People that will not vote for Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

1. The Intellect that believes education is a very important background for a purposeful leader.

2. Victims of Fulani "herdsmen" attacks and, especially, the people of North Central Nigeria such as Benue, Southern Zaria, Plateau and Southern Kaduna whose major crime is because they dare to practice Christianity in a predominantly Muslim North.

3. Eleven million Nigerians that lost their jobs since Buhari came to power.

4. Twenty million young people he called lazy and useless youths while his own kids (all educated in U.K) are flaunting some ill-gotten wealth all over the place. His son even has a million-Naira bike with which he had an accident sometimes ago.

5. Shittes that are being victimized for practicing a different form of Islam.

6. The southeasterners and, especially, the victims of Operation Python Dance.

7. People that want Nigeria to grow irrespective of the ethnic background of the leadership. When former president Jonathan was messing up the country, the slogan of these progressive people was "Anyone but Jonathan." And now that Buhari is dragging our nation down socio-economically while pretending to fight corruption (only against his political enemies), the same progressives are saying, "Anyone but Buhari ".

8. All the APC members oppressed by Tinubu and Oshiomole especially in the southwestern states.

9. All the people affected by the current economic meltdown...especially those young graduates who have no rich, privileged parents to provide for them.

10. All the people who were deceived in 2015 by Buhari when he claimed to have a WAEC certificate and when he pretended to be poor.

11. Anyone that really cares about the development and growth of our nation.

Excerpts from “Things Fall Apart, But is the President Aware?” by Atedo Peterside

“…Curiously, the best descriptions of PMB’s failures come from his family, friends and loyalists. They are the ones who told us everything that we feared but were unsure about e.g. that he is not in charge, but is controlled by 2 or 3 men, or that his anti-corruption drive is jaundiced because he uses insecticides on his political enemies whilst applying deodorant on his own equally guilty associates and friends. By bastardising the anti-corruption drive, the heads of the security agencies did Buhari a great disservice. Party faithfuls who publicly invite the biggest rogues to come over to APC (and many obliged) in order to enjoy immunity poisoned the waters further and make us wonder if our President (supposedly high on integrity) is really aware of what is going on around him.

Meanwhile, the strongest arguments against Atiku were also those that were bandied around by some of his new friends who were his erstwhile political enemies. All of a sudden, they would have us forget everything bad that they told us before about Atiku.

To hold off the Atiku challenge, PMB needs substantial votes from sections of the country that he has indirectly and needlessly told he can never trust to head sensitive security posts. Meanwhile, at election time, the cabal/kitchen cabinet have taken a temporary back seat, whilst leaving the “untrusted” to lead from the front. The cabal are presumably waiting in the wings to take over and dominate proceedings once again if victory is achieved. If the baboons locked the monkeys out from the dinner table for long periods, when the monkeys were still required to lead the re-election campaign, it is unclear why the monkeys would be let back in after a second and final term is secured.PMB’s campaign has been beset with missteps and personal blunders. Even when interviewers chose to inexplicably handle him with kid’s gloves he managed to misunderstand basic questions and/or to commit one gaffe after another on the campaign trail, thereby portraying himself (to Undecided and swing voters) more like a patient in need of help/sympathy, than a political icon/strongman….”  

• Atedo N A Peterside, is the Founder and President of Anap Foundation.

I'm Voting for Atiku and this is Why by Bayo Adeyinka.

We are not electing a pastor. We are electing a President. We are not seeking a messiah- we are seeking a man who understands the fundamentals of a modern society and has the requisite wherewithal to provide leadership to a nation. Nigerians are not looking for angels to vote for. We just want someone who will provide reasonable leadership, understand the basics of the economy, demonstrate a balanced understanding of the different geographies that make up Nigeria, be cosmopolitan in approach and be fair to all. Atiku ticks these boxes for me. In addition, out of ALL the candidates, he’s the only one talking about restructuring. 

I believe the greatest danger to Nigeria is Muhammadu Buhari. Never has the nation been so factionalized along tribal and religious lines like now. He has taken nepotism to unprecedented heights. His incompetence stares you so much in the face that you can’t ignore it.

He has pauperized the economy. He has demonstrated sufficient capacity in making bad things worse. His insensitivity is unmistakable. His lack of empathy is unpardonable. All men of goodwill who have the interest of this nation at heart must say enough is enough! I’m not sure this nation can survive another 4 years of Buhari.

I have had people ask: shouldn’t we look the way of younger elements such as Omoyele Sowore, Fela Durotoye, Kingsley Moghalu or Tope Fasua? I’m a pragmatic realist. I used to be a blue-eyed unrealistic optimist but no more. You don’t send a boy to do a man’s job. Sowore does not have the structure to become Nigeria’s President. Can he get people to man the over 120,000 polling units across Nigeria? How many governors will Moghalu’s party YPP produce? How many Reps and Senators? Who knows YPP in Akoko in Ondo State or Odeomu in Osun State? The best candidate so far in terms of ideas is Kingsley Moghalu but he can’t win because he doesn’t have the structures. I have had the opportunity to speak to a few of them to plead that they drop their ego and present just ONE candidate. I truly admire what they have done but courage is totally different from brawn just like strategy is different from energy.

How exactly will upstarts (and I don’t mean this derogatorily) upturn the applecart and cause a major disruption in the process when they can’t even harness the power of unity to cut down a behemoth?

We need to sit down and understand there is a way to hijack power from the establishment. It starts with being united.

We can also hijack by joining already established structures and work our way up. Or by taking a piece at a time. I suggested once to a member of Sowore’s campaign team that he should contest as Governor of Lagos State. His Take It Back campaign will reverberate across Lagos as many are already tired of Tinubu’s stranglehold. Sowore might not have enough resources to cover the entire nation but he has enough resources to cover Lagos. With his incredible energy, he would have covered the 20 Local Governments in Lagos many times over. He has enough street credibility to match MC Oluomo man for man. He will get activists to line behind him and give Tinubu a real fight- unlike Jimi Agbaje who has no fight left in him. You can’t crack palm kernel nuts without making crushing efforts. If he succeeds in taking over Lagos and he transforms the State in such an unprecedented manner in 4 years, he will be ready to negotiate for the whole country. Everyone will beg him to be President. Lagos is the most important State in Nigeria and anyone who has it has a strong bargaining power to chip.  

This is an example of a strategy road map I proffered. If you’re going into a battle, wisdom dictates that you must count the cost whether you have sufficient ammo to finish the battle. If you don’t, you’ll expose your lack of critical thinking- one reason I wasn’t impressed with Oby Ezekwesili. They all have not built sufficient structures to lead or govern a complex entity like Nigeria. Anyhow you want to look at it, rebuilding this nation is a marathon and not a dash. Either way, power is never served a la carte.

The reality on ground- and I do not deceive myself- is that it is either Buhari or Atiku that will win the election. No other party has been able to build structures and penetrate all the 774 Local Governments in the nation. Even illiterates know the broom and the umbrella. Nomads may not be able to operate a smart phone but they know PDP and APC. This is why I don’t think any Third Force will make any reasonable impact. If you can’t make a difference, why bother? The situation on ground is too dicey for experiments. Time is running out on this nation. And this is where I consider the thought of wasting one’s votes on a ‘Third Force’ as illogical and absurd. I have only ONE vote and I intend to make it count. Even the so-called Third Force parties or movements are now busy endorsing either Buhari or Atiku.

I want to address the issue of Atiku’s corruption. When Atiku was with APC, why didn’t they shout about his corruption then? Why did they praise him to highest heavens? Why did Buhari fly in Atiku’s private jet all over Nigeria? Why is he now corrupt when he decamped and left for PDP? Why hasn’t he been convicted if they truly had evidence against him? Why didn’t Lai Mohammed carry out his threat to get him arrested on Bank PHB issue when he travelled to the US?

Let me go deeper. Who are those surrounding Buhari? Is Atiku more corrupt than Tinubu? Or Amaechi is no longer corrupt? Or Fashola who dug two boreholes in Lagos at a cost of N139m as alleged by his own State not corrupt? Is one corruption greater than the other? I don’t want to go into the various scandals emanating from important figures in this administration. No one should pull the wool over our eyes- corruption is alive, well and probably stronger. Am I saying Atiku is not corrupt? No. But has he been convicted? Is he not innocent until he’s proven guilty? He has been out of office for years without immunity- even till now. So if Adams Oshiomole who has a petition against him in EFCC allegedly gathering dust can lead the President’s party, no one in that party should pontificate about the corruption of another. Get a conviction or get out.

Having laid this foundation, I make bold to ask: where has the much touted integrity of Buhari taken Nigeria? We are worse off than we were 4 years ago. Integrity without competence won’t take you anywhere. Buhari doesn’t have it. All the indices that make for a great nation are south ward. People leave this nation in droves daily because they can’t see a future. We need someone who can urgently pull back the chest from the fire. You face an enemy size for size. You don’t confront an enemy who has missiles with a machete. Atiku- warts and all- is the only one who can match Buhari. At least, this is clearly evident from his campaigns all over the nation. His combination with Peter Obi is like a bowl of amala with gbegiri and ewedu garnished with well-tendered goat meat. Both men understand how to run modern businesses. Both men have made a success of their individual careers and businesses.

Atiku is liberal, cosmopolitan, refined and knows how to spot talents. Peter Obi is a great manager of resources and outstanding technocrat who has been exceptional in leadership. Many years out of office, he is yet to be accused of a single case of corruption. We need leaders who will pull the nation back from the brink, heal our divides and restore hope. If there is one thing I know, Atiku will handle the economy better. He will have a much more colourful cabinet. He will not be nepotistic. He won’t lock up El Zak Zakky for months and refuse to release him in spite of court orders. He won’t look away and gloss over the murder of over 300 Shiites. He will heal the divides of this nation. That is not asking for too much.

If Atiku wins and does not perform to expectation within 4 years, we will kick him out too. We will keep changing our leaders until we get the one that is fit for role. This is my stance.

Atiku/Obi is the viable option. Any vote for any other candidate is either a waste or indirectly in support of the incumbent.

I am voting Atiku.

Dialogue With Nigeria by Akin Osuntokun.

While expressing a routine disappointment with his naked display of Northern/Muslim parochialism the other day, I was quickly cautioned by a supposed beneficiary of this identity category that Buhari has rendered those of them outside the Kano/Katsina/Kazaure loop the latest victims of his penchant for parochial discrimination. This was about two years ago. If we are not there yet and given his record, there is the distinct possibility that he is ultimately headed towards converting Nigeria into a Daura dominion writ large.

As it is well known, I have a chronic allergy to Buhari’s brand of toxic politics-predicated on tribalism, hypocrisy and primitive demagoguery. I have a fundamental and longstanding opposition to his assumption of the Nigerian Presidency. My opposition is rooted in the conviction that any political leader who rose to prominence on the wings of dividing the people of this country should never be rewarded with the Presidency of Nigeria. It is a contradiction in terms to propose that a politician sworn to pseudo jihadist vision of Nigeria should be entrusted with the role of fostering an enduring Pan-Nigeria consensus and unity. He is as undeserving and incapable of rising to the occasion as Donald Trump is incapable of uniting America. The dangerously divided state of Nigeria under Buhari’s watch is a reflection of the caution that you cannot give what you do not have. Unity and national harmony are not in Buhari’s DNA and his natural instincts tend towards fractional conquest and political subjugation.

Buhari, Nigeria's current president.

To the regret of many critical stakeholders who supported him to win the 2015 presidential election, the reasoned counsel that you cannot know Buhari more than what the man has shown of himself was discountenanced. They were blinkered by the non-strategic focus on the disappointment with the Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidency. But, again, as the saying goes, to every disappointment, there is a blessing-and that there could be a hidden utility in the costly miscalculation, after all. Were he to be denied the presidency and remain untested Buhari would have gone down in the history of Nigeria as a martyr of messianic proportions and handily break the record of the contemplative status of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the best President Nigeria never had.

Yet if only the unwary had exercised greater caution and listen more carefully to the rhythm blowing in the air they would have detected the premonition of his romance with the dollarized rogue governor from the North, in the blind exoneration that ‘Abacha did not steal any money’. They would have made the inference of misplacement of belief in his capacity to secure Nigeria from the antecedence of being swept away like a forlorn obdurate child by the Ibrahim Babangida coup of 1985. The speculation that he was not in charge of the mandate entrusted to him by the Nigerian electorate was ultimately confirmed by his wife. This is also an echo from his past incumbency as military head of state where it was common knowledge that it was his deputy, Babatunde Idiagbon, who was the indispensable power behind the throne. It certainly was no coincidence that his removal from office was timed to coincide with the absence of Idiagbon in the country. 

Nigeria's founding fathers: from left, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello and Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

There is no doubt the chemistry of a godfather/godson relationship has bonded Buhari and El Rufai. Shortly after the Kaduna State governor drove a bulldozer to demolish the residence of a political foe in Kaduna he paid a visit to Buhari in Aso Rock Presidential Villa. Upon sighting him, the choleric president broke into a wide smile and approvingly hailed his protégé ‘the bulldozer governor’ or something to that effect. It is not exactly clear how the characteristic low scale intensity of the interminable violence that has bedeviled Kaduna escalated into genocidal proportions but the degeneration coincided with the assumption of office by both men in Abuja and Kaduna in 2015.

The fact that el-Rufai saw nothing wrong and was in fact spitefully gloating over the joint Muslim/Muslim governorship ticket in a state that is defined by religious dichotomy and conflict is an indication of a mental indisposition to seek a meaningful amelioration and healing of the fraught religious divisiveness that has predisposed the state to perennial violent upheaval. What is more chilling is the precise information provided on the guardian angel role of President Buhari in deliberately aiding and abetting the institutionalization of a formula he knows will encourage rather than discourage the deepening of the divisive volatility in the state. Is a winner takes all formula the best instrument of fostering the spirit of consensus, cooperation and harmony among contending pluralistic groups? Would the governor and president have similarly found nothing wrong in the orchestration of a joint Christian/Christian ticket? How does this decision promote confidence building among the warring communities? Take note that this was a decision taken in the thick of the rampaging genocidal bloodletting in the Middle Belt provoked by a similar fractious and callous identity politics.

And then as if intent on reminding Nigerians and the international community of a Nigerian potential to relapse into the international pariah status fostered by the Sani Abacha military dictatorship era, el-Rufai launched a seemingly mindless attack on the international community. The million naira question is what does he know that we don’t? Was this what President Olusegun Obasanjo was warning us about? Are these people preparing for a free and credible elections or large scale brigandage? Was the siege on the National Assembly a while ago an isolated incident and a sole lunatic overreach of a rogue security chief? Is there no sequential logic tying this development to the orchestrated subversion of the judiciary via the subterfuge of scapegoating a light fingered Chief Justice? Why all this desperation and impotent rage? Haven’t Obasanjo and Jonathan proven that there is life after power?

And just when you think it cannot get any worse, Buhari springs a new trick on you. Given to stretching and breaching the delicate thread that ties Nigeria together he is always to be found in the laboratory experimenting with fissiparous tendencies. He was neither the Sultan nor the Grand Khadi yet it was him who became the chief missioner for renewed Sharia agitation once he spotted the negative potential to rally the Muslim North against the Obasanjo government and the rest of Nigeria- “I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia in the country”. As we were made to believe, he was neither the founder nor leader of Boko Haram, yet he was the one nominated as the group’s representative in an abortive mediation proposal. The backdrop to the recognition was his divisive and inciting demonization of his predecessor’s military engagement with the terrorist group ‘as tantamount to injustice against the North’.

Now our president has become the first Nigerian leader to invite leaders of another country for political mobilization against his fellow nationals. “Tomorrow, it will be officials from Togo or Benin or even Equatorial Guinea dictating to us. Indeed, international intelligence agencies recently confirmed heightened influx of tons of persons into Nigeria from Niger. Everyday thousands are entering Kano, Katsina and Jigawa axis. What is going on?” laments a concerned Nigerian.

What a way to reciprocate the statesmanship of his predecessor who rose to the occasion in 2015 in a rare African display of enlightenment and adult comportment. Were the potential winner of the election not a personality who shares the same ethno-regional identity with the incumbent only God knows the extent to which Buhari would have exploited the attendant cleavages to drive Nigeria to the precipice.

The Bane of Nigeria's Political Growth.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar (Left) and President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on June 16, 2015

The upcoming Nigerian presidential election is obviously going to be a political tug of war between Buhari, the incumbent and Atiku, a former vice president. One of the factors that are making this election so interesting is the fact that both candidates are from the North. Both of them are Moslems. They are both Fulanis. And they are both politically smart enough to pick southern Christians as running mates. Besides rigging, each candidate will need to identify and sharpen his cutting edge or some unique selling point to outwit the other to achieve victory. 

It would have been really nice to see and hear the two men participate in a public debate except that Buhari has already excused himself. Yet, there are certain salient issues of national interest, the tackling of which, are better articulated openly by each of the candidates, and not their “spokespersons”. Among these issues are the downward-spiraling economy, epileptic power supply, Corruption (in broad context) and crumbling education. 

Sadly however, most supporters of these two candidates are too fanatical to care a hoot about the national interest. To them, the election is like the English Premier Football League or UEFA Championship while their parties are the favorite football teams. Irrespective of the quality of the teams’ performances, these people remain stuck in their love for them. And this is the bane of Nigerian political growth.

Mohammed Buhari as Nigeria's "Araga" President.

President Mohammed Buhari of Nigeria

“Araga” is the Yoruba word for anything that is bogus or, at best, superficial. And Mohammed Buhari is the “araga” president of our nation at this stage of its life. How so? As the February, 2019 presidential election approaches, Buhari has reportedly outsourced the proposed presidential debates to his deputy, Osibanjo. Already, the man has practically abdicated responsibility for ruling the nation to those his wife referred to as a cabal. Abba Kyari (Chief of Staff), Babachir David Lawal (Secretary to the Government) and Mamman Daura (Buhari’s powerful nephew) constitute a tripod that controls the fate of the nation. Of the three though, Mamman Daura is considered as the de-facto vice president while Osibanjo merely serves as a “glorified errand boy”. As if he is “allergic” to granting live interviews, Buhari has passed the task of addressing the nation to his media aides. And now that the presidential election is around the corner, the same Buhari has declared that a member of his political party will be campaigning for him. Therefore, the question now is just what the heck does our “araga” president do on a day-to-day basis? The other day, one of his fanatical supporters said (tongue in cheek) that it would be wicked for anyone to expect a “sick, old man” such as Buhari to be on his feet for hours just to participate in the proposed debates with opponents. I thought that was a stupid thing to say until I heard another Buharideen declare that it would be too strenuous for “the old man” to go all over the country campaigning for votes. And so, I ask, why is the “sick, old man” insisting on going for a second term…is it by force?

Nigeria's Abubakar Promises to Boost oil Investment and cut Subsidies if Elected.

Nigeria's main opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar said on Monday he will boost oil sector investment, cut costly fuel subsidies and double the size of the economy by 2025 if he wins next year's presidential election.

The businessman and former vice president portrayed himself as a champion of the private sector as he released his manifesto and set out his plans to stop incumbent Muhammadu Buhari securing a second term in February.
There are few reliable opinion polls in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer. But Abubakar is seen as a substantial challenger to Buhari, a former military leader who has suffered a run of defections, overseen a stumbling economy and struggled to contain militant violence in the northeast.
The opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate is, like Buhari, a northerner - but analysts say his business background, in port logistics among other ventures, has won him supporters among the southern business elite.
"I will be proactive in attracting investment and supporting the 50 million small and medium scale enterprises across Nigeria for the purpose of doubling the size of our GDP to $900 billion by 2025," Abubakar said in a video message.
"These investments will create a minimum of 2.5 million jobs annually and lift at least 50 million people from poverty in the first two years," he added.
In the manifesto, Abubakar said he would privatise government-owned crude refineries, issue new licenses for greenfield investments in refineries and consider re-introducing bidding rounds for marginal fields and oil blocks.
The plan, the manifesto said, would make sure Nigeria refined half its current crude output of roughly 2 million barrels per day by 2020.

OIL

Nigeria remains largely dependent on sales of oil, which make up roughly two-thirds of government revenues. But it refines almost none of its crude, instead exporting what it produces and paying to import refined products - a large drain on the country's wealth.
Abubakar said he would eliminate subsidies on imported fuel and let the market determine the price, a potentially risky strategy in a country where even rumours of price hikes have triggered violence.
The candidate also vowed to invest $90 billion in infrastructure annually over the next five years, and set up a $20 billion infrastructure debt fund with private backing to finance projects.
He said he would sign the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Buhari has up to now kept out of the continent-wide pact, saying he wants to carry out wider consultations.
Abubakar's manifesto re-iterated his plan to partially privatise state oil firm Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Buhari's government has tried to keep tight control of exchange rates as the naira weakened in the face of global oil price declines.
Abubakar's manifesto said the exchange rate controls were an issue. But it stopped short of saying whether he would end them.

Buhari - who in 2015 became the first opposition candidate to oust a president through the ballot box - has promised to keep up his campaign against corruption.

Exercising our Voting Rights.

Today, Americans went to vote. And here is my daughter immediately after exercising her rights to vote. God bless America!

Obama Urges African-Americans to Protect his Legacy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Saturday night he will take it as a "personal insult" if the African-American community fails to turn out for the presidential election and encouraged black voters to support Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Obama delivered his final keynote address to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, symbolically passing the torch to the person he hopes will succeed him next year. Clinton, his former secretary of state, was honored for becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major party.

Obama said his name may not be on the ballot, but issues of importance to the black community were, including justice, good schools and ending mass incarceration. 

"I will consider it a personal insult, an insult to my legacy if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election," Obama said with a stern look and booming passion. "You want to give me a good send-off, go vote."