₦airaland Forum

Newscaster:
Call him all the names you have in your dictionary, noone cares. Why are you wasting your energy?

oh but you lie my good man because i know that you care a lot otherwise YOU wouldn't be wasting YOUR energy running around this place trying to defend your miserable party. in fact, i think it pains you deeply. in fact i bet it hurts you deep inside when you see people abusing your president? i bet you even lie in bed at night under your GEJ bedsheets and shed soft, wet tears because your hero has been measured, weighed and found wanting in front of the whole world? what a loser.

[size=30pt]you can only defend PDP if you are one of two things:

1) personally benefiting from some connection with the PDP

or

2) just plain plum dum.b

which one are you?[/size]

WOWOWOWOWOW!!!!

That was deeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!

GEJ didn't show up. the mediator just abused him.

[quote author=EzeUche_ link=topic=626596.msg7939381#msg7939381 date=1300471767]Stop following a Western way and choose your own path. I very sure GEJ has a good reason to why he is late. He is the current head of state for goodness sake!

The other people are just running for president. They are not the current president.[/quote]dude, it's common courtesy in ANY culture to be prompt ESPECIALLY when you are supposed to be addressing the nation. just because he is the president doesnt mean he can behave anyway he sees fit. he's a public servant. WE pay his wages. he works for us, you dullard.

p.s. have you ever stopped to think that maybe the reason our country is so backwards is because we have backwards customs and traditions.

[quote author=EzeUche_ link=topic=626596.msg7939348#msg7939348 date=1300471515]This is Africa, not the United States. It is part of our culture to arrive late. Everyone has different customs.[/quote]you're joking right? please tell me you're joking.

this has nothing to do with NN24 this time. half of the candidates aren't there.

they're still waiting for ribadu (and GEJ possibly) to turn up.

imagine if obama turned up late for a debate. he'd be lambasted. but here, naaa, it's just an african "thing".

Justcash:

Compare your statement with that of [b]Jason123, you will see that Lagos state's Presidential vote is split between PDP and ACN. I reside in Lagos too. Will fly in to vote. I will vote for Fashola for governor, then GEJ for president (Though still abit confused, but may be certainly GEJ. My relatives in Lagos are all voting for GEJ, and they are trying to convince me to vote for him).[/b]

just because jason123 has said it doesn't make it true!! but seriously, i know of no PDP fans in lagos. NONE. NADE. NOTHING. but as i said before, maybe we run in veeeeeeeery different circles.

manuch:
@timbuk two

am on ground my brother . cos am contesting in the forth coming assembly elections in my state. no need for insults

ooh, you're running? go on then mate, give us your pitch!!

@ justcash

please stop spamming this board with nonsense. we can already see the official thread. your like the guy who puts up those small posters on walls and bridges. is that what you want to be remembered as? the "poster-putter-upper-boy".

jason123:
@ Highlighted,

It is obvious that you do not know your country. Most SWesterners will vote for GEJ based on southern sentiments.
Now, the SW is also populated by the rest of the country. The SS is NOT the bottom of the pile, the population is a bit sketchy for me personally.

dude, i live in lagos. where do YOU live? most people in the south west will not vote for gej based on any "southern sentiments". unlike other parts of the country those guys vote based on things other than sentiment. and whilst lagos indeed does have residents from other regions (NW + NE + NC as well as SE and SS) the five other states are pretty much are yoruba only zones.

Justcash:
You really think that there will be no threats, manipulations, intimidation, bribery to swing votes around? One would wonder how GEJ was able to defeat Atiku(Backed by ACF and IBB) in the North. Forget it, the numbers will flow in. It would have been the other way round if GEJ was totally hated and unpopular. He is loved and revered by a section of the country. This is the way it is, SS+SE+60% of SW+40% of the entire North.

if the numbers flow in for GEJ in the NE + NW  or SW then this country will burn. the ONLY reason that PDP was able to get away with its brazen rigging in the past was because this country has ALWAYS had an anointed leader as the front runner in the past 3 "elections". this time, even thought GEJ and his gang are trying to place this shield of invincibility around him, it's just not working. the nigerian public aren't buying it anymore. he wont win in the north and he wont win in the south west. he'll win legitimately in the south south, and south east and split the north central but seriously, that isnt going to be enough. sorry.

jason123:
UNFORTUNATE BUT TRUE!!! My relatives and friends in Lagos are echoing the exactly the same thing.

i also live in lagos yet i know NO ONE who is voting for GEJ. I guess I run in different circles to your people.

manuch:
IT seems you are not on ground. cant happen

loving the dude in london abusing someone for not being on the ground. how dumb are you?

firstly, allow me to call you an idiot. thanks.

as for your "analysis", if you really believe that gej is going to win kaduna, adamawa or ANY of the states in the south west then please think again.

and even though you've put all those lovely south south and south east states in big bold font still doesnt hide the fact that they at the bottom of the pile in terms of population figures. and in elections it's ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS and unfortunately for gej (and I guess you) the population figures in the south south and south east have pretty rendered those regions unimportant in these elections. it is VERY feasible for buhari to get the required 25% in all the NE NW NC SW states + FCT (26 states) and not have to pick up a SINGLE vote in the SS or SE AND still win the election given the fact that he is going to CLEAN UP in the 2 out of the 3 most highly populated regions.


has this cleared things up for you? i hope it has.

as they say in your country: have a nice day.

public speaking has left many a grown man tripping over their words. i've just been watching obama on CNN and even he let him self down on a number of occasions. but that's beside the point, at least with Aisha i can understand what she is saying, with the Dame i need a translator. i had an english friend at my house the other day and she was doing her umbrear thing and my friend literally asked me if the woman was speaking english  

i understand that it's not her fault if her education has been limited but this is the woman who represents our country on official state visits.  

if you can't tell the difference between Mrs Buhari and the "Dame" then you sir have no business speaking the English language.

Christian Purefoy twitter CNN

Turnout for Buhari rally in Sokoto much bigger than for Goodluck last week #Nigeriadecides

http://twitter.com/purefoycnn

this country is rotten to the core. we should build nuclear power plants here, pray for meltdown and rid the world once and for all of our useless presence.

Newscaster:
Were u at the Kano rally? I was.

where you also there to grab wood and cloth and steel??

Kano youths grabbed what they could from Jonathan's rally.

Moments after his convoy sped from the polo ground, there was a scramble to strip the podium on which he had spoken, scavenging valuable planks of wood, tearing material from the drapings and even ripping up the red carpet, part of which was offered to this correspondent for 1,000 naira ($6).

Lagos Boy:
Bomb threat: S-South leaders to hold talks with MEND

NewsMar 16, 2011
 
BY TORDUE SALEM

ABUJA – The South South caucus of former members of the House of Representatives has promised to engage the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND, and ex-militants in peace talks in Abuja in a few days.
MEND had two days go threatened to detonate bombs in Lagos, Federal Capital Territory and some oil installations in the Niger Delta.
The promise to hold peace talks with the group came on the heels of the group’s “total support” for the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan and his vice, Architect Namadi Sambo, for the April 9 presidential elections.
The former lower chamber members equally condemned any form of threat or violence from any group ahead the April elections, as they contended that violence would not help the development of the country.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, on behalf of other 40 members of the caucus, former Deputy Speaker, Mr. Austin Opara, said some of the former militants were in Abuja and that they were talking with them in respect of MEND’s threat, adding that all hands must be on deck to preach against violence ahead the forthcoming polls.
He also called on politicians to shun violence in the coming elections and work with INEC to ensure that the election was free, fair and credible.
Reading out the resolution of the caucus, Rt Hon Opara said: “We believe that Jonathan/Sambo ticket will provide the needed unity and stability for Nigeria’s development in this decade, as they are the most qualified and experienced team.
“Furthermore, being endowed with uncommon humility, they are role models to millions of Nigerian youths. Their programs, encourages increased participation of women in governance are well recognised,” he said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/bomb-threat-s-south-leaders-to-hold-talks-with-mend/

talk about bad timing  

i take it they forgot to turn of the timer in Bayelsa. silly boys.

Newscaster:
You read, you dont understand, you look, but you cant see.

azorjiu:
Hmmm, Buhari's popularity seems to be 'webometric'. In reality, it appears he is trailing Goodluck.

all i can see are buhari supports. EVERYWHERE. if either of you were in Nigeria you would know this. just turn on the tv and watch one of his rallies.

azorjiu:
Is it because he is a southerner, his lacklustre campaign (and manifesto) or his underperformance since he took over from Yar Adua? Perhaps, it's because the North needs to complete another term in the office?

For better of worse it's a combination of all of the above.

Newscaster:
This is what you will keep saying until they swear the man in.

You again! Dude, I've asked you this before: Where are his supporters?? Where are the votes coming from??

UPDATE 1-Nigeria's Jonathan wraps up campaign in Muslim north
# Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:38pm GMT Print | Single Page [-] Text
* Northern support key to chances of first round win


* Kano second most populous city after Lagos

* Northern elites fear marginalisation

(Recasts with quotes, colour from rally)

By Nick Tattersall

KANO, Nigeria, March 16 (Reuters) - Thousands of ruling party supporters flocked to a dusty polo ground in Nigeria's northern city of Kano on Wednesday for the penultimate leg of President Goodluck Jonathan's election campaign tour.

Securing support in this ancient Islamic city, Nigeria's second most populous after the southern commercial hub of Lagos, will be key if Jonathan, who is from the southern Niger Delta, is to clinch victory in the first round of the April polls.

As the incumbent, Jonathan is considered the front-runner, but his main rival, Muslim ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has strong grass roots support in many parts of the north and the opposition is hoping to force a run-off.
"We will unite this country, and run an open government that does not discriminate," Jonathan told the crowd, eschewing his usual fedora and kaftan for a red cap and white robes, the traditional dress of the northern Hausa-Fulani ethnic group.

"We are encouraged by the crowd we see here," he said, on the 35th stage of his tour of Nigeria's 36 states.

From Islamic police enforcing a ban on beer and prostitution to its centuries-old market and mosques, Kano feels like a different country to the pulsating southern sprawl of Lagos.
Its dusty, tree-lined streets and throngs of child beggars have more in common with the sleepy Sahelian cities of Niger or Chad than with Lagos in the south, a city built on hustle and home to some of Africa's largest firms and richest tycoons.

Jonathan inherited power after the death of late northern President Umaru Yar'Adua last year and some in the northern elite feel his victory would rob them of what should have been another four years in power for their region.



Buhari's reputation as a disciplinarian won respect from some, who lament the extent to which corruption has spread, and sits well with the conservatism of Kano, one of only four states where uniformed Islamic police are used to enforce sharia law.

He ruled Nigeria between December 1983 and August 1985, an iron-fisted administration best remembered for its "War Against Indiscipline", a campaign against graft in which politicians were jailed and drug traffickers executed.

"Buhari has a clean mind. He is a very religious and Godly person," said Hajia Hadisa Mohammed, 85, buying textiles in Kano's Kwari market, a labyrinth of narrow alleyways packed with stalls made of wooden lattice and corrugated iron roofs.

GRINDING POVERTY

Much is at stake in Kano and Nigeria's other northern cities. Jonathan must win at least 25 percent of the vote in two thirds of the states to clinch victory. The core north, along with opposition strongholds in the southwest, are seen as the most likely regions to prevent him succeeding.

Northern Muslims long pulled the strings of political power.

Four military rulers from the region led the country in the decade and a half before democracy was restored in 1999 but since the end of military rule, the upper echelons of the security forces have increasingly been staffed by southerners and some in the north fear being marginalised.

The south has the oil reserves and sea ports and is home to the headquarters of Nigeria's banks. Rapid economic growth has created a generation of independent wealth no longer so reliant on the political patronage once dispensed by northern strongmen.

On the streets of Kano, such rivalries are considered the preserve of the political elite. For most people in a region where industry and agriculture are in decline, more basic issues such as jobs and reliable electricity supply are the priorities.

"What we want is change. This government has failed us. Buhari is the only option," said Sagir Haruna at his market stall, surrounded by piles of fabric from India and China.

For many of Nigeria's 150 million people, scraping by on a few dollars a day, politics is a game played by the wealthy whose prize is control of oil revenues and government contracts and whose outcome has little impact on their daily lives.

Kano youths grabbed what they could from Jonathan's rally.

Moments after his convoy sped from the polo ground, there was a scramble to strip the podium on which he had spoken, scavenging valuable planks of wood, tearing material from the drapings and even ripping up the red carpet, part of which was offered to this correspondent for 1,000 naira ($6).

"I came with just my legs, but now I've got this," said Abubakar Sadiq, 21, carting off a large scaffolding poll.

"I will keep it in my house and think of Goodluck Jonathan whenever I look at it," he said, but then paused and added:

"Or maybe I'll sell it." (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ ) (Additional reporting by Mike Oboh; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Matthew Tostevin)

The man wont win one vote in the north.

Loving the weak pictures newcaster. You're just proving my point. This forum is literally flooded with pictures from a REAL grass roots campaign and all you can come up with are these weak weak pictures of some man with his hands in the air. Where are the fans newscaster? Where are the real supporters? Where is the love

^^

Then please tell me what a better indication of someones support is?

GEJ doesn't have support on the internet, he doesn't have support "on the ground" and he doesn't appear to have the support of those in the diaspora. So where exactly is this support coming from??

newscaster, look at those pictures again and please tell me which one of those "crowds" is impressive?? i'd expect the self acclaimed "biggest party in africa" to put on a better show than those weak looking events.

But I've been seeing projections where PDP is expected to win 30 million votes nationwide.   Even more shocking was a projection where PDP will receive 10 million votes in the North East and North West alone.

If the PDP wants to win this election they need to get these kind of figures but given the TV footage and pictures online I'm just confused as to where PDPs grass root support is.

Just watching the PDP presidential rally in Jigawa and hardly anyone is there, and the few that where there mostly left when President Jonathan came to speak. Is this how all PDP campaigns have been?

It's amazing where they get all their votes from because for all their famed "support on the ground" they dont seem to attract much attention at these rallies.

Can someone please explain. Thanks.

Beaf:
So, its all about personality and avoiding the debate? Crazy stuff!
You shouldn't be in the politics section. Politics is about soceity and communities, not "I", "me", "you" etc. Your Worldview is too narrow.

Buhari took Nigeria in the OIC. True or false? Thats the topic. lol!

oh, i'm sorry if i've left you behind buddy but the debate moved onto more pertinent issues ie, what is the problem with OIC membership? how it effects the everyday life of a nigerian? and why are prominent members of nigerian society forever looking to use religion as a means to an end?

your debate was rather simplistic and boring. but i'm sure the bigots and fundamentalists of the forum lapped it up.

Beaf:
I'm guessing you don't live in Nigeria? OIC membership is extremely important to Nigeria, moreso when our constitution decrees a separation between religion and state. It doesn't matter what that religion is, Ifa, Christianity, Islam, whatever.
It takes a small mind not to see these things.

About your shrill and fevered claims about racism and whatever, check my profile statistics. There's a graph there to rubbish you. On the other hand, I wonder if you are a closet bigot who is scared that the tools of bigotry are being exposed. That might be why you completely avoided every hard hitting factual point in the article to do a myopic analysis of my person. . . If you can't defeat 'em, beat 'em up! Lol, its just that I've got bigger muscles.

Buhari took us into the OIC. Is that not a fact?

it only "matters" because our past leaders have made us believe that it "matters" in an attempt to rule and manipulate us. religion is a massive weapon in a poor and developing nation and has been used successfully as such. the funny thing is that you are constantly harping on about fresh air this and fresh air that and yet you are adopting the exact same political tools our past leaders have used to manipulate your fellow countryman.

as to your comments on secularism, what exactly does that have to do with OIC? is turkey not a member of OIC? is turkey not secular.

[quote author=na_so link=topic=624604.msg7920658#msg7920658 date=1300240175]will you shut that mouth of yours if you have nothing to say? Its only christians  that are admonished not to  consider these things. Turn it around and present a "zionist"  and tell the abokis that it doesnt matter.[/quote]do you even know what the OIC is? what it means? what it actually entails? better still, tell me how it actually effects YOUR day to day life.

If you dont know this country enough , improper handling  of religious matters can jeopardise everything---- power, corruption etc.

it can only effect this country if you have a simple-minded/fanatical attitude towards religion. i couldn't care less about whether nigeria was a member of OIC, UN, Commonwealth or whatever, it's not important. there are far bigger things for Nigerians to concern themselves with at the moment. only bigoted people will kick up this fuss over a non-issue. are you a bigot? are you a fanatic? and are you suggesting by your above statement that the rest of the country also ad-hears to your bigoted way of thinking?

@ beaf

either way, whether it's 100% 60% or just 10 people, it's a non-issue. i don't think the nuances of our OIC "membership" is deserving of a place in the list of this country's top 100 biggest problem. what we should be talking about are the candidate's positions on corruption, power, economy, blah blah blah.

using religion to manipulate the masses (as you are doing here) is a tactic loved by bigots and fundamentalists. are you actually scared of Islam? do you hate really just hate Muslims? why do so many of your posts play heavily on racism, tribalism and hatred? are you actively trying to incite fear and anger in your fellow Nigerians? such a shame.