The Most Qualified Candidate
Should Serve Nigeria, Come 2007!
As 2007 elections gather momentum, people all over the world are
watching with keen interest. The political problem on the ground now is
who succeeds president Obasanjo, who is the right candidate to
occupy the Aso Rock power house, who will chief Obasanjo hand
over the government to after his disengagement in 2007. The
North is agitating that power goes back to them, while the south
is of the view that power remains in the south.
In the North, there are different political camps and groups. In
the north the three front runners are the vice president Atiku
Abubaka, and the two former heads of state Babangida and Buhari.
Those in Atiku’s camp are campaigning with cavalier indifference
for the Adamawa born politician to succeed Obasanjo come 2007.
Despite all the odds against Atiku’s political ambition, he is
not ready to trade in his political aspiration for anything.
Last week, he boldly said that even his boss cannot stop him
from getting the nation’s plum job come 2007. Everybody knows
that Atiku is a political war horse that does not even talk
much. Therefore, Atiku’s opponent should not take his
taciturnity for weakness. On the other hand, Babangida’s groups
are campaigning with razzmatazz saying that he is the right
person to occupy the Aso Rock because of his acquired experience
when he was the military president. Babangida praise singers
asking president Obsanjo to hand over to Babangida because he is the one that will continue Obasanjo’s reform. Buhari who
was Obasanjo’s opponent in 2003 presidential election
enjoins his northern support. His supporters are of the view
that due to his democratic principles, he should be the one to
occupy the Aso Rock in 2007.
In the south, mainly in the South-South where the political
project is commissioned, the political contract is awarded, and
political heat is on. Dr. Peter Odili, the executive governor of
Rivers state claims to be the most qualified and the best
candidate for the number one job in the nation. His supporters
knowing that Odili belongs to Obsanjo’s kitchen cabinet and a
very close Obasanjo’s ally saying that Obasanjo will hand over
power to Odili come 2007. Victor Attar who currently is the chief
executive officer of Akwa-Ibom state, is also eyeing to succeed
Obasanjo in 2007. Victor Attar is a close ally of vice president
Atiku Abubaka. Also from South-South zone, Donald Duke the
executive governor of Cross River state, is Obasanjo’s boy, who
is also interested in the nation’s plum job. South-South people
are agitating that this time is there turn as they are the only
zone that has never produced president.
The northerners are saying that this is their turn because the
incumbent president is a southerner, while the southerners are
saying no, that power must remain in the south.
In a true democratic process, it does
not matter where the candidate
is from, what is important in a democratic setting is for the
most qualified candidate to emerge. Right now, we need to save
our nascent democracy for the sake of our nation, by electing
the most qualified candidate irrespective of where the
candidate is from. A few weeks ago EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu
was saying in a political workshop organized by NLC that all the
South-South governors are thieves. For the person and
personality of Nuhu Ribadu, he did not say this
just for
saying sake, we know that he has all the facts and figures
regarding what he said. This aspiring truth will affect all the
south-south governors who are presidential candidates be it Obasanjo’s ally or not.
We have a lot of qualified Nigerians, both at home and abroad whose
track records speak for them, even some Obsanjo’s kitchen
cabinet members such as E-rufia and Nuhu Ribadu can do better
job than all these our thieving leaders.
Posted by Isaac Moses ,
July 30th, 2006
Chicago, U.S.A
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