APC And Buhar’S Candidacy

Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta.

“The elite are holding the downtrodden to ransom. This is the meaning of excessive greed of which the victims are the hungry, the poor and the homeless. We are victims of high tech conspiracy to under develop the country to the utter detriment of the ordinary people of Nigeria”______ QUOTED IN WHERE WE ARE

The much anticipated National Convention of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has been held successfully.

Now, on Valentine Day (February 14 2015), President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will slug it out with Nigeria’s former Head of state, Retired Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, who expectedly emerged the All Progressive Congress Presidential flag bearer for the nation’s presidential election.

Firstly, I must commend the national leadership of All Progressive Congress led by Chief John Odigie Oyegum and the Chairman of the 2014 APC Presidential Election Committee, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for successfully bracing the storms to conduct their presidential primary.

The fact that came out of the APC presidential primary suggests clearly that majority of the people in the All Progressive Congress wanted a younger vibrant and focused guy, but the godfathers routed for the 72-year old General Buhari for reasons best known to them.

With 3,430 votes for General Buhari and 974 votes for the Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwakwaso, to me is an indication that despite the massive lobbying and brow beating tactics of the said “owners of APC”, that General Buhari must be forced down the throat of everybody, some conscientious delegates still went ahead to register their objection by struggling to make Musa Kwankwaso to be second best in the presidential primary.

Even the dismay performance of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who allegedly doled out raw us dollars to swing the presidential primary in his favor, shows glaringly that, he was never wanted.

As I was putting this piece together, someone was surprised why Alhaji Abubakar could be that desperate to rule Nigeria, given his not too decent political antecedents.

I replied the person that may be the former Vice President wanted to tell APC delegates that he has not exhausted the loot from his days as vice-president to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Some critics have said profusely that the APC should have done something very drastic by putting forward a character like Musa Kwankwaso, who is equally dynamic, focused experienced and electable on the presidential turn in Nigeria.

Why go for a 72-year old man who has had several shots at the presidency without meaningful success?
Why parade the same guy whose electoral chances are grossly limited? Someone may want to know why was Aminu Tambuwal frustrated out of the APC presidential race?

During the 2011 Presidential Election, General Buhari scored 12 million votes in the Northern region, but could not make any significant difference in the South-West, South-South, South-East and North Central region of the country.

And in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a presidential candidate needs at least two third majority votes to be declared winner of a Presidential election.

Maybe General Muhammadu Buhari will do better on Valentine Day in February 2015? This is not casting aspersion on the credibility and integrity of General Buhari.

To me General Buhari, given his track records, remains one of the greatest characters that Nigeria has thrown up in recent times.
His legendary stance on corruption security, good governance, economy, and what have you is quite commendable.

But beyond his extraordinary personality, simple approach to living etc., I still believe earnestly that Nigeria of today needs an equally younger, eloquent, dynamic and extraordinary guy that will conveniently dwarf President Goodluck Jonathan for the Aso Rock Presidential Palace in February 2015.

Honestly, my objective disposition is for younger men like Owelle Rochas Okorocha or Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
These two guys bubbling with track record of performance and relentless energy could have been able to meet the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), guts for guts and brains for brains.

This reminds me of the British and the Americans who have done perfectly with the likes of David Cameron of Great Britain and Barack Obama of United States.

The world is changing as the global village is routing for generational change in leadership.
For crying out aloud, we need at this crucial time in the nation’s history a sharp guy with boundless charisma, a roaring politician who will champion the cause of the ordinary people of Nigeria.

General Buhari once said that: “The PDP Government is leading us to destruction. Nigeria should be the leader of Africa. Our people sleep in and pay for darkness. Over 200 of our girls were abducted and government has been unable to do anything to it.”
He was perfectly correct because we are right inside an unprecedented abyss as a nation.

With what has happened in Ondo State, where an entire government dramatically changed party and they are now jumping with PDP flags; where a sitting Governor in Ekiti State is behaving like a demented bull in a Chinese shop; where the professional riggers can still thumb print fraudulent ballot papers; where the judiciary is ridden with some black market judges etc., we need absolutely a presidential material in the region of a tribune, whose personality will make the masses to defy all glaring odds of today to prove a point.

Now, that APC has chosen Mahammadu Buhari, all people of goodwill must make a truly honest decision as to who is better qualified between him and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to lead Nigeria at a time when the country needs redemption, at a time when the future is no longer certain, at a time when the sovereignty and integrity of the country are being heavily threatened and at a time when corruption and lack of patriotism have been the order of the day.

On that day, we all have a duty to God and our dear nation to once again make another decision that would not only shape our current generation, but that of those who will come after us – our children, our children’s children.

If we fail in this responsibility, God and posterity will not forgive us. Nigeria needs a new sense of direction that can only be provided by honest, pragmatic, disciplined and patriotic leadership.

NOWINTA, WROTE WHERE WE ARE: A CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN NIGERIA