Beaf:

If the bolded is the case, then Obj simply looked for the governor with the heaviest health burden. It wouldn't have mattered whether he hailed from North or South.

E.K. Clark was never mentioned, because he is a power broker, not a contestant. Odili chose to fight an ill-advised war of attrition with him for supremacy in the ND and Odili really lost.

Whick Clark - the one that for very long maintained that Uduaghan was ALLEGED to have won an election
If he was so powerful, why could he not stop an 'ordinary' governor from imposing his candidate?
If Odili lost out, why was earmarked for a position so dangerously close to the presidency?
The one from the North with heaviest health burden - why did Obj just allot to the South straightaway

Beaf:

Aha! We are coming closer now.
The Nigerian constitution says that, nobody should be deprived of the right to run for President based on ethnicity, region, religion or gender. That makes zoning at the Presidential level a crime.

How does saying that we agree that it is my turn now
and your turn later a crime?
esp when you know that that is the only way a man from Ogbia can actually have a shot at the presidency so desired by the constitution
without zoning it is very likely that nobody from Otuoke will ever get there again

ARTICLE 2

SUPREMACY OF THE PARTY CONSTITUTION

Subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this Constitution shall be supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all members and organs of the party.

I hope you know that GJ has never dared to say he will not respect the constitution of his party
He has never said it contains any illegal article
he actually pledged to respect it
And if it is so patently illegal, how come it has not been expunged or challenged

Beaf:

Thanks for that, it is precisely what I told you. Odili lost out in a battle, he didn't withdraw; what your article doesn't say is that E.K. Clark was his adversary.

Precisely?
Read the full story,
(1) no mention was made of Clark or any militant
(2) If he lost out in a battle why was he (a strong personality) being compensated with VP to a sick president?
His name was already on the acceptance speech
Read the full story

The meaning is that Obj agreed to zone the presidency to the North, but his mind was not there - he handed to a weak candidate
Beaf, we need to play fair in this discussion - that is not too much to ask

youngmonie:

The Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party


7.2 The Party shall pursue these objectives by:
(c) in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforeced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.

Rotation means that it will go TO and FRO or from place to place so that it touches everywhere
And not that you throw it up in the air every time and the giant amongst the contestants can always grab it - that is not rotation or zoning

jabbok:

My one and only prayer for PDP - Let confusion be their companion from now on.

@ youngmonie, dont waste your breathe on Beaf. If you push him too much he will send his army after u.

May God accept this prayer for evermore!
Farewell to family affair (condoning of treason), garrison politics, do-or-die affiar

Beaf:

I hope you can cope with this. http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20090313_nigerias_mend_odili_asari_and_ndpvf
If you keep on that website, you will also learn a lot about fcked up oil bunkerers like Atiku. . . Real truths about Nigeria, not the hearsay many on NL love and hug.

This is better
http://el-rufai.org/great-expectation-disappointing-outcome/
"The primaries and the campaign were largely uneventful as everyone expected PDP to win whether the elections were free and fair or not. Only two events of significance took place during the period – the investigation of the finances of Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State by the EFCC and his subsequent exclusion from the primaries, and the insistence of Obasanjo and the PDP apparatchiks that Yar’Adua announced him as his running mate in an acceptance speech already prepared for that purpose.

At the night of the primaries, Umaru Yar’Adua sent for me and came out of the State Box at Eagle Square and intimated me of this. An acceptance speech had been prepared for him, containing the announcement of Peter Odili as running mate. This was not acceptable to him, but he was also unwilling to disagree with Obasanjo so early in the game. I suggested that he rallies the governors to oppose the decision to announce Odili as running mate, and decline the nomination if all else failed.

When this failed to change the combined minds of Obasanjo, Tony Anenih, Ahmadu Ali and Ojo Maduekwe, I came up with another “last resort”. I sent people to wake up Nuhu Ribadu, then Chairman of EFCC to help persuade Obasanjo since all else appeared to have failed. It was not until about 5am that Ribadu succeeded in getting Odili off the ticket. The next morning, Governor Goodluck Jonathan was announced as the running mate to Umaru Yar’Adua instead of Peter Odili"

The above is close to what was reported in ThisDay around the time of the 2007 primaries
But i cannot find the link
El-Rufai is known, but he too has his own axe to grind
I don't like posting faceless stories that tarnish the image of people
what you posted gave the impression that the author was there - is that possible
There is a story on the internet about how Johnathan embezzled N4b
Although I am not enamoured of GJ, do you think I will post that? - it is not my job to execute another person's hatchet job

Beaf:

For some strange reason, you think that PDP is equivalent to Nigeria.
If Northerners (which I read to be core Northerners) want to corner a political party and stup!dly think that party will rule forever, stark failure will soon convince them otherwise. Why? They'll be the only ones left in their party and out of govt.

Go back to your own posts, you have always dismissed the chances of the other parties
And PDP has been boasting that they would be in power for 70 or 100 years
And the chairman of the Board of Trustees is the Apostle of do-or-die politics

And my arguments is not so hollow
Just imagine it - tribalism remains a major issue in Nigerian politics
APGA is active in SE; AC is strong in SW
So if ANYBODY can contest, northerners keep contesting along with southerners
A northern candidate with the support of 1 zone from the south will always win
And then thrwo some sop at the southern zone when it is its turn
So 2 zones from the south will be in the lurch unless the fashion a way to get into the action
the Zoning of presidency results again

If Johnathan is correct, it means that the president can continue to come from a particular zone
In practical terms, it can mean the Northerners ganging up to rotate amongst themselves and perhaps drafting in just 1 zone from the South

Beaf:

This account is totally wrong. Odili was in a power struggle with EK Clark for control of the ND (employing his own private militia's against MEND)and he lost out big time, hence GEJ's ascendance. Odili never withdrew, he lost a gruelling battle. I guess that totally kills off your argument.

Totally wrong?
Just produce 1 (just one) evidence in support of what you have said
And I will demolish your fiction for good
Let us stop mass hypnotism

From

The Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party

ARTICLE 2

SUPREMACY OF THE PARTY CONSTITUTION

Subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this Constitution shall be supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all members and organs of the party.


    7.2 The Party shall pursue these objectives by:

    (a) ensuring that the programmes of the Party, as contained in its manifesto, conform with the fundamental objectives and directive principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    (b) promoting mutual respect for and understanding of the religious and cultural diversity of Nigeria.

    (c) in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforeced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.

    (d) striving towards african unity and fostering greater understanding and cohesion among all peoples of African descent.

    (e) co-operating with African and other nationalist movements and organizations working for the eradication of imperialism, neo-colonialism and racism.

    (f) co-operating with member nations in promoting the aims of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU), the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations Organizations (UNO) and other international and regional groups; and

    (g) undertaking such other activities as, in the opinion of the Party, may aid the attainment of the objectives of the Party.

sbeezy8:

hes telling the truth.
nice one.
I like the Saraki part- that guy na ode.
The fact of the matter is that PDP north see zoning as ONLY between north and South and not between the 6 zones! - which is a lie because northerners contested against obj after 1 term, when yaradua contested many ss and se people contested against him.
odili is talking of zoning now because he wants to be VP but he contested against yaradua

Odili never contested against Yaradua
The Odili issue actually convinced me the presidency was zoned to the North
Odili and Duke started their campaign very early - colourful and vibrant
all these while, Yaradua was discussing with ABU to go back to lecturing
Suddenly rumours started that Yaradua would become the president
He was the last person to collect his nomination form

Yet the most visible candidates (Odili and Duke) withdrew for him
Odili was expected, but people felt that he would be difficult for Yaradua to control
Note that Rivers delegates were the only ones that stayed all through the night of the primary
They expected Yaradua to announce Odili as his running mate

Nsiman:

As far as the const'tn of the FRN is concern, zoning is illegal by any political party. We are making gej popular. Ride on gej

Zoning cannot be illegal while federal character is in the Nigerian constitution
Infact the PDP zoning and constitutional federal character are blood brothers

sunnyprof:

Pls sorry for some typo error above.

But as fro TRULY's comment:
I wish to when last did CNN publish any good development about Africa or Nigeria in Particular?
It is onlly WAR, KIDNAP, HUNGER, AIDS, DISEASE, EROSION (which is not realy 'flood' compared to 'kathrina')
The only time you see positive is when one 'oyinbo' man or organisation do some donation or community assistance.

When Naija NGO's do something, no show for CNN. When Nigerians Celebrate or have a beautiful display, no way.

The only locations these foreign news place their cameras in Africa is the 'Gwoza interior village, or the 'Oshodi Oke' of those days or the 'Asawo hotel (chalet) at Kubwa , they will never see the 'Owambe' parties with colourful dressses and wonderful african attires, nor the beatiful streets of VI and Ikoyi, nor would they just poke their camera into the environs of Protea, Sheraton, Nicon Noga nor our Platial State Houses or Amusement parks that litter Nigeria,,


When will Nigeria media focus on the beatiful thins we enjoy in Naija?

Have fun with your celebrations
But remember in your prayers - the patients not being attended to by Lagos striking doctors
- the families living under siege in Aba
- the fishermen in Niger Delta who have abandoned fishing because of incessant oil spillage
- and the over 70m Nigerians who as usual will wonder where the next meal will come from

tensor777:

Well you clearly have a lot of abstract things bothering you. You need to deal with that , get on with your life and above all stop trawling the net for horror stories.

Thanks for the piece of advice
Much appreciated

tensor777:

Shouldn't you be doing something more productive with your time than reading and spreading horror stories.??

I face reality even if it is horrible
I actually believe that kidnapping children for ransom, killing relatives for money are symptomatic of ills that we need to confront
I know that politicians are dancing as they declare they intentions and don't want us to remember such
But the families of those people cannot

ziga:

So what has this got to do with celebrating independence or not?

Ossai famous:

well something to celebrate is that even the cpjntry is bad we still don't think of sukide

The above is what brought it about
And incidentally we did not have so many incidents of kidnapping, assasination etc in 1960
The fact that bothers me is that a lot of countries have left us behind
Both winners and losers cannot be celebrating

Ossai famous:

well something to celebrate is that even the cpjntry is bad we still don't think of sukide

Really?
Some people are committiing suicide
If you hunt around Nairaland you will see the story and pics of somebody who beheaded his 2 nieces to make money
A schoolbus with 15 children was taken by kidnappers yesterday - it is on CNN

Ileke-IdI:

Ma ti e je ka lo si be yen.
O fe so fun mi wipe awon ayamantaga ko po ni naija?

Please stop speak foreign languages
This is nairaland!

ziga:

I used to think almost every Nigerian was hopelessly pessimistic, arrogant and filled with self pity.

But now, i realize there are a lot more Nigerians that see themselves as the tools for revival of Nigeria.

Am not talking about people who know how to identify why the work was not done, but True Nigerians who are not scared of getting into the dirt to ensure that the work is done. . .

People who don't just talk for the sake of opening their mouths, but people who are looking for ways to make positive change.

There is hope guys. One love. That is a reason to celebrate Naija.

Please tell me who is leading the way

Sam Milla:

We need to start capital punishment.

We don't
It is barbaric, primitive, inhumane, counter productive does not solve anything
Crime is a function of the environment - these guys would not have become criminals in the US
Indeed they could have won nobel prize in something
Better to build aircontioned prisons with modern amenities - libraries, sports room etc - for these unfortunate youths who have come under bad influence
We will be able to change them and integrate them into society to become loving husbands, wives, parents etc

chyz:

Jonathan never said he was supporting him. Its a travesty the way Orji is trying to conveye and image that he was a victim of suppression by the PPA in the same way that the Abia people are and that now that he's free of the PPA he is able to combat all criminality. What a damn fool. Now that he's with PDP what has changed. The Abians must make sure that he is not allowed or imposed on that governor seat again. It should be resisted with brute force.

So why accept a criminal into the party you lead after the man has decamped to APGA
Must PDP win Abia at all costs?
And if you must win Abia, must it through a tainted person
Why can PDP not set an example
Daniel is GJ's campaign co-ordinator
Akala is the one that christened GJ JEGA
Show me yoiur friend and I will tell you some thing
PDP is an election result-winning machine
No human feeling at all

Ayowumie:

We are not we are going yet but we are not where we started.

No we are not
We have fallen behind where we started
Just look at the people behind us in 1960 and check where most of them are

talk2docee:

to celebrate the Naija independent --- visit http://24hoursfreecall.tk/ you will be glad you did.

So to celebrate Nigeria, we need a site hosted in TURKEY
Excellent!

This eloquent list of the reasons for celebration should be sent to GJ through facebook
and to Mrs Rebranding too
They should throw it in the face of the pessimists and prophets of doom who say we should not celebrate

BTW, Minister of Industry - Udenwa- launched a "Buy Nigerian" campaign last year
I notice that Mrs Rebranding's buys imported apparel - Hollandis?

kola oloye:

Not before the conviction.

She has been convicted twice
1st time, she was fined N100,000 by a magistrate court, a punishment not allowed by the criminal code for manslaughter
Lagos state appealed and took the case back to a high court
She was sentenced to prison - I think 5 years
But she has been involved in some fancy legal and emotional blackmail - she is ill, she is a mother, what will happen to her baby etc

Tcrack:

if she delibratelly killed the man, (murdered him) it is a diffrent case .if she spends the rest of her life in prison, will it bring the dead back? some of us dont know what the word forgiveness means.

If I mistakenly take acid, will anything happen to me?
She DELIBERATELY and CONSCIOUSLY took alcohol and then proceeded to drive
She killed somebody in the process - so she is guilty
The law against drunk driving stops people from deliberately impairing their senses, commiting a crime and pleading unconsciouness

And I don't know the meaning of forgiveness
But I know that putting her in jail will serve as a deterrent
Otherwise, I have a magical excuse - I kill somebody, repent, become born again, seek forgiveness and go away scot free

I cannot understand those who condemn death penalty
In Nigeria people murder innocents children crudely for rituals
Yet people say we should allow them to represesnt and ever-present danger (jailbreak etc)

The same people who condemn death penalty know very well that policemen do not feel safe while some criminals are alive
For self preservation, the police just execute such people
Is that better than a judicial process that has checks and balances

I don't want to hear that the attitude of the police should not dictate the law
We know that the police everywhere abuse the law if they can get away with it
And of course they are too close to law enforcement process to just ignore their interests

One major achievement of Akala that we are not giving him credit for
He has turned over LAUTECH to FG - that is one "useless venture" he does not have to budget money for
The money saved can no go for an ultra modern bleaching factory

That is why "visionaries" like Olunloyo support him

tkjoke:

Na wah o! The guy no dey tire.
I wish him luck sha!

Tired of what - 2nd attempt
Are we not tired of crooks ruling all the time because they have state power, stolen money?

Echidime:

He is very foolish to want to run when we are still trying to deal with northerners and put our brother his own brother goodluck in power,what does he stand to gain by sharing votes meant for goodluck?

On one hand, we are told where people come from does not matter
On the other hand, I see posts like this - so what is the position?
tribalism matters or not? I see a lot of southerners supporting GJ because of tribalism
And it will be very sad cos the arguments used against the North - bad leadership - will come to haunt the south

afam4eva:

The truth is that Pat Utomi can't win an election in Nigeria whether it is free and fair or not. Nevertheless i'll vote for him.

I love your spirit
Some people argue that I should not waste my vote because somebody cannot win
That is illogical - why do I vote for somebody who does not need my vote to win
Every vote against PDP is not lost - it is a message a protest lest they think we have been cowered into submission
Utomi, Ribadu and Buhari need my vote more than anybody from that inglorious evil association called PDP
They should join forces

monkeyleg:

Its a real shame we are on here debating why someone like Pat cannot win, rather than why someone like Pat should be supported and giving all the tools he needs to succeed.

You know this is the biggest problem we have in Nigeria, we dont know how to be true to ourselves. As Nigerian, we have not arrived at a position that we can truly claim that we know what is best for us. We are still struggling with the poormans mentality.

How can anyone in thier right mind, think that a Party like PDP, who has been in power for almost 12yrs and have totally wrecked our country, can breed any good. There is really no way any leader from that party can honestly tackle the difficult issues of this country, there is bound to be extreme conflict of interest. How do you tell the Godfathers and Governors that you are coming after them, when they supported your candidacy. There is just no way. How can there ever be an honest attempt to resolve deep issues, if you owe serious favours to the people you might have to go after? it just doesnt work

But you know what, that is the Nigeria we all live in

I support your views
How can Utomi be pleading for votes when all the crooks are claiming that people are begging them to contest
And people are saying he should wait
Obviously because of GJ, anybody who is above 60 is too old and belong to expired generation
And anybody who is below 55 should wait
The illogicality of it all is amazing

mikeansy:

Chyz @ Monkeyleg

Do you guys honestly believe that creating more states is in anybody's interest?

Haha
I agree with you on this
We don't need more states - Soludo has said this severally and I agree with him though I disagree with him a lot
A lot of states are on life support'
Why do you think Daniel has not paid WAEC fees in Ogun state and looking for a bond

yarodin:

Truely I was not talking about Nigeria but the rest of the world.  Yes, we know who is Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, but even in Africa they could careless all they know is "This bloody Nigerians"

ok
I was actually referring to our tendencies to make ourselves happier by playing the tribal card
A Yorubaman takes psychological solace in believing that Farouk's problem is a northern and/or muslim issue
A northerner sees Wunmi (the actress) as a manifestation of the Yoruba's laziness or whatever
But abroad, they all see green passports, flat noses etc

Sam Milla:

Thank you brother.
I asked a question about why people take everything thrown at them by the Americans.
You cant keep dealing with the Sharks and then present the heads of the smaller fishes all over the news.
Every single day, people smuggle drugs out or MM airfield to Europe As long as you settle the NDLEA.
If you don't settle, you will be scanned with some machine that sees the inside of your stomach.
Then they scatter your face all over the news and take kudos as hard working government agents,

hypocrites,

I still do not buy this persecution theory
If they are targetting you for bad press, don't give them ammunition

yarodin:

Honestly Bluetooth is just reacting the same way people like Osu-EzeUche of Arochukwu and co would have reacted if the drug bust had been Yoruba.  They are all quick to pointout the bad in each other as if that is suppose to make them feel better.  When the mallam was busted for trying to blow up the plane, I did not hear the western media say he was Hausa/Fulani, all I heard was a muslim from Nigeria and we all know how that affected every single Nigeria travelling back and forth.

I don't agree
When Farouk story broke - the talk in town these "illiterate Hausa", "we need to split this country" etc
Same thing when Kaita was sent off during our match against Greece
We really are tribalistic - we see nothing really wrong in abusing others
But we now say it is a national thing when our person is involved
Most of us have now embraced Johnathan candidacy on account of tribalism
although he is of the PDP
we have quickly  forgotten that even 4 years ago, Wole Soyinka advised Yaradua to leave the PDP since he had nothing against him (Yaradua) but PDP was a bad party - has that changed?