₦airaland Forum

For the records, I believe that what was done for the south west in 1999 when both presidential candidates emerged from Yorubaland will happen again for Igboland before Nigeria can claim oneness.

The north is pragmatic and understands that the only people in the southern part of Nigeria with the resources, determination, fearlessness, and tenacity of purpose to pull out of Nigeria are the Igbo.  

So let no one be deceived otherwise.

Igbo needs in contemporary Nigeria goes beyond development. We want to know whether we are Nigerians or Biafrans.

Some people here are claiming that the north will never vote for an Igbo president, well that is why we are determined to try to find out if that is true. Because if it is true, why are we deceiving ourselves that we are one country?

Without sounding repetitive, I don't need to remind such people that Ndigbo are a majority tribe in Nigeria, and if we opt out of that country, it will collapse.

There is no way you can keep a 40 million nation in chains. 

@na_so and Beaf

Your points are well understood about a joint development program for the south east and south south. That is why I originally supported Jonathan until I found out that he lacks the backbone to do big things.

Believe me, if Jonathan had demonstrated some balls prior to now, he would have already wrapped up Igbo votes. He has not, instead he keeps listening to Clarke and OBJ. I want the man to demonstrate balls.

I support IBB for now because only he has demonstrated balls to do big things in the past, and he is from the north, the region designated through PDP zoning to produce the president. He is also the most open-minded northerner in this race so far. Jonathan has to convince all stakeholders that zoning is irrelevant for now.
This race is Jonathans to lose, and if he wins the PDP primaries, Ndigbo will likely support him in the general elections.

This is not about south east not supporting south south. This is about Ndigbo claiming their rightful position in Nigeria. We are focused on the 2015 presidency. Period.

Anyone who undermines that right be he from north, west , east or south, is an enemy of Ndigbo.

Ibime:
Shebi you told me that your people always say "I am Oru, but I am not Ijaw". Why would they need to say that if Oru is not associated with Ijaw?


Igbo pyschological aversion to water is no better highlighted than in the story of the origins of the Ngwa people. One Ngwa brother crossed the stream, but as soon as the stream developed into Imo River, the other brother was not able to cross.

This claim of Igbo aversion to water is so laughable! So there are no Igbos on both sides of the great river Niger and other rivers in the Niger delta. So only Ijaw can swim?

I laugh with heavy Nnewi accent!

okunoba:
Ibb isn`t talking about fixing electricity, water, road, schools, hospitals and corruption, but his promising to hand over power to an Igbo man, what a smart move playing that same old divide and rule game that politicians so often use to distract us masses from scrutinizing their short falling as leaders.

We don`t need Babangida to tell us Nigeria needs an Igbo presidency to help heal the wounds of Biafra, any child of history knows it. Nigeria also needs to make up for it`s day light robbery of the Niger Deltan people and the environmental destruction of their land. Jonathan ruling until 2015 will go a long way in doing this and it will also make southern minorities feel like equals amongst equals.

The next president should be and must be an Igbo man, the north have ruled for over 35yrs the west for 11yrs and east only six months. The East have been schemed out of the presidency for too long and the North have monopolized it for far too long, in the name of fairness it`s only logical that the next president after Jonathan in 2015 should be of NdIgbo heritage.

But for the problem of zoning in the PDP, you are otherwise spot on.

Anybody who has any atom of love for Nigeria must realize that the civil war has not ended yet until we have an Igbo president.
There are Igbos who don't care about anything Nigeria at all, whose mind is already made up on Biafra. I believe that a bigger number of Igbos really want to try Nigeria one last time.

2015 is non-negotiable. 2011 is almost irrelevant to Ndigbo. We are focused on 2015.

Beaf:
[size=14pt]Mending fences, really?[/size]
People & Politics Aug 23, 2010 Share | By Ochereome Nnanna

WHEN I heard that some Igbo leaders had scheduled a meeting with Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark to negotiate terms for Igbo support of the perceived Goodluck Jonathan presidential ambition, I pinched myself to see whether I was dreaming or awake.

It turned out that I was actually awake because I felt the pinch. I decided to wait to see the meeting come to pass.

Then on Thursday, August 19, news came that a group of Igbo politicians were meeting in Clark’s Asokoro residence in Abuja . The attendees were people you could not, in all honesty, describe as Igbo nonentities.

Among them were Chief Ken Nnamani; Chief S. N. Okeke; Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Professor ABC Nwosu; Chief Achike Udenwa and Senator Uche Chukwumerije. This was actually a set of Class “A” Igbo politicians, meeting with Clark, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, retired Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga and retired Brigadier General S. E. Oviawe, among others.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/08/23/mending-fences-really/

Ochereome Nnanna mixed up the personalities that visited Clarke with those that visited the North for alliance.

The bolded persons visited the north not Clarke.
This thing is racking up our brains in the south east. I'm optimistic we'll settle for one option soon.

I thank God that south east governors are still handling it excellently. We need their leadership on this.

sjeezy8:
The MAIN reason why there hasnt been an igbo president ELECTED YET OR EVEN THOUGHT OF [b]IS BECAUSE IGBOS ARE 100% CHRISTIAN-[/b]

There are 14-16 islamic states that will vote for a muslim over a christian- If theres any support that igbo will need for a presidency its among the Middle belt and  SW and SS.

Automatically - Those 14-16 Islamic states- will vote for a muslim. The Only states that dont vote based on religion are the states in the SW and middle belt-

Igbo own Nigeria just as any ethnic group- But Im telling you that In my years of living I have never met a northern muslim say they will vote for a christian. esp muslims in SHARIA STATES.

Obj ONLY won- 1999- because he was going against another yoruba- He would have LOST against a northerner, In 2003 the North didnt vote for OBJ They voted for BUHARI AND ATIKU- OBJ won because votes were rigged in the South.

and Northerners usually dont rig election esp for a southern christian- They wont do it.

So how come Obasanjo who is a christian ruled Nigeria for a total of 11 years? That is part of why the PDP has zoning! You see?

More and more Igbos are beginning to come to this realization.

Frankly I believe IBB is one of those who love Nigeria enough to say certain things.

This man wants Nigeria to remain one by all means I must add.

This is who he is. He believes in Nigeria, and is trying his best to keep it one.

OBJ did FAR more to tear Nigeria apart than IBB ever did.

sjeezy8:
IBB didnt have anything to do with Obj- The Hausas-fulanis did. IBB Only acted on their (Hausas-fulanis) behalf to make sure a yoruba was president. That was solely because They KILLED Mko Abiola.

The Hausa-fulani will never allow two southern candidates again. Try to think smartly.

Dude, I don't argue issues needlessly. Even as we speak IBB has taken a similar position on Igbo presidency.

IBB single handedly imposed two Yoruba candidates in 1999. Abdusalami Abubakar of the day was an IBB boy.
I remember everything clearly. You are right that if there was a northern candidate, Obasanjo or any other Yoruba candidate would have lost. Left for the north, they would have fielded a candidate of their own and retaken power and nothing would have happened.

IBB gave power to the Yoruba in order to make up for the June 12 issue.

All truths must be told.

OBJ was IBB's stooge candidate until they started parting ways as OBJ grabbed more power in 2003.

These people attacking IBB forget that if not for him, the south west would not have produced the president in 1999.
There were other northerners who opposed power shift to the south west.
IBB simply muscled the idea through, and we produced TWO Yoruba candidates for presidency. Unprecedented in Nigeria's history.

All truths must be told.

chyz:
hmmm. this is why i say neither jonathan nor IBB has Igbo votes.although IBB has the upper hand at this moment. Speaking about this whole zoning thing, if zoning is a PDP arrangement but IBB isnt in PDP then he doesnt have to agree with it so come 2015 he can just use the excuse that he is not in PDP so he has the right to run for another term. Nigeria is a failure.I can see this country avoiding war.

Im not liking the comment about the civil war and him wanting an Igbo president.If that was the truth he would have backed Pat Utomi heavily during the 2007 elections.He definitely lost points off that one. Igbos should make it an requirement for IBB to join PDP if he wants our votes so that there wont be any problems later.

Unless I'm mistaken, IBB is in PDP. I think his political planners are only reserving the option to run on another party's ticket (though I doubt that IBB would do that, he is too calculating ). He is pushing ahead to win the PDP primaries, and if he succeeds, the rest will fall in place.

Having said that, I believe that Ndigbo should have a laser-like focus on Nigeria's presidency in 2015. For that reason alone, it is good that Igbos are largely staying away from next year's race.

It is time we know whether we should continue with Nigeria or not. By 2015, if the owners of Nigeria continue in their marginalizing games, we will then resurrect Biafra with all force and ferocity. And I will be waiting for that Igboman who tells me that we should stay in Nigeria.

IBB remains the only Northerner who has openly committed to closing that leadership gap in Nigeria. Ndigbo are a majority tribe (if not THE majority tribe) in Nigeria. We have no business playing second fiddle to anybody.

If another northerner comes up with similar position, and is more likely to win, we would switch to that candidate ( no hard feelings). That is politics.

We should continue to rally round that 2015 presidency. It should remain our single goal. Nobody should tell us anything else about it.

It is time we find out whether we are Nigerians or not.

^^

Take a look at this information and draw necessary conclusion.

[size=16pt]Police and N20bn checkpoint largesse[/size]

Sunday, 22 Aug 2010

In a recent report, the Human Rights Watch accused the black uniformed men of being the most corrupt institution in Nigeria. The report published in major newspapers last week indicated that the police made over N20bn from checkpoints across the country between January 2009 and June 2010. The South-East region is the main cash cow as the security agents reportedly netted in N9.35bn. From the South-South, they got N4bn; South-West N4bn; North-Central, N2bn; North-East and North-West, N500m each. Of course, the police dismissed the report as ”embellished innuendoes and suggestive graphics aimed at reaching a preconceived conclusion.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201008220142918

[size=16pt]Why I Conferred With Igbo Leaders, By IBB [/size]

Sunday, 22 August 2010 00:00   From Martins Oloja (Abuja Bureau Chief)

FORMER Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has explained the significance of the ethnic card he reportedly played recently with a strategic meeting with some Igbo leaders.

He had declared at the widely advertised parley that he would run for only one term, if elected, and leave the presidency for the Southeast zone in 2015.

Babangida, who on Sunday, August 15, declared his intention to contest the 2011 presidential election against President Goodluck Jonathan, spoke exclusively to The Guardian editors in his Hilltop expansive home in Minna, last Wednesday.

According to him, he organised the forum with the Igbo leaders because he was fully persuaded that the pang of the Civil War the Igbo nation had with the Federal Government over 40 years ago would not be healed “unless a President of Igbo extraction is elected in Nigeria.”

He also said that “only Abiola and his family” deserve an apology over the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the head of the family, Chief MKO Abiola.

Babangida, as head of the military government in power in 1993, annulled the election that was adjudged the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history till date.

Many Nigerians are up in arms against Babangida’s bid for the presidency, ostensibly on the strength of the voided June 12, which revalidation led to the death of many Nigerians including Chief Abiola and his wife, Kudirat.

On his intentions for playing such an ethnic card with Igbo leaders in a nation struggling to enhance its national outlook, Babangida said:

“I hope you know that everybody (presidential aspirants) is following me now? There are two or three now who say that they would run for one term, including even some PDP aspirants. So, at least I am happy.

“I am the originator of the four-year- one-term slogan. The fact of the Nigerian situation is that there is no way — you better believe it — there is no way you will run this country without jaw-jawing with other parts of the country. That is the fact of the Nigerian political life.

“I became interested in the Southeast for only one reason: an imminent Igbo presidency. That puts end to the Nigerian Civil War. It is finished.”

He continued: “You know why we went to the Civil War. I want Nigeria to go as one country that fought a civil war in less than 50 years, the people that fought and settled so much that even one of the contestants is a president of this country.

“You can never have anything that would demonstrate that the Civil War is closed if you don’t have an Igbo man as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

In the same vein, General Babangida said in an emotion-laden moment that despite the cacophony of voices on the 17-year-old June 12 saga, he believes that, indeed, the Abiola family deserves an apology for the dark episode he has (Babangida) taken responsibility for.

On what he would say to voters on the Okigbo Panel report, the death of Dele Giwa, Abiola and June 12, Babangida said:

“The good thing is that 90 percent of the population has no clue about what you and I are talking about Okigbo, about Dele Giwa. 90 per cent of Nigerians haven’t heard these things at all. They don’t know what they are about.

“It is just about okay. They said I killed Dele Giwa. For June 12, I accept collective responsibility for that. I wasn’t on seat when Abiola died but if there is anybody who deserved a personal apology, it was Abiola and members of his family.”

Babangida, who fielded questions for two hours despite the fasting period in the early hours of Wednesday, last week, also clarified his position on the reported reliance on Southwest for supports for his presidential bid.

He disclosed that he only said because of the sophistication of the Southwest political leaders and elite, it would be easy for them to appreciate all the complications that opponents may want to use against him in these times.

His words: “I saw the report that, ‘IBB Relies on South West.’ Everybody, who wants to win election, would rely on the Southwest, would rely South-South, Southeast, North Central (where I am); would rely on Northwest and so on. This is the beauty of this game.

“What I said, we were talking about June 12, the Southwest, as far as politics is concerned, are more sophisticated than us. The reasons are not far-fetched. They were earlier in contact with civilisation,  So, I will give them that in terms of sophistication.

“And because they are sophisticated politically, they will not get bogged down by mundane arguments about June 12. Their level of education, their level of politics transcends June 12.

“They know in politics, nothing is permanent; they know in politics, somebody matches you round, somebody matches back. It must be accepted. It must be corrected and the country moves on. I think they have the (political) sophistication. This was what I was trying to say.”

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20846:why-i-conferred-with-igbo-leaders-by-ibb&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Yoruba:
^^^^^
African politicians rarely tread this kind of path opined by Arch Okogie . .

Jonathan and his camp has already concluded plans on how to rig the election.

Very possible. In which case he should be ready to "conquer" his opponents. I could be wrong, but the day Aliyu Gusau resigned from his position as national security adviser was the day I realized that the north is serious with reclaiming the presidency.

Jonathan is not Obasanjo, and must be advised so.

There are many things an Obasanjo can get away with which Jonathan cannot. So, he should not rig the elections. Already, some powers have started to call on him to stick to the rule.

The last thing Nigeria can survive now is rigging.

[size=16pt]Don’t contest 2011 election, Okogie advises Jonathan[/size]

By ETOP EKANEM

The Archbishop of Metropolitan See of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, has told President Goodluck Jonathan to jettison any plan to contest next year’s election. He wants the President to concentrate instead on stabilising the nation.

He spoke at the opening of the 1st Africa/Madagascar Divine Mercy International Congress & 7th Divine Mercy National Conference at the Marian Shrine, St Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos, Friday with the theme: “Divine Mercy, The Greatest Attribute of God.”.

According to Okogie, President Jonathan should focus on two or three of the 7-point agenda propounded by his predecessor, the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, adding: “The president has not even sat down and they are saying he must contest, He has barely a year to go. He should look at the 7-point agenda, there are two or three things he can do, concentrate on that. Then sit back and hear what the populace would say, after that he can now come in and contest. As it is now, even if he gets into the Presidency, the same people who are calling on him to contest will destroy him.”

He, however, said if Jonathan would excel in the areas of education and power generation, the president should not bother to campaign because the citizenry would vote for him overwhelmingly.

On the 50th Independence celebration, the Cardinal said there was nothing to celebrate and declared that the amount earmarked for the celebration should have been channeled into areas like education, Niger Delta, power generation which are begging for attention.

In his keynote address, the Catholic Archbishop of Minna, Most Rev Martin Igwe Uzoukwu and National Promoter of the Divine Mercy Devotion in Nigeria said Nigerians needed to totally submit themselves and the nation to the mercy of God, adding: “We need to open up ourselves to the flow of the divine mercy, so that our nation, which has been miraculously sustained by God’s mercy, will take its divinely planned course to proper nationhood.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/08/21/dont-contest-2011-election-okogie-advises-jonathan/

I happen to be a very practical and "can do" type of person. If I have a problem, I actually try to find out a PRACTICAL WAY to solve the problem.

Agitation is not enough.

You must have practical ways of solving your problem, that is why I support the Igbo quest for Nigerian leadership.

Do I believe that we will win? or that Igbo presidency will solve all our problems? Well, we will find out, won't we?
But to say that we should not participate is self defeating and forecloses us other options.

If I want to convince an Igbo that Biafra is our best option, how can I do that when we have not exhausted all options?

I want an Igboman to contest in the elections next year, but the PDP has a zoning formula which zones the position to the north. Some power brokers in Nigeria had promised that Ndigbo will produce the 2015 president. We should hold Nigeria to that promise and not fritter it away on emotional binge.

If Jonathan had shown the strength of character and sound judgment, then it may be worth it for Ndigbo to support him. Fact is that he has not. 

I say we support any northerner that ensures we produce the president in 2015.
IBB is the only northerner that have openly made that commitment. If others come forward to make similar commitments, we would then evaluate them based on their clout (ability to win) and strength of leadership.

Igboland needs justice. Nigerians are not much keen on justice. Only a strong leader can muscle the course of justice through the evil thicket of Nigerian politics. 

I don't know why this thread is crawling with Yorubas again when this thread is about Ndigbo deciding what is best for them in the coming elections. Oh I get it now. It is because of Abiola!
Why can't the Yoruba think about Nigeria without making it all about themselves alone! Talk about narcissism.

Please stop!
[size=14pt]
We will vote for IBB if he offers us the best option! [/size]

So why not Igbo presidential candidate with Yoruba vice president? How about that?

koruji:
You are making a mistake - I am trying to tell you not to make it about June 12. I brought that up in a reply to Ezeuche who stated that Igbos trust IBB because he has always been good to them, but that they don't trust Jonathan. Another person said why should we hate IBB for what he did to Yoruba. Read the rest of the thread or the second topic that is discussing almost the exact same thing before you start making claims.

This is always the point - do what you want, but be ready for the consequences.

This is NOT about June 12.
This is about Ndigbo occupying their rightful position in Nigeria. Since we lost the war, all manner of lies and cheating have been inflicted on us.
We are one of the biggest tribes in Nigeria. Why should we be so marginalized?

So, forget about June 12. We want our dues in Nigeria.

TewMuch:
Am confused as to when we all voted Awo. Wasn't he supposed to win his region or a Yoruba candidate? You can't compare that.Almost everyone voted abiola.Yoruba,Ibo and Hausa.Not all Yoruba's voted for Olu Falae or he would have won. The election was very rigged by the way so we will never know.Yoruba's don't follow the herd mentality, if we did, I will say so.We are actually more democratic than most.

Believe me OBJ did not win in the south west. Olu falae did.

Check the history of Nigeria, the Yoruba has never voted non-Yorubas for presidency.

So, your tribe is far more clannish in politics than Igbo.

We (Ndigbo) voted for Abiola, and Olu falae. We also voted for Shagari in 1983 (though the election was rigged too).
Show me when the Yoruba voted for other tribes.
Even now, Jonathan is not even trying to woo south west.

koruji:
You are making a mistake - I am trying to tell you not to make it about June 12. I brought that up in a reply to Ezeuche who stated that Igbos trust IBB because he has always been good to them, but that they don't trust Jonathan. Another person said why should we hate IBB for what he did to Yoruba. Read the rest of the thread or the second topic that is discussing almost the exact same thing before you start making claims.

This is always the point - do what you want, but be ready for the consequences.

Believe me this is not about some fabled vengeance against Yoruba. We just want our due in Nigeria. That's all.

IBB is it, unless the north produce a better candidate (which I doubt because such candidate will need to show us his record of leadership at the highest level).

TewMuch:
Not that I care about being called Yeruba. But just to irk some few I will also resort to calling you guys IBO.All am saying is that some people think they want to get at Yoruba's because they don't want IBB.Serious flaw.No one wants IBB, and Yoruba's never wanted OBJ. He also happens to be the one that did the best for Ibo's suprisingly.Yoruba's will always vote for whoever has the interest of the state at heart and promises the best.E.g, Mimiko from the LP.If a PDP man comes that has a track record, whether Ibo,Yoruba or Hausa, Yoruba will vote him in.We never do crowd mentality, that is an Ibo trait.

A HUGE LIE. Tell me whom the Yoruba voted for in 1979, 1983, 1993, 1999, 2003 and 2007?

1979, 1983 -> Awolowo
1993 -> Abiola
1999 -> Olu Falae
2003  -> Obasanjo
2007 -> Nobody  

TewMuch:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Babangida

Since your cameroonian nationality prevents you from knowing about IBB, take a second to educate yourself on his background. He is Nupe.rotflmao.These damn Yoruba's!Hiding under all sorts.hahaha. Yoruba's don't care about group interest, that is why we will vote for the best candidate that we think will represnt the pressing needs.That's why Igbo's are where they are at.1 single person can tell all ya'all to kill yourselves.

You are busy insulting yourself instead of putting yourself in our shoes.
Would you support another candidate if a Yoruba is on a ticket? NO.
The Yoruba has a long history of voting only Yoruba. So what are you talking about?

I am disappointed that folks like koruji and TewMuch thinks this is about Yoruba. Believe me Igbo man is not interested in Yoruba for the 2015 quest.
Remember it was not IBB that killed Yoruba leaders; it was Abacha!
The only crime IBB committed against the Yoruba was to annul the Abiola polls victory, but he has since made it up by ensuring that Yoruba controlled Nigeria for 8 years under Obasanjo.

So, believe me, this is not about some "vengeance" against the Yoruba. It is about Ndigbo getting what is their fair share of a collective patrimony. Even south south has controlled Nigeria's presidency more than Ndigbo. So, we are only thinking about how to better the lots of our people.
Remember that there is large number of Ndigbo still mad at Nigeria and will bring Nigeria down if this Igbo question continues.
If you love Nigeria, and want it to remain one, you better support the candidate that promises Igbo presidency in 2015.

Even SW is in play for IBB. Look at his campaigners in the SW.  

TewMuch:
^
If the SS,MB and SW vote against IBB don't you still lose? Forget that 30million population bullshit, a big fallacy.Na for this INEC we go know who get population pass.Don't be deceived.How does it so happen that the 3 major ethnic groups claim to be 30million? Most female northerners may not even vote.The illiterates.hahahaha.A lot of them actually.Nd for your information IBB is nupe. From kogi state.

And you think that IBB will lose in both zones? Are you kidding me?

For us to support Jonathan, he must be worth it.

[size=14pt]Is he worth it?[/size]

TewMuch:
I wanna know if the Igbo's just like to victimize themselves purposely.If they support IBB, and the campaign fails? Even if he wins and he does more harm, wouldn't that affect the future Igbo presidential candidates? I doubt if other groups will ever trust them again.Why not put forward your own candidate or pick from fresh candidates? Which group will want to associate themselves with IBB? Except if they want to sacrifice their future opportunities and loose.Igbo's can be stronger if they take a progressive stance.Even if they support IBB, he will still lose.Only the Igbo's and core north will vote for him.Now what? T[b]he next government will make sure the Igbo's get no relevant political positions.[/b]Stop setting yourselves up because you are thinking selfishly.Think Nigeria, because IBB betrays everyone.

Igbo are ALREADY not getting posts under Jonathan, so we have nothing to lose. IBB remains the strongest candidate from the north because he can get votes from the north and south. I doubt he'll lose if we support him.

I think that south east leaders said it last week. All we care about is 2015. No one has answered the 2015 question. Jonathan would have already been president for more than one year by the time of elections next year.
We are yet to see any bold moves.

koruji:
It would be insane for anyone to tell Igbos to act against their own interest. There are three things that you need to keep in mind:

1. Do you know what actually benefits you?
2. Can the one you are putting your hope in deliver?
3. Whether you like it or not your interests cannot stand alone? This is perhaps the most important. Nigeria is a perpetual prisoner's dillema story, unless we change that pattern each region will always lose. What benefit did Yar'adua's presidency bring the North?

I wish Jonathan had demonstrated some strength of character. He has not. He showed that when he banned Super Eagles for two years only to recant within a few days.

I can tell you that another south southerner with strong convictions would have performed better under the same circumstance.

Remember that there is zoning in the PDP. Everybody knows this fact.

For Ndigbo to renege on that agreement, the prize must be worth it.

Is Jonathan worth it?  

koruji:
Who is this we you guys are talking about that needs commitments? Why don't you tell Jonathan what commitments you need?

IBB will tell you anything to get to Aso Rock - that is all you need to know!

Oh yes, he is outspoken alright - talking gibberish!

What does docility have to do with it - what we need is someone with judgement based on thoughtfulness, as well as proactive.

You will hold IBB to account, as in tell him to get off the chair in 2015 if doesn't want to? - he will slaughter you (sorry for my harsh language)! Answer me one question - you think Atiku would have survived if he tried that s***t with IBB, as with OBJ?

OBJ still had international reputation to protect, despite his well-known brutishness as an old soldier, but IBB doesn't give a damn, unless he is really under duress - and you had better be well prepared!

Believe me I've actually spent days thinking about the best options for Ndigbo.

No Northerner, I repeat, no Northerner will dare do things that can bring an end to Nigeria.

The whole North knows that is the turn of Ndigbo to produce the president. They understand it because we and them have actually fought a war. So they know us.

Jonathan on the other hand is not caring on as if he understands these issues. I bet you that a part of him tells him that Ijaw agitation is equal to Igbo agitation. Not to belittle any tribe, but Igbo agitation is capable of disintegrating Nigeria. I can't say that about Ijaw agitations.
So IBB understand these things, that is why he openly called for an Igbo president by 2015. He understands that Nigeria does not have a choice about that.
So, when he says that Nigeria needs to bring an end to the civil war, introduce state police and true federalism, he shows he understands Nigerian issues well.

I'm still waiting for other candidates (not just Jonathan) to make their positions known on these big national issues.

The way I'm looking at this is not in terms of friends and enemies. I'm simply looking at the courage of convictions.

IBB was a very busy president in his days in office. Nigeria was very POOR then. Oil was selling for about $18 - $20 /barrel. Today, oil goes for at least $70/barrel, and Nigeria has tens of billions of dollars in reserves. IBB even created more agencies then than OBJ did in 8 years of oil boom.

Jonathan is too docile for Nigeria's presidency. Left alone, he would not rock the boats.

We need someone with the guts to rock the boat, and since IBB publicly committed to those things, we can use them to hold him to account.

Jonathan has not committed to anything, so how can we hold him?

How do we measure him?

We need public commitments from him if he needs our votes.

chyz:
IBB is looking like the best bet for igbos right now when compared to jonathan. I will be in Naija at that time and will vote for him if thats the case, because truth is, even if jonathan were to become president we would not reshuffle his cabinet again because its already making him look bad meaning no Igbo will enter any meaningful position in the FG.

That is my fear. He is busy trying not to ruffle northern feathers in order to woo them. He has not demonstrated strength of character and strong leadership. Nigeria needs things like balanced federation (with states created where there is a need for one), state police, and true federalism. IBB looks like the candidate with such guts to do big things.

Frankly, I don't see Jonathan doing these things.