is a wonderful material for president, but let us all be factual how many Nigerian presidents were as old as Ribadu when they became presidents or head of states, Gowon was 27, Murtala was less than 40, Obasanjo in the 70s was less than 40, Buhari was in his early 40s whenhe became head of state what about Babangida, so having a youthful president today does not mean anything new to Nigerians, Awolowo and co who were trying to organise the country were the older generation at that time but the young officers and their ideals never gave them a chance before coming into the political space thru coups.

Yaradua/Jonathan are trying to clean the mess Obj left us as a nation, Jonathan is moving steadily we can notr allow a one man mafia without no control to throw us into chaos, what if he wins the elections and in his fight against corruption the power brokers in his party decide not to return him, and all the corrupt entities want to floor him in a free and fair election wont he turn into a Gbagbo, those are things we should be more worried about.

Would he rather we burn than he step aside if the bunch of progressives supporting him today back off in 2015 as ultimate president.

I still stand by my position that we dont need an all knowing president that was the bad point of Obasanjo as a president and encouraging Ribadu what we will end up producing is a younger Obasanjo.

If GEJ quits the race today my vote will go to Buhari, if Buhari is out I will prefer an Utomi to Ribadu, so it is not that I am a die hard GEJ fan but I believe that he is the man nearest there that can effect changes that will affect my life, by the way outlawing corruption does not directly reduce the price of beans in the market.

The simple advice all anti Ribadu people are giving is Ribadu should start from somewhere, he should not just jump start at the presidency, why cant he be a senator first or support Buhari and serve as a minister under buhari or support Utomi and ask to be given the mandate to fight corruption, the Presidents job is not fighting corruption alone, so if Ribadu wants to fight corruption let him support someone who can give him a free hand to fight it.

The criteria to be EFCC chairman now is that you must have retired as an AIG of police, which he is now, so why cant he ask Buhari to give him that, from the polls here a Buhari Ribadu combo with an Utomi as vice will send shivers to Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

It is the failure of the opposition getting it right that makes me keep my support for GEJ intact and a lot of supporters feel the same way too because a lot in the opposition could be worse than those in govt today. I dont know what is in a mans mind, I dont know what the future holds but I look at the past and take my decision, and I have decided to follow GEJ to 2011, it does not make me a fanatic!!!

The poll should reflect none of the above, In my candid opinion no party in Nigeria actually have our interests at heart.

Who is the insider that gave this info?

Why are they going ahead to campaign?

Is there any party in Nigeria that has the reach of PDP?

There is actually no contest, just like a micro finance bank can not compete with a UBA or even a sick Intercontinental, thats the way no opposition party can contest the PDP, this is the truth!!

Where did you get information that the kids are not Patience own, is there another woman in the house claiming motherhood of the kids, if Patience could not have kids and Jonathan and herself agreed to adopt or have kids and she is still in the house not even kicked out for the woman who was able to give the man kids then that should be the height of Loyalty to a wife you have married. Even Abraham had a child by another woman but never asked his wife to leave the house so why should Jonathan be considered disloyal when his wife still lives in the same house with him.

American School in Nigeria and a Nigerian School in America are not the same, because an American School here in Nigeria pays tax to the Nigerian govt while the Nigerian School in America will pay its tax to American govt, so If Konathans kids are in an American School in Nigeria his kids are still schooling in Nigeria, everyone will send their children to schools as their level allows them how many of you on Nl would send your children to the same school where your driver and cook has his kids, even in America the presidents children do not go to school with the poor americans.

This topic is all out of jealousy, what would a man do with his money if he cant send his kids to the best of schools that he can afford, but if you want to go ahead with your jealousy, you can go hug a transformer!!!

INEC should come out openly and apologise to youth corpers and sack the individual who made such a callous statement.

It is so unfair to blame the corp members when you are using an application that is not even common.

Jarus:
Gbawe, your argumentative skills is commendable. I admire it.

Jarus what arguementative skills are you talkin about, Gbawe plays to the gallery, he avoids issues and brings up untrue scenarios to deceive people on this forum.

He is a blind supporter of Ribadu and he jumps into arguements blindly and fanatically, since Ribadu came into the contest nothing GEJ does has ever been right to Gbawe.

Ribadu was a fugitive before Jonathan became President, but today Ribadu is a candidate for the presidency, this was possible because of Jonathans role in ensuring that the truth prevailed on Ribadu and Elrufais case.

Ribadu is clamouring today that the PDP has ruined this country but Ribadu was part of them ruining us when Obj held sway, he determined who was corrupt and who was not.

Gbawe wants Nairalanders to believe that GEJ is doing nothing just drawing salaries and allowances for himself and family members and leaving the nation to rot, but this is the biggest lie, I have travelled across the country by road not air, I travelled from Portharcourt to katsina by road, the roads are not perfect but I saw construction works going on, Portharcourt to Lagos work was ongoing, Within Abuja road works ongoing, Portharcourt road works ongoing, Lagos Benin road work in progress Lagos Abeokuta road completed, No contractor has left site because of lack of payment, travelled during xmas period incidents of armed robberies very low.

Jonathan became president 8months ago and has talked about road map for the power sector, PIB with the National assembly, free and fair primaries conducted in his party, he contested with Atiku and played the politics, set up and approved AMCON to take care of the toxic assets in the banks, lifted the ban on importation of Textiles and increased the age of cars that can be imported, this has the effect of reducing smuggling and loss of revenue to corrupt customs officers, fuel supply has been efficient while he is working on reducing our dependence on importation.

Was Ribadu able to wipe out corruption while he was at the EFCC for the 4years he was there? So why should we expect Jonathan to solve all our national problems within 8 months or 1year.

He has started well and I believe that he deserves the support of all and sundry Ribadu is no contender he is just a pretender, Ribadu should go to the National Assembly and let Jonathan end the careers of the politicians of the old order.

Jonathan has been sincere in all his dealings as President, was Ribadu sincere in his dealings as EFCC chairman?

Why was Ribadu only after the govs that opposed Obj while those who were in Objs camp were left alone.

My advice and comment on this is that we should grow beyond partisan politics, let us support individuals not parties, who says we cant vote Fashola gov of Lagos and vote better candidates in PDP to the senate and House of reps and state houses of assemblies, must a state be all PDP or all ACN, if ACn has decided to throw internal democracy overboard we should be able to give them a souynd warnjing taht it would not be toleratedd.

This is one reason why politicians must ensure taht they are personally close to their electorates, it is only like this that you can move against the party.

Politicians in this countryu are just simply lazy and opportunistic individuals who want to reap where they have not sown, and when what they want is not given to themthey start complaining and disturbing the peace of Nigerians.

The primaries actually is for parties to organise contests among various contenders withinthe party and the man with the highest number of supporters is expected to get the partys ticket, so if you believe that you have a higher support base within the party then pull out of the party and your supporters should come with you, the minority can not subdue the majority no matter what.

Why should we be bothered if the PDP chairman is from the North, is the BOT chairman not from the south, the President and National Leader is from the south. Zoning is a strategy not a right, so the PDP can zone anything as they like as far as it helps their aspirations.

Jonathan has decided to stand by the wishes of the people who stood by Nwodos nomination, this is how politics should be played, If we have voted you into office, it should not become an ardous task to ask you to leave when we feel that you are no more serving our interests.

The elected should not have more power than those who have elected him, this is the beginning of deepening the political space, If we vote in a governor in 2011, if the governor fails to perform it shouldnt be impossible to sack him, If the majority believes he is not doing well the majority should consider sackin him.

Nwodo is not PDP, if PDP gave him a job, the same PDP can take the job, and I am not a member of PDP so why should i be bothered.

spade:
Ahh, thank you, my brother. What I actually meant to say was "potential despot" - but since I was using a phone, proof-reading was technically stressful.

I find it funny, however, the fact you decided to side-step each and every flawless point raised by Marvix, only to jump on the inconsequential and unimportant question regarding my place of origin, as a desperate attempt to gain a few points. Unfortunately, that is a way of unwittingly admitting to your defeat in this debate, because it simply shows you've got nothing else to say in order to convince us otherwise, regarding Ribadu's clear incapability. Well, since you're obviously still under the illusion that picking on people's choice of words is going to earn your candidate some votes, then you're definitely in for a shock when reality beckons on April - because, guess what? At this point, we (with our "oddly peculiar way of reasoning" are going to be voting GEJ, since it is obvious the internet grammar nazis and closet tribalists have woefully failed to convince us with any intelligent arguments in favor of the contrary. Too bad, so sad.

Oh, by the way, I'm from Abia State - so you've even failed on the second count.

Guy you are just too much!!!

Ribadus supporters never cease to amaze me with their criticism for Jonathan as been clueless, A man who played his way calmly into becoming president, who got all the charges against Ribadu withdrawn without fuss from all those who made Ribadu a fugitive, a man who diligently and quietly solved the perenial fuel scarcity, A man who is not afraid to negotiate and dialogue knowing that dialogue is the only way to solve problems.

Ribadu who became EFCC chairman by the police authority was asked to quit and he made it an issue, he even disobeyed his reposting to Benin City, he couldnt fight the system from within, yet Jonathan fought for the system within, can we imagine a Ribadu being a vice to a sick president like Jonathan was, he would have had to flee this country and start fighting from America , is that the way a diplomatic man plays politics

Ribadu needs to learn how to deputise in the least, he was not deputy to anyone at EFCC we should not make a despot out af a man who could be our own version of Obama, Ribadus supporters it is in your hands either to make Ribadu an Obama or a Mugabe.

mogentle:
Experience? What do we use experience for in the presidency today other than to steal, to kill
and to destroy erected structures, Follow me;
OBJ left about $65Billion in the foreign reserve and more than $30billion in Excess Crude Account, maybe he was thinking that the succeeding govt will embrace building of infrastructures which he did not cherish in his time. He handed over to 2-term governor of Katsin State(''experience''), i.e Umaru Musa Yaradua. $65 billion began to reduce while ECA's $30billion was been shared every month till date. What benefit have we gotten, has our electricity improved or has the money been used by the so called experienced people to reduce unemployment rate? You may not believe this; that the road network constructed, pened up or repaired during the millitary is far more than what has been done in this civillian regime(not saying millitary is okay to rule).
the fact is that RIBADU can rule this country better than many of these so called looting experienced leaders. It is the strategy that matters.
Fashola was a former Chief of staff b4 becoming a governor. He was never a councillor or a chairman of a local govt.
Advisory committee also matters in governance, a good result can come up when corruption is kept at the bearest minimum.
Gowon ruled this country when he was 27yrs old. Let's talk of strategy and not the looting skills called POLITICAL EXPERIENCE.!!!

I wonder if you see the contradiction in your post, while the Azikiwes and Awolowos were fumbling maturedly, young men ran into the scene, Gowon is actually the genesis of our problems he was the man who said Nigeria had so much money he didnt know what we could use it for, Gowons regime was where corruption started in the civil service, even he himself could not imagine that that corruption could get to the level it has got to today.

He became Head of State when he was 27yrs old but never wanted to hand over to a civilian regime, after 9yrs in office he had to be overthrown, seriously bro experience counts, at what age did Babangida become president, from Colnel he became Head of state, what about Abdulsalam, the difference between both men here is the age at which they got there, Abdulsalam could see more than what Babangida saw when he got to the position of Head of State.

Jonathan is not an old man at 54, even Yaradua wasnt an old man he died at a rather young age, If you lose your dad at yaraduas age would you actually celebrate that the man was old, I lost mine at about that age, a man below 60 is still a young man.

Ribadu needs experience to know how to handle power, just like we will never take a child from pry1 to pry5 just becos he is smart at pry1, he must grow thru the classes, Ribadu must atleast take a stint at the senate.

Peeps asking what Jonathan has achieved in one year should look closely, Ribadu contesting for president freely today is an achievement for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan!!!

@Muza,

If you love a calculating, down to earth presidency where the process of governance is subject to transparency, an administration that would fight corruption within the rule of law and build institutions stronger than their images, Vote Goodluck

If you love a harsh, tough rigid gentleman who would fight corruption without regards to rule of law or due process, Vote Buhari

If you want a youthful president, who will be selective in his judgement, build institutions that will rely heavily on his image and disposition, Vote Ribadu

asamuel:
Backlash over Nigerian leader's presidential run
By Aminu Abubakar (AFP) – 5 hours ago

KANO, Nigeria — Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's primary victory has led to protests and anger in parts of the country's mainly Muslim north, the first signs of a backlash to his controversial nomination.

Jonathan, a southern Christian, easily won the Peoples Democratic Party primary vote last week, but his candidacy remains controversial because some argue a northern candidate should have been given the nomination.

Hundreds of Muslim youths poured into the streets of the northern cities of Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina and Hadejia at the weekend in protest, burning PDP flags and membership cards, witnesses told AFP.

On Sunday, the PDP campaign headquarters in the northern city of Sokoto burned, but the cause was unclear, local radio reported.

In Katsina, the home state of Jonathan?s predecessor, the late Umaru Yar?Adua, fiery sermons were delivered in mosques during Friday prayers urging Muslims not to vote for PDP candidates, local media reported.

Mass text messages on mobile phones have also been sent condemning northern state governors as "the enemies of the north and Islam" for supporting Jonathan instead of Atiku Abubakar, who challenged the president for the nomination.

The controversy stems from an arrangement within the PDP that says its candidates should be rotated between the mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south every eight years -- called "zoning."
Jonathan became president in May after the death of Yar'Adua, who had not finished his first term, leading some to argue another northerner should take his place.

The party has won every presidential vote since Africa's most populous nation returned to civilian rule in 1999, making the PDP nominee the obvious favourite in the April 9 election.

"We have resolved to renounce our membership of the PDP for the injustice meted on the north over the zoning arrangement and have started consultation on which of the northern candidates to vote for in the presidential election," said Ahmad Yazid Rafindadi, who led the protest in Katsina.

All three major opposition parties have nominated northern Muslim candidates.

Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, running under the Congress for Progressive Change banner, is particularly seen as a potential threat to Jonathan if he forms an alliance with another influential party.

But despite the bluster, the extent of northern discontent with Jonathan remains difficult to gauge.

It was unclear whether the protests resulted from politicians co-opting youth gangs and sending them into the streets, as has been done in the past.

"There is strong public anger against northern PDP governors for going against the popular will of their people in supporting Jonathan in the primaries," said Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed, a political science professor at the northern Ahmadu Bello University.

"Certain political forces are no doubt exploiting this public disenchantment, especially the religious aspect of it."

Some had also predicted that Jonathan's primary run would result in violence and that Abubakar, an ex-vice president, would be a strong challenger.

In the end, Jonathan handily defeated Abubakar. There has been an upsurge in violence in recent weeks, including bomb attacks in the capital Abuja and the central city of Jos, but it is unclear whether it is directly linked to Jonathan's run.

"The whipping of religious sentiment in the north against , President Goodluck Jonathan is a dangerous development to the sustenance of democracy and national peace and stability," said Shehu Sani of the northern Civil Rights Congress organisation.

"It is equally true that politicians and Christian clerics in the south are also using religion to promote and rally support for Jonathan against northern candidates."

The Northern Elders Assembly, which challenged Jonathan's candidacy in court, blames northern PDP delegates who supported the president.

"The delegates should have thought that the choice of President Jonathan would provoke religious sentiment, which is very dangerous," Tanko Yakasai, a spokesman for the group, told AFP.


Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5giPnIT3W2sDLKNMnwV2FkLaWUPlw?docId=CNG.3979b9cd43236654729450c12c6fab04.2f1

This article is trying to mislead us, the zoning of the PDP did not specify 8yrs for any zone or region, it was 4yrs and based on your performance you can aspire to a second term.

If Obasanjo had died before 2003 would Atiku in all honesty decline contesting for the presidency in 2003 and would any Yoruna man have challenged him and ask him not to run becos it wasnt zined to his region.

Why did Obasanjo have to plead with Atiku if the party constitution or agreement has given the region 8yrs, Atiku and other northerners are trying to be smart by half.

Why do supporters of Ribadu believe that they are the only ones called Nigerians and where did they even get the idea that all Nigerians want Ribadu to become President.

If Akinjide says he cant make Ribadu a governor he simply means he cant be a party to a campaign that will mmake Ribadu a governor, Moddibo who issued the statement is he not trying to make Ribadu president, why do they suddenly catch cold and scared when people dont endorse Ribadu.

Akinjide in his own opinion believes that GEJ is not at the same level with Ribadu and Buhari, he will be supporting GEJ, just like I would be doing, I will ensure that GEJ becomes president in 2011.

Moddibo should think of withdrawing this statement because it is an insult to the elder statesman.

Very soon the laughter would be extended to Ribadu.

@Steroid, Thanks for seeing the points, guess some have eyes but cant see,

Gbawe:
@Marvix . You fans of GEJ , perhaps like the candidate you support, never fail to amuse with your hypocrisy, lack of enduring integrity and ability to bellicosely reduce everything and everyone to "them against us". You are all not sophisticated and you all uniformly revert to basely primitive instincts far too quickly than is good for any persons character.
Look at you here:

and then here:

How can those two statement be from the same person? Is a "despot" ever a "good man"? Maybe you need to find out the meaning of "despot" to see who resembles one out of the duo of Ribadu and GEJ. If the hounding of Governors with the EFCC, Teslim Folarins ridiculous acquital over a murder charge and the failure to tackle his own election campaign manager over illegal legislative conducts are not signs of a despot I don't know what is . Anyway, you are not showing yourself to be different from your fellow GEJ supporters with your sly style.

When Hitler started in Germany he was considered a good man with the interest of germans at heart, what about Mugabe he fought for the independence of his nation and was regarded a national hero what has he become today, look around my friend Gbawe and see those who ended as despots and find out how they started.

In a forum like this just because I hold a contrary view to yours does not excuse the insults.

GEJ is no despot as at today and does not have the tendency to become one and also note that I havent said that Ribadu was a despot but said he is one waiting to happen.

Kobojunkie: What is the logic behind this inferred "Child of Destiny" conclusion? Get it right, not all Nigerians are Hero-whores. I don't ascribe his rise to luck in anyway. What I see is a man who road the same corrupt vehicle many hundreds did to power. Nothing to do with luck or stars.

Marvix: Kobo here we both agree, I am definitely not one of the hero whores, i dont ascribe his rise to luck, but to his ability to identify an opportunity and use the opportunity properly without causing chaos for the nation. I make bold to say that an Atiku or Ribadu would have bungled that opportunity.
Kobo I know you enjoy playing the Devils advocate and if I am wrong point to your candidate and let us discuss, but being a devils advocate does not in anyway imply that I am trying to insult you, so please no offence should be taken, but todays topic is on who we will support and why we would support, GEJ is not a saint, so is Ribadu and Buhari, they are no saints they all have their good sides and bad sides, whether you like it or not the only vehicle to power is a corrupt vehicle, and anyone who wants to get to power should and must ride the corrupt vehicle otherwise it would not be a democratic power and at that he only has invented another corrupt vehicle to power.

Kobojunkie:  What?  Are we then to praise the Yar adua administration for accomplishing almost nothing quickly in 3 years? And given that Jonathan was also a part of also a part of that administration, are you suggesting we should expect the same NOTHING ACHIEVED quickly approach to tackling even corruption in Nigeria? Yes, the man has shown us, in the past 7 months since he took office, that we are likely to get nothing quickly, are are you confirming our perception?

Marvix: Why should I not praise Yaradua administration, even you agreed that it was the amnesty that allowed Jonathan to be able to provide fuel freely for the nation. Let us not scorn our leaders, especially misinforming people who are not here at home, I said I travelled portharcort to Lagos by road during the last xmas, all the roads that hitherto seemed forgotten were all been worked on, I didnot experience any holdup on the express as I used to before, In 2009 folks coming to Benin from Lagos spent a whole 24hrs on the road, Lagos to Benin is less than half the distance Lagos to Portharcourt, I travelled by road 10hrs to get to Lagos, all the failed sections had been repaired, while reconstruction of the road was been done. You guys should not always sound sarcastic to score cheap points you will only end up deluding yourself, no matter what we say here Nigeria is surely on a course, it could be to a good and favourable destination it could be to hell, but what am i if I lose the chance to be hopeful for a better day, I hope for the best and plan for the worst.
You said nothing achieved in the last 3 years what about the peace in the creeks of the Nigerdelta, what about the availability of petroleum products, the cleansing of the banking sector, what about the revival of the textile industry, what do you really know about the roads been constructed across the nation, what about the obedience of this govt to court judgements without prodding, what do you know about the PIB the govt is pursuing, what do you know about the roadmap to solving the power situation in the country, damn how can anyone want to convince people that the govt is not working, govt workers get paid regularly by the end of the month latest. I know Nigeria is not where I want it to be, but I also realise that a journey of a million miles begins with a step and my step today is to vote GEJ for President.

[b]Kobojunkie:[/b]He is the change we want because politics is not about righty or wrong but about right and wrong? Care to expound on that bit?

Marvix[/b]Politics is about right and wrong not just right or wrong, something could be right but would not serve the interest of the majority of Nigerians and something could be wrong and serve the interest of the majority, the president must know how to strike a balance, sometimes some peeps would be allowed to have their way just in the interest of peace for the nation and sometimes we must crush some peeps just to preserve our national integrity. The president must consider the rights and wrongs not either the right or wrong.

Kobojunkie:You say he will readily sacrifice his ambitions, but according to his record he has yet to sacrifice anything so far. He openly bedded the corrupt elite in the nation  -- he has been directly linked to some of the big thieves we have in the land to date. [b]He refused to sacrifice his presidential ambition in honor of an agreement he signed on to when he joined the party -- he took full advantage of the gains to get himself to where he is today, now you are talking of him sacrificing what now? What are we to assume that such a man would be willing to sacrifice?

Marvix: I cant believe you did not get it there he was ready to sacrifice his party to provide qualitative leadership to a country he so believes in. He engaged his party men to democratic challenges where they dont have to blindly rely on agreements to take power, If he had agreed to the agreement wouldnt it have narowed the political space, he took them head on and the results at the primaries showed that he conquered, was he the only one who signed the agreement that is still alive today, people who signed the agreement all came out and re agreed with him, do you think this is a mean feat? just to clear the air the zoning agreement never specified 8yr term for any region, even Yaradua if he had been alive would have needed to campaign to ensure he gets a second term and party members still have the power to ask him to leave after 4 years if they felt he had not performed. I believe that by 2015, GEJ would be willing to sacrifice his party to a free and fair election where an opposition party would benefit.

Kobojunkie: What about the fact that the fuel queues actually started disappearing back in 2009, when the Yar adua amnesty program started to take hold, and also the oil sector started recording increases per quarter in production levels? Are we to assume that Jonathan made this happen, before he came to power in march of 2010?

Marvix: At least he was VP in 2009 when this was been achieved and he was able to build on it or are we saying that he couldnt have failed to build on this foundation and cause us more suffering in the process, he is part of the success and atleast you have contradicted yourself that Yaradua did nothing in 3 years!!!

Kobojunkie:[/b]Is this really the first time Nigerians have looked forward to a free and fair election in all of our history?
[b]

Marvix: I should say in recent times this is the first time. In 1993, Nigerians didnot believe that Babangida would conduct elections, not to even talk of a free and fair one, 1999 there was apathy the fighters of democracy didnot believe Abdulsalami would hand over, most of them stayed away from the 1999 elections but in 2003 we saw everyone preparing for the massive rigging but in 2007 Obj took it to the next level even before the contest Buhari knew that it would not be a fair contest but today Jonathan is not preaching Do-or Die, he is preaching issue based campaigns and he is the lead voice insisting that all votes must count.

Kobojunkie: What magic wand solutions do you refer to here? Is 7 months too short a period to even OBSERVE or even get a hint of the PROMISED Change?


Marvix: you are in far away america, so let me hint you of observed changes taking place already, there is no more shootings on the street of portharcourt as it used to be before, the roads are receiving attention and no single road project has been suspended because the president is contestin elections, in my area a town called Onne power supply to my house has improved, I slept with my bulb on last nite and woke up to meet it on, I dont have to queue anymore at a fuel station to buy fuel or kerosene, foreigners actually move around portharcourt relatively freer than it was before, call rates in my country keeps falling low since this administration introduced Etisalat with some incentives, My friends in the civil service dont ask me for soft loans anymore as their salary gets to them when it is due. If you want to see hints come home or call your folks and find out.

Kobojunkie:How can a vote for Goodluck Jonathan is a vote for special breath of fresh air when a vote for him essentially is a vote for Obasanjo, A vote for IBB since IBB is and remains a part of the PDP engine, A Vote for the same old batch of thieves and ex-convicts to continue to laugh in the face of the Nigerian people?  


Marvix: what would you have me do kobo

Nigerians would make the mistake of 1985 if we allow Ribadu without experience to lead this nation.

Despots have always been made out of idealists, Ribadu is just another despot waiting to happen in Africa, if we are to look closely at his tenure at EFCC it would show the symptoms despots are known to have.

Despots believe that they are always right, they believe that they can do all by themselves, they set up organisations and institutions that rely so much on their personality hence they fear that if they leave the institution that the dreams they have for the organisation would not be achieved.

They feel they can justifiably flout court orders because the Judge may have been bribed or his unfair.

Despots are young men with a very impatient passion of their country, they love their countries but dont realise when they are destroying it.

Robert Mugabe was a leading light in the days of the fight of independence but today can we look at him as a hero anymore, Babangida was younger than Ribadu is now when he Babangida became military head of state.

If anyone says PDP has made our lives miserable in the last 12yrs, I agree, but then I ask one question did our problems start 12 years ago, is the PDP of today the same PDP of 1999,2003 or even the 2007.

The PDP has tried within itself, some of the bad eggs have been frustrated out, Obj is been frustrated, Igbinedion is no more a member of PDP he supports ACN in secret, that is the man who made Edo a confirmed ancient city, can Ibori still determine who gets what in the PDP, where is Odili in the scheme of things in the PDP, where is IBB in PDP just a floor member at least we know that he is an opposing camp to the presidential candidate of the party.

Nothing good comes easily, nothing achieved quickly lasts, Ribadu does not deserve to be president just because of his achievements in EFCC, if that was enough then what office would I ask Sanusi Lamido to go for after his achievements in the CBN, even Sanusi was able to recommend Ibru to court and get a conviction.

Nigerians dont need people who want to personalise office, Goodluck has never personalised his office either as president, vicepresident, governor or even deputy governor, he has always been known to consult and played roles as a member of a team.

If Goodluck could play the politics that delivered him the PDP presidential candidate without killing his party, it tells a lot of a man who would get what he wants without destroying the house.

Goodluck and Ribadu are men both made by Obasanjo, they are two sides to the same coin when it comes to Godfatherism, would anyone have heard of Ribadu today if not for Obj, so please the Obj angle should not be an issue because both men respect him because he brought them to where they are today.

Ribadu is a good man with good intentions but even with good intentions he needs to learn how to preach his message in the political arena, we need to expand our political space, this would be better achieved with a Ribadu in the senate, we narrow our political space when all our best hands want to take the presidency at the same time, it leaves the space for charlatans to take over offices we consider less important but they are critically important, this is evident in the last dispensation, when all the bright minds all wanted to be president in 2007 like there would never be another opportunity after that election, the Dukes and Utomis were running for President while complete idiots like Omisiore and Maeba where quietly stealing seats in the National Assembly.

I know the best man will win and the best man in a political contest is not the man with the biggest dream it is the man with the biggest appeal, it is not the man with eloquent speeches but a man who is understood, it is not a oneman mafia but the man with the mafian support.

I support Goodluck Ebele Jonathan today as I had supported Yaradua when he became president because I can see in them genuine effort to solve the problems of this country within the ambit of the laws that bind us, Yaradua would never do anything with fiat, he ensures that he gets all necessary approvals, Yaradua never exhibited absolute power, just like GEJ is known never to do but can we say same of Ribadu.

GEJ has not disobeyed any court order can we say the same of Ribadu?

The youths should not be deceived, Ribadu is not more youth than Jonathan is, if Generational shift is what we want, we can get that with Jonathan he is only 4 years older than Ribadu hence they fall within the same generation, if we want to leave their generation maybe I should offer my 32 year old self as president of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan can be said to be a child of destiny.

While a lot of us like to ascribe his rise to luck, I have always ascribed it to diligent will and patience.

Anyone who thinks that the politics of Yaraduas illnes was a walkover should kindly have it at the back of their mind that Goodluck made it so.

My support for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is hinged on the premise that nothing achieved quickly lasts. The reason why corruption is still in our land today is because it caught up gradually with us, If we want good leadership we must be prepared to cultivate it.

Goodluck is the change we want, he is the change a lot of us have dreamt of, he is a man who understands in Nigeria that politics is not about right or wrong but instead about right and wrong, he is a man of peace who would readily sacrifice his ambitions in the interest of the nation.

Where are the fuel queues of 1995-2008, how come Judges are giving judgements and immediately we can celebrate victory even if the ruling is against the President and his friends.

How come we are looking forward to a free and fair contest where we even believe that it is possible for Ribadu to emerge winner, dont forget that Ribadu was an agent of intimidation in the runup to the 2007 elections.

Why do we want a magic wand solution to our problems when the problems didnot appear as quickly as magic, we took time to build our problems hence we must take time to build lasting solutions to the problems.

I had a very good opportunity of travelling PH to Lagos during the xmas break by road and I said to myself a lot of the people still complainin of bad roads dont even travel by it, they just complain because they believe they are bad.

There is no single Federal road that work is not ongoing, the roads had failed, reconstruction work had to be done and the reconstruction work is been done.

If a president decided to use up the excess crude account just to enable me buy fuel freely at the fuel stations, why wont I be reassured that he will even drawdown the foreign reserves to solve my power problems.

Goodluck is not a product of any cabal, the cabal is only trying to claim him now that he has sneaked up on them to steal into the office, Obj chose Yaradua, but Yaradua didnot live by Objs example, remember Yaradua ordered the release of funds held by Obj without any further court injuction or consultation with Obj.

RIbadu was sealing deals with corrupt governors to get them to support Objs candidate in 2007, in 2010 when Goodluck was saving Ribadu fromthe grip of the PSC and Aondoka he never demanded anything like support from him.

If we think that someone would come out of the blues and become president we may need to think about it again, Ribadu does not have the capacity yet to be President of the country, as he been a governor before, what would he do if his NASS decide to throw spanner into his clogs, would he not just use the police force to intimidate all of them to have his way.

A vote for Ribadu is a vote to eat up your future today, A vote for Buahri is a vote for bringing back the past but a vote for GEJ is a vote for a special breath of fresh air.

Gbawe and all other Ribadu fans, it is good to hope and it is even better to see your hopes coming true.

Ribadu is a good man so is Buhari and so is Goddluck.

To be a president is not a one man show, the presidency is a team work, noone who plans to go the whole hog alone can succeed.

In the run up to elections we must realise that the contest is not for the man with the best of speeches but to the man with the best of strategies. Obama would not have been president as an Independent candidate in America, neither would he have become the president on a republican ticket when Americans were fed up with the republicans despite his speeches.

Goodluck is a politician a lot of us like to underrate and when they do this they suffer the consequences.

Ribadu is challenging Goodluck today because he believes that his profile is higher than that of Goodluck, but on that point he has got it wrong.

Ribadu has even taken it for granted that he can run for the ultimate post in a land where he was a fugitive some months before Goodluck became president, take it or leave it Ribadu as a contestant is one achievement for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

When Ribadu was in the EFCC was he not used to intimidate others from contesting, but today Goodluck as president not only asked that all charges be dropped from Ribadu but also ensured that his rank was returned to him and retired graciously, so is Ribadu attempting to bite the hands that fed him?

If Goodluck had been stubborn and head strong like Ribadu would Nigeria be where it is today? Would we be looking forward to a free, fair and credible elections by now? May be Goodluck would have been on exile today.

We all want corruption to be brought to a standstill, but we have not realised that corruption in Nigeria is like a fly on a mans scrotum sac, he dares not take a hammer to kill it, like a bull in a china shop must be careful to take it out, like a tumor in the brain the surgery must be delicate, accurate and definitely time consuming.

If today we can take fuel supplies for granted, civil servants salaries for granted, pensions for granted, court judgements for granted. Then why cant I look forward to a time when I will take power supply for granted, good roads for granted, security for granted, employment opportunities for granted.

We are at the threshold of making the mistake we made in the early 80s, when Buhari was trying to sanitise the country, he was doing this without beautiful speeches or consideration of the press or what they said about him, International agencies who stood to lose with the development of this country gave him a vote of no confidence, we all rejoiced when Babangida sacked him but 25 years down the line I make bold to say that is the single biggest mistake in the history of this nation and we must realise that babangida was a youth at the time, Ribadu today is even older than Babangida was at that time and if we must analyse babangidas failure appropriately, it was due to his inexperience at the time he took over.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a man with a purpose, a man who is sure about where he is going and how he will get there, a man who understands that you can not achieve anything without the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a man who understands politics as it should be played in Nigeria.

Goodluck has plans that are in progress already this is one leverage he has over any other candidate in this election.

I know he is sincerely committed to the development of this nation that is why my vote, my mum's vote, my brother's vote and my sister's vote would only be going for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

@9jaman u missed the point, he could be an elderstates man who will back a president such that the president will be able 2 aproach him 4 advice, giv d president thumbs up when he does something right nd constructively criticise him when he is wrong, he does not have 2 be paid he could be a mentor 2 Ribadu.
Talkin abt my dreams, I cnt waste it on dat kind of stuff I'll rather dream of beta days 4 myself nd family what concerns me if they make him PTF chairman?

Eziachi:
I got the same feeling myself all the time. I always sees Buhari from the prism of an outsider and everytime his critics open their mouth on why he is not good for them, I am always hoping to be educated but all the time its the same- nothing whatsoever against the man, just hopeless prejudice without any facts.

Some said he is a religious bigot- if his bigotness stops him from stealing public money or punishing those that stole or make him have a conscience, I rather prefer a bigot than moslems that drink champagne in secret and eat plates of Eba during ramadan in secret.

I may be wrong, but something tells me that, Buhari must be different from these other elites and they will do anything to stop him from power. Like I said, I may be totally wrong because its difficult to get a truly genuine Nigeria politician of any sort. The guy doesn't seem a materialistic person to me, which is the greatest ingredient one needed to have in order to fight corruption properly.

Hamid O:
^^You made my day with this post
That is just to put it mild. The guy isn't materialistic at all. That makes him better than this greedy fools (PDP) who can kill for money power

When we had a Yaradua, who had part of his family house still in mud after 8yrs as Gov in a corrupt dispensation what did we do with him?

Buhari is an excellent candidate from his antecedents, but like Sanusi Lamido Sanusi put it I am not sure he can re enact his performance of the early 80s, the times have changed, as a nation we have become more sophisticatesd, the level of corruption is now so sophisticated, the line between corruption and upright is blurred, the truth be said some people are even innocently pracyising corruption, corruption feeds 85% of the populace. He could just end up like Okonkwo of Things fall apart.

I hoped Buhari had defeated Obj in 2003 that was his opprtunity, but as things stand now Buhari may just end up rubbishing his legacy, corruption today must be fought with diplomacy or else we would lose the essence of the fight, even the US allows countries export arms to other countries illegaly just to have peace, will Buhari know when to look the other way and when to stand firm, this is more important than been an anticorruption president.

The nation would easily be in flames, he could easily be accused of witch hunting this has been a bane of our fight on corruption, will he have the patience to obey stupid court judgements like the ones that initially frreed Ibori and allowed Igbinedion to get awau with a slap on the wrist, what will he do when he has information that an accused is trying to secure bail only to jump it and the court will grant that bail.

He needs to have a very solid strategy to deliver him at Aso rock, but he can respect himself and become an elder states man that will always say no to IBB and Objs positions on national issues, a man Jonathan should be able to consult to get a plan through the council of state, support a govt that fights corruption/

If we all take time to read this thread from the beginning we would all msee why we can not progress as a nation.

Why should the arrest of a suspect be hinged on wheter there is an election or not, is anyone talking about Tinubu being innocent or not.

In the Originating post, Tinubu is expected to be arrested for operating a foreign account while in office, the question I thought we would be asking is did Tinubu operate any foreign account while in office or not? Can Tinubu confidently tell us that he did not operate any foreign account in disregard to the constitution he swore to? It really doesnt matter if he wasnt the only one or if they want to pick him up at election time and there is no rule that says we must catch the biggest thief before catching smaller thieves.

Lai Mohammed should have faced the issue he raised can he kindly tell us that Tinubu did not operate any foreign account while in office and dare those investigating him to come up with proof.

Corruption is in terrible control of this nation such that we really need to declare a state of emergency on it, where once you are accused you should be considered guilty until proven innocent, or we legalise some aspect of corruption, like operating a foreign account can be allowed if you can prove that you have not transferred state funds to your private accounts.

[quote author=~Bluetooth link=topic=580120.msg7477027#msg7477027 date=1294347606]Who made him the front runner ?
the fact that he was part of the movement that later became PDP doesn't make an automatic presidential candidate !
The party decide who they wanted and nothing Ekwueme could have done about that. [/quote]Ekhueme had the presidential ticket in his grasp before the CABAL consisting of IBB and co came to Abeokuta to give Obj, well it seems Atiku was part of the cabal at the time.

Take it or leave it Ekhueme was cheated of the presidency in 1999 by the cabal that preached zoning and compensation, no NADECO activist or politician from the Yoruba region campaigned for compensation the way Atiku is doing today. Now it is time to pay them back.

If Atiku believes that after 2011 we will still be voting along ethnic lines then it shows that he is already outdated and Nigeria has moved away from where he stands, dont forget that Babangida Aliyu was the one who said "Zoning is a political strategy not a political right".

This merger would not make sense in the 2011 elections, both of them should spend a term in the senate each and pair up as the arrowhead of all oppositon party against a weakened and disillusioned PDP in 2015.

Even if Dora is to be a VP candidate in 2011 she should be behind Buhari, while Ribadu takes the senatorial seat from his constituency, this would be a merger of the CPC,ACn,APGA,LP but ANPP should never be allowed into the merger, the opposition will be better off without the ANPP.

It would be a very big blessing for Obasanjo to be frustrated out of the PDP.

If Obj, Atiku, Ciroma, Saraki Olusola, Alao-Akala and their likes are getting frustrated in the PDP, this may be the best time for us to key into the PDP.

This is a confirmation that these mens words are no more sacrosanct within the party.

The 2011 election is an election that PDP will win at the cost of its strength.

The opposition should all team up to push a Buharis candidacy, not for the purpose of capturing the presidency but for the purpose of capturing the states, If the opposition play their cards well they can snatch about 18 states from the PDP or 20 with this we will have a PDP president who is actually in the minority, so to achieve things it would not be what benefits his party alone but what benefits the entire nation, by 2015 a Ribadu opposition and a female easterner as opposition candidates could sweep the PDP out.

Obasanjo can quit politics and leave PDP to his fate, an id1ot called Atiku said he had d PDP ticket for the asking and went to give it to Obj in his farm, that was a big lie, the front runner in the PDP in 1998 was Ekhueme, they cheated him by preaching zoning and compensation for Abiola they never truly fought for and want to use that same deceit on GEJ, but trust my guy is too smart, he has dared them to the contest.

This is beautiful for our politics and democracy, PDP is losing its advantage and leverage but the big question is can the oppostion take a clue and snatch the advantage and leverage, 2011 elections would tell

texazzpete:
Don't be silly. If someone is not doing well, it's your right to air constructive criticism. Your argument is that we should celebrate mediocrity just because we do not know if even worse is to come later. And that's just sad.

I detest the brainless school of thought that imagines that every critic is a 'saboteur' or 'hater'.

Tex the critics are not the saboteurs, they are victims been manipulated by the saboteurs.

With all the criticism so far have we fared any better as a nation.

Nigeria is one country I know that whenever someone tries to tackle a challenge from an angle there would be a lot of analyst that will tell us why the attempt must fail.

On constructive criticism, let me put it in the perspective of this thread, are the critics Beaf tries to challenge ever offer Goodluck and his supporters any form of constructive criticism, do we constructively criticise a president of a republic as a Nigeria when u refer to him as clueless and visionless?

That is the challenge Beaf has been upto, he finally sees a candidate he believes in and people just want to pull him down on sentiments like zoning, want to discredit his administration because they dont have light like the man was the one who failed to build power stations from 1999-2007, they want to wish away his achievement of making fuel supply stable by pointing out that he has depleted the ECA, does any of GEJ critic give him any benefit of doubt, do they even engage in constructive criticisms, the only way they believe Jonathan can conduct a credible election is for him not to contest, what sort of rubbish!.

I would not say Beaf has not had his excesses but then he is human, he is passionate about jonathan just as he was passionate about Yaradua leaving when he was sick, so if u enjoyed him then pls readjust ur taste buds abd continue enjoying him cos what you guys feel now was what I felt when he went on and on about Yaradua, I was very passionate about yaradua and had hoped that he would get well to complete the first term, the situation we are now was what I thought we could avoid with a Yaradua recovery.

I must state that Beaf has not changed. He is still the same guy of the Yaradua saga, if that was a high point for you guys for me it was a low point for him.

He took on the Yaradua issue in a very personal manner which I always stood against, at some point I told him that when Jonathan comes into govt that Nigerias problems will not end.

The problem with most of us on this forum is that we find it so easy to criticise our governments, anyone who manages to make it to a position of authority suddenly becomes a dunce just because we want the guy to wave magic wands.

It is not only on this forum it is actually a Nigerian problem, every govt that serves or lead us is terrible and bad and we want them out, those of us at home feel that we can run a nation better than those that are running it.

When Gowon ruled in the 60s and 70s Nigerians complained, Murtala tried but was assasinated, it was after his assasination that some recognised him as a national hero, Obasanjo as a military man was corrupt, but when we saw the democrats of the Shagari era we begged for the military to come back, Buhari tried to rearrange the country, tried so hard to save us from ourselves yet we shouted draconian rule, hounding the press, and all sorts of accusations until Babaginda came to make him a saint, when babginda came in Nigerians jubilated the exit of Buhari but could they imagine the disaster Babaginda could wreck in 8yrs at last we shouted Shonekan out only to replace him with Abacha, was the June 12 realised after giving shonekan no breathing space to work, with Abacha Babngida became a darling president, when Abacha died Nigerians celebrated as though the end of all our worries had come, nobody allowed Abdulsalam to work instead all the chants was democracy as though the word democracy had the magic solution to all our problems, we lost out on the politics and introduced Obasanjo again and Nigerians still are regretting his 8yr rule, while he was there we heard all sorts of financial scandal of a rogue he almost made Abacha a gentleman when assasinations and sacking of communities became the order of the day, when Obasanjo imposed Yaradua then the same people came out shouting as though the imposition of the gentleman Yaradua on Nigeria was the biggest calamity to ever hit this country, did we not almost collapse the country on yaradua when all workers went on strike because of all the last minute actions of obasanjo, nothing Yaradua ever did was right, he pledged to the rule of law, they wanted him to sack himself before they believed a man who declared his assets publicly and did nothing when Andy Uba was sacked by a court barely 3months into his presidency, he said 7point agenda all those who knew better said 1point agenda is the solution, the man said amnesty people said waste of resources the man sick they said he died he finally died now they wish he was here because he is better than Jonathan.

Beaf has come to realise that Nigerias woes will not end by the action of one man, but by the cooperation of everyone of us, have we ever stopped to ask ourselves why those leaders with good intention never last, take a look, Murtala Mohammed, Buhari, Yaradua and maybe Jonathan will join this list by May29 2011.

No matter what we all post here, I know confidently that we did not find ourselves in the mess we are in the last 2,3 or 4yrs, where we are today is a result of deliberate continuos wicked sabotage of 25yrs, those who have sabotaged the nation are in all critical sectors of our national life, such that even if Jesus was to rule without his supernatural powers they would frustrate his efforts.

Is Jonathan worse than IBB or Abacha, that it should be during his time that we now have bomb blasts everywhere, can anyone point to any site in Nigeria today where contractors have abandoned the projects started by the Yaradua/Jonathan administration, even the Lagos Abeokuta expressway Obj failed to complete because of his corrupt tendencies has been completed by the Yaradua/Jonathan administration, the Lagos-Benin road work is ongoing, the east west road is ongoing, contractors have not complained that they are been owed, when was the last time federal workers complained of having not been paid their salaries, is any importer of petroleum product complaining that he has not received his subsidy payments from the federal govt, has this administration increased the price of petroleum products since 2007.


My people even if Buhari becomes president by may 2011, he would have critics and the saboteurs in every sector of our economy will do anything to frustrate his plans, as a matter of fact they wont even wait for him to be president they will frustrate all his efforts at been a president, If Jonathan had not become a president by the turn of events the cabal that killed Abiola and replaced him with Obasanjo would never have allowed Jonathan near the presidential villa.

Jonathans presidency is the break of a new dawn we should not scuttle it ourselves, it is in the interest of the average Nigerian for Jonathan to remain president after May 2011.

[quote author=~Bluetooth link=topic=578553.msg7463197#msg7463197 date=1294184502]how about relating it with your signature ? [/quote]How about I cahange my signature to "if u no gree go hug a transformer"

Buhari is a wonderful candidate considering his track record, but if I am to use an analogy of an earlier poster, sometimes an organisation would reject a PHD holder for a BSc holder for the same job and salary, In my humble submission Buhari is the PHD holder that has to be rejected for Jonathan the Bsc holder to be employed.

The reason for my submission is that whether we like it or not Buharis time has gone, Buhari can not even rule this country as it is now, a democratic president is not the same as an autocratic military president, in 2003 my vote went to Buhari against Obj, in 2007 I gave yaradua my vote and 1999 I had voted for Obj.

The way Obj held power from 1999 to 2007 is not the way Yaradua/Jonathan has held it since 2007, If we had a committed democrat like Yaradua since 1999 nobody would be talking of a Buhari today, we all want a president who will pursue corruption with zeal, but even the greatest zeal can be frustrated by a conniving judiciary.

Politics is been played for the first time since after the 1999 elections and the whole brouhaha we are facing now is because the cabal that engineered the 1999 elections and controlled the nation since the late 80s after Buhari are on the short end of the stick this time around with a diplomatic jonathan been the fron runner.

My advice is that nothing achieved instantly lasts, to achieve what we want we all must make sacrifices, Opposition parties must make the best of the PDPs challenges at this time, all opposition parties should concentrate on dislodging PDP from the grassroots, from the state govt houses, to thestate assemblies and the national assemblies.

Buhari and Tinubu should bury their selfish interest instead work together to ensure that opposition can have as high as 45% membership of the National Assembly, 50-60% of state govt houses under different political parties, split the state assembly.

2011 is not the end we seek, 2015 will be the year of total emancipation from PDP, but we must all work together to ensure that we dont replace PDP with another demon worse than the PDP. we must realise that the problem today is not really PDP but the power that PDP has, PDP is unrivalled controlling 27govs, 75% of the NASS members are PDP, that is the real problem we must reduce their effect on the political space because it is the absolute power which they seem to have now that is corrupting them absolutely, that is why we nust not sack PDP and introduce another party that would have the powers like the PDP has now and Buhari becoming a president under an arrangement where his party can not have the powers the PDP enjoy would not be able to achieve more.
In agreeing with the poster GEJ may not be it, but I see him as the fore runner of the one we expect, his role is to make all crooked ways straight, let us face it things are actually improving, kindly remeber that when Buhari was incharge the same voices criticising Jonathan were the same voices that criticised Buhari only this time they have taken it to the next level with the bombings.

It is too late in the day to lose hope a Jonathan today is capable of handing over to an opposition party that would have done its job properly by 2015, Buhari could be the man behind Ribadu by 2015 to run against Jonathan by then we would be sure of free, fair and credible elctions, voters register would have been perfected from the 2011 experiment, all the cabal that has held us hostage would have been annihilated by then.

Please support GEJ for a better future!!!, the present is not as important as the future!