The YouTube link below is that of a video interview with General Muhammadu Buhari by Sahara reporters in 2011 right before the then presidential, theres no doubt that the things happening presently in the country would probably not exist or would be otherwise had Nigerians voted for the only viable alternative to GEJ then, not to mention the apparent incompetence, corruption, mismanagement/misappropriation of funds and misplacement of priorities proudly paddled and showcased by the current government now, though the deed has been done and we have danced to our flutes, and its almost time to decide change the music or keep blowing. On GMB and CPC/APCs part, they have failed to really convince the southern part of the country even if say least, to clarify the said PDP sponsored demonization and character assassination against its key players, GMB especially; the southern Nigerians sadly hold onto the falsely reported statement by GMB in 2001 which GMB reiterated in this interview, clarifying that the person that reported it , mistranslated what he said in the hausa language, 3 years on, most southerners or more accurately, Anti-Nothern/GMB-leadership southerners cite that pseudo report when speaking of the ills of probably the only better alternative to GEJ, added to this is the statement attributed to him and some of his party members before the election saying that Nigeria would be ungovernable if the 2011 elections were not free and fair, his directions to voters to supervise the coalition of votes, and lastly The more recent kare Jini, Biri Jini... hausa proverb which was translated literally to English to mean Monkeys and dogs would be drenched in blood, On the part of the journalist that made such direct translations of an idiom, I say its plainly propagandist or lazily done to gain cheap reads and reactions, this highlights the importance of a non biased media in making reports and multi lingual journalists grounded in the desired languages to make good translations, just imagine a Shekau video being mistranslated, it would be a big fracas and a national disgrace. Regarding Elections, heres how conventional wisdom says who each region is going to vote sharing of rice and rigging being constant. The northerners on one hand are greatly influenced by the abandoning of their region, especially the Boko Haram infested North east, which receives the least government support and now provides the biggest headache; the northerners do not really hide their plain dislike for a non northern presidential aspirant/candidate and their cult-hero like support for GMB, who most view as the brightest shining light from their region but that is not entirely true, because there are numerous other northern aspirants that could rival buhari for competence like Ribadu, Atiku et al, just maybe not popularity which is needed even more to win against a serving government, but you know for every working politician, there is another sharing Rice, and it turns out that most will indulge in the rice sharing program, I just hope this time they check the expiry date and dont charm it. Then there are the middle belt and Youruba (south west) regions, the middle belly region is a region that is up for grabs as far as votes are concerned, they dont really have a candidate of their own, and are equally non hostile to either the northern or their southern counterparts, open minded, though the attacks on them by the so called fulani herdsmen with Aks could polarize their support for a more southern candidate, some people even regard them as northerners, this region will crucial because it is an undecided region, except maybe if rigging comes into the equation. The Yoruba often viewed as the intellectuals of the country would surely like a candidate of their own, though their tiredness with the old (working) Fox, Tinibu serving as the godfather In deciding who runs and who doesnt, who the people vote for and who they reject leaves them mostly open minded, and to some extent polarized towards GMB should he run, given the failure recorded by the present administration, a candidate from the APC who is not GMB might not really get their support, and leaves things at 50-50, I wonder what their stand would be if somebody from their region comes into the equation, whats certain is the presidents non popularity there, given that they are flirting openly with APC, but rice can do the magic again, who knows? It worked to Win the PDP Fayemis state from APC, even though election codes were not duly followed through the use of military men during the elections, again, a big gaffe that, because anybody who has a Nairas worth of reasoning knows the implications of allowing the army to smother the politics of a country with their coup de etat(sic) wailing hands, It simply is undemocratic, thats if we are following democracy. The Presidents region which is a major player now in the politics of this country also has a say;they , similar to the northerners would vote for their regions candidate - a possibly out and out Niger Deltan(you cant blame them, GEJs presidency has benefited them, or at least their top men), regardless of who runs, and they seem a bit volatile as regards losing, which is not a really good thing for the politics of the country viz Asari dokubo and co in addition this region has the largest voter turn out percentage in the last election. The Igbo region could be compared to the Kurdish people of Iraq today, in the sense that they have been largely marginalized and aspire for a republic of their own which nobody other than them is in support of, will likely vote for A southern candidate if secession is not a reliable option, almost certainly GEJ will get their votes, unless a candidate of their own is nominated, but it seems unlikely. In conclusion, our fear to discuss such topics and debate them with no violence has been the greatest cause of post, pre and during election violence, each region completely goes against democratic tenents and play the religious/tribal card, this causes more tension as highlighted by what Nigerians can do for their respective religions and tribes/race, people generally; I suggest that we rise above that and play the Nigerian card, or even less ambiguously the Humanity card and let peace reign, war doesnt decide who is right, but rather who is wrong. As a country we regard as being more democratic than ours, during their 2008 elections, most Caucasians didnt vote Obama saying he was Black and possibly a Muslim, this shows that playing those flimsy cards that divide us is every where, as long as diverse people live together, right now, Obama has lost popularity in the states, and they will be battling it out too a year after ours, we Go See if God grants us the health to reach that time and beyond.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 09:21:47 +0000