Why Voting for Ribadu is a Gamble

Not yet sure who to vote for between Jonathan and Ribadu. But I am quite sure who I will not vote for: Buhari. And I wonder how anyone can.

When people talk of making Buhari president, I ask them, which Buhari? Is it the fellow who chased the President of the Federal Republic out of state house one morning and took over the reins of government? A crime he committed in our face with our gun and for which he is yet to stand trial. An action that inexorably delivered us into the satanic hands of two of the worst human beings ever given birth to in this country – Babangida and Abacha.

Is it the same man whose widow’s mite contribution towards our efforts to liberate ourselves from military dictatorship was to serve under Abacha at a time the goggled one was killing, jailing and torturing us? And he now comes out to insult our intelligence by declaring to run for the presidency in a democratic election?

Here is a man who never said or did anything in defence of democracy but has undermined it all his waking life. Here is a man who has no plan for the country, whose only mission in politics to re-write his history by “correcting” the fact that he only stayed 20 months in the saddle while Obasanjo, IBB and Abacha had years.

Here is a man whose comprehension of some basic national issues is appalling, his position on the Niger Delta being that since unlike groundnut, cows and co, oil is drilled from the ground by foreign companies without any input from Nigerians, the Niger Deltans do not really have much claims.

Yesterday I saw a news item that IBB supporters have transferred their support to Mr Buhari. Now, that’s to be expected. It simply sends a chill down my spine to realise there are Nigerians who have not moved beyond the likes of Mr Buhari. May their road be rough.

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Now to Goodluck Jonathan, PhD, the man who's likely to win the elections. This guy’s minuses are so many you can write a whole book on them. But for me the worst is the fact he has clearly demonstrated that politics is more important to him than anything else. That is, Mr Jonathan would do something because it would advance his cause of becoming president, even though it will hurt the national interest or his public perception. Here is a man who has declared IBB his father, is jumping into bed with a convicted thief Bode George, got a murder suspect out of detention by executive order and had him flown to Abuja to vote in his primaries.

It is hard to be certain of much about Nigerian politics, but I am fairly certain that a vote for Jonathan is a vote for another four years of business as usual – the reign of godfathers, Ghana-must-go bags and the like. I am not suggesting Mr Jonathan is worse than the other misrulers who have run this country since 1960. Just saying he not better than any of them. But I have seriously considered voting for him, particularly at the time that garrulous geriatric Ciroma was at the height of his performance, spewing north-is-born-to-rule profanities, and I kept asking myself how come the region that picks up the nation’s bills is not qualified to produce the president but a far less endowed region which has ruled the country more than any other is.

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Nuhu Ribadu. This is one man I deeply admire. But, you see, the problem we have with our political elite in Nigeria is two-fold. Corruption and incompetence. Even if you cure Nigeria of corruption today that will not be enough to guarantee development. After all, the likes of South Korea and others made good progress in spite of rampant corruption, and Eritrea has remained another African sad story despite low levels of corruption.

Does Mr Ribadu have the competence to run Nigeria? The man has little or no administrative experience. He is untested and I don’t think you can start learning the steps from the presidency. But it will be a fallacious argument to state categorically that a man cannot run Nigeria because of lack of experience. We simply don’t know if Ribadu will work or not. Voting for, Ribadu, therefore, is a gamble. But it’s one I might take yet.

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Sad thing is these are all our elite have been able to produce for us to choose from. It tells you they have not made up their minds to do something about this country. Sad.

I learnt Mr Buhari wants us to go into the streets like Egyptians once he gives us the signal that he has been rigged out by Mr Jonathan. Nobody should listen to him when he gives that signal. After the elections, we should give whoever is declared the winner six months to fix electricity or we file into the streets like the Egyptians.

-MyJoe

but Ribadu is romancing with Tinubu, a drug dealer and a thief. Have you forgotten that aspect, or its worth glossing over?

File to the streets after six months? Okay - you are assuming six months is enough to fix over 50 years of neglect? Six months?

potof_soup:

but Ribadu is romancing with Tinubu, a drug dealer and a thief. Have you forgotten that aspect, or its worth glossing over?

Well, Tinubu is a problem, but he is not the AC, is he? Anyway, you cannot get to power in Nigeria or anywhere for that matter if you decide to skip every party with a bad kahuna, unless your mission in politics is to make a statement that  you once ran for the presidency. To have a realistic shot at it, you need a big party. Once you get there you then decide what to do with your office. Being in a party with Tinubu is not enough to discredit him, in my view.

potof_soup:
File to the streets after six months? Okay - you are assuming six months is enough to fix over 50 years of neglect? Six months?

There should improvements or some concrete achievements in six months. But you can shift that to 12 months if you prefer - it takes nothing away from my message.

MyJoe:

Now to Goodluck Jonathan, PhD, the man who's likely to win the elections. This guy’s minuses are so many you can write a whole book on them. But for me the worst is the fact he has clearly demonstrated that politics is more important to him than anything else. That is, Mr Jonathan would do something because it would advance his cause of becoming president, even though it will hurt the national interest or his public perception. Here is a man who has declared IBB his father, is jumping into bed with a convicted thief Bode George, got a murder suspect out of detention by executive order and had him flown to Abuja to vote in his primaries.

It is hard to be certain of much about Nigerian politics, but I am fairly certain that a vote for Jonathan is a vote for another four years of business as usual – the reign of godfathers, Ghana-must-go bags and the like. I am not suggesting Mr Jonathan is worse than the other misrulers who have run this country since 1960. Just saying he not better than any of them. But I have seriously considered voting for him, particularly at the time that garrulous geriatric Ciroma was at the height of his performance, spewing north-is-born-to-rule profanities, and I kept asking myself how come the region that picks up the nation’s bills is not qualified to produce the president but a far less endowed region which has ruled the country more than any other is.

Sums up my view of the man.

With all your good sense of reasoning as evident in your post, you still fail to aknowledge that of all the three, "Buharis sins" are of least degrees.

How and when does it even become a "sin" for a military man to sack an obviously corrupt govt which was widely known by all and sundry for the looting of our nation's treasury? Will it not even be better for the military to overthrow this useless govt of PDP that has nothing tangible to show for the over $500B we earned in 12 years of their mis-rulership? With all the noise and hatred for the military intervention in our polity, their era has brought more and far better development to our country than the so-called civilian era.

Let's face it, Libya with Gadhafi ruling for more than 41years is far better than Nigeria with democracy. You only need to listen to those Nigerians recently evacuated from Libya to know that they were faring better than majority back home.

For me, Buhari's sacking of Shagari regime even slowed down the decay that our society was to pass through. Had he intervened to enrich himself and his family members, then no pardoning. HE MEANT WELL with his intervention and that's the more reason he can command a significant following today.

A vote for Jonathan is surely a deservice to our nation. A vote for Ribadu is surely a gamble judging by the people around him. A vote for Buhari is surely a vote for positive change, progress and accountability in our nation.

damas11111:

With all your good sense of reasoning as evident in your post, you still fail to aknowledge that of all the three, "Buharis sins" are of least degrees.

How and when does it even become a "sin" for a military man to sack an obviously corrupt govt which was widely known by all and sundry for the looting of our nation's treasury? Will it not even be better for the military to overthrow this useless govt of PDP that has nothing tangible to show for the over $500B we earned in 12 years of their mis-rulership? With all the noise and hatred for the military intervention in our polity, their era has brought more and far better development to our country than the so-called civilian era.

I am assuming that you are an adult Nigerian. Do you have FACTS to prove that the military brought more developments than civilian governments? There are FACTS to the contrary. And did you watch proceedings of the famous Oputa Panel? If you did not, I suggest you seek out the clips or media coverage of them; or seek out and the read the book Nigeria: The Nightmare Scenario, by Patrick Wilmot, and Nigeria’s Ghana-Must-Go Republic, by a catholic priest I can’t recall his name. If you do you will realize how low this country sank under infantrymen of whom you speak so fondly.

Beyond the amnesia that is plainly responsible for all nostalgia towards military dictatorship, I think what you and those who say similar things as you do fail to realise is that no matter the situation of governance in a state, soldiers simply do not have the solution to these complex problems. This has been proven true again and again from Nigeria to Bangladesh. Inviting the military is merely “doing something”, perhaps understandably out of desperation, not sorting out the problem.

damas11111:
Let's face it, Libya with Gadhafi ruling for more than 41years is far better than Nigeria with democracy. You only need to listen to those Nigerians recently evacuated from Libya to know that they were faring better than majority back home.

Some might say you only need to go to Benghazi and speak to family members of Libyans who were taken away at night and were never heard from again for voicing anti-Gadhafi sentiments to know Libyans were not necessarily faring better than Nigerians. They had electricity yes, but they lacked basic freedom. Or would you have loved to live in the Soviet Union under Stalin, even though the man turned a peasant nation into a world super power?

Besides, one is baffled when people make these comparisons and conclude that since Egyptians and Tunisians and Libyans have more electricity and good road than Nigerians dictatorship may be so bad after all. What is wrong with having freedom and electricity? And do you know how the resources to population of those countries compare to Nigeria's? Libya's population is around six million, if I recall things right. With more crude oil reserves than Nigeria, do you find your comparisons justifiable?

damas11111:
For me, Buhari's sacking of Shagari regime even slowed down the decay that our society was to pass through. Had he intervened to enrich himself and his family members, then no pardoning. HE MEANT WELL with his intervention and that's the more reason he can command a significant following today.

I seriously doubt you know this for a fact, considering the corruption allegations against him which have not been resolved. But never mind unproven allegations. How do you know he meant well? And perhaps you can name one thing Buhari has ever done well for this country? I mean – maybe I have forgotten and need to be reminded of his achievements during his stint as head of state and after. I think having the appearance of being spartan, religious and self-disciplined is what people mistake for having presidential ability. But beyond these, what are Buhari’s ideological leanings outside his naive belief that implementing a 14th century religious code would cure society of moral decadence and corruption? What are his ideas? What is his game plan to put Nigeria on the road to development within the next four years?

damas11111:
A vote for Jonathan is surely a deservice to our nation.

Yes.

damas11111:
A vote for Ribadu is surely a gamble judging by the people around him.

I already addressed that issue in an earlier post, but let me add here that you would have to say that for every candidate. The CPC may not have had a chance to mess up itself yet, but what is the caliber of people there? Buhari, Mohammed Abacha! Buhari became the party’s presidential candidate the same day he joined. Hardly democratic, wont’ you say? If you wish to find a serious presidential contender at the Nigeria or, indeed, any clime, who does not have people of questionable characters in his party, I’d wish you Godspeed.

damas11111:
A vote for Buhari is surely a vote for positive change, progress and accountability in our nation.

Is there a basis for this assertion – I mean what (1) positive change, (2) progress and (3) accountability that have brought about concretely identifiable achievements has Buhari wrought? Perhaps it's his vice president that inspires you - Tunde Bakare, the Idiagbon reincarnation who threatened to shut out any church member who did not possess a voters' card?

Of course, it is a senseless gamble to vote for Ribadu.

@MyJoe, it is either your memory is failing you or you were a kid/not born when Buhari was in government - petroleum minister, Head of State and PTF. Can anybody compare the PTF of Buhari with the PTDF of today? PTDF that is now a cesspool of corruption.

Again, it is a senseless gamble to vote for Ribadu.

Wadeoye:

@MyJoe, it is either your memory is failing you or you were a kid/not born when Buhari was in government - petroleum minister, Head of State and PTF. Can anybody compare the PTF of Buhari with the PTDF of today? PTDF that is now a cesspool of corruption.

I was not too young when Mr Buhari sacked Nigeria's elected government with a gun and visited his brand of discipline, which included death for carrying drugs, on Nigerians. And my memory is not failing me. But why do most of you Buhari supporters always do this - making vague references to the golden days of Buhari without pointing to anything concrete? You mentioned PTF. Ok, let's talk about PTF. Do you know why it was only the Northern elders that protested stridently when PTF was shut down? PTF built a lot of structures that we can still point to today, but that agency remains Buhari's legacy of shame, a lasting testimonial to his narrow-mindedness and ethnic bigotry. There have been lists of PTF's executed projects published. You may wish to get up and find any, and then come here to explain why the region that exclusively funded PTF got about the least number of executed projects while Buhari's home state and NW region without a proven drop of oil got the highest. Then if you are unable or unwilling to, I can help you tie that in with other Buhari utterances and actions and what emerges will be a perfect specimen of an ethnic champion. Obasanjo may have failed as Nigeria's president, but at least he was Nigerian in outlook. That is something Buhari cannot become in 100 years.

Voting for Ribadu is a gamble, but, unfortunately, he remains the most qualified of those running for the top job in the present election. It is a sensible gamble. Why do you say it is a "senseless" gamble? Again you say nothing in support of that serious assertion.

For you Buhari supporters going on and on about Ribadu working with Tinubu, here is a portion of an article form yesterday's The Guardian. It was written by Reno Omokri:

Well let us examine case by case. Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) had strong words for the PDP over its reception of Bode George and described the PDP as being immune to shame for associating with a man convicted for corruption. Well here is the thing – General Sani Abacha has been confirmed by several independent panels as well as courts of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria and Europe to have looted conservatively about $5 billion from the Nigerian treasury. Yet Buhari did say on June 8, 2008, at the Abacha family residence that Abacha was a man who served Nigeria and who did not loot. (see http://allafrica.com/stories/200806090008.html).

When you consider the damage done to Nigeria by Abacha and that done by Bode George you will agree that though both of them behaved unconscionably the behaviour of Abacha was more reprehensible and had a greater negative impact on the economy and image of Nigeria than Bode George's behaviour yet Muhammdu Buhari still saw it fit to celebrate such a man! Is it not hypocritical that Muhammdu Buhari can then today condemn the PDP for an act of which he is also guilty of? Of course our politicians take Nigerians and their short memory for granted.

And that is not all.  Mohammed Abacha and Atiku Bagudu  were both indicted by Switzerland under Swiss legislation for money-laundering, fraud and for taking part in a criminal organisation. Yet this same Mohammed Abacha was received with fan fare by Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) at his Kaduna residence last year. In fact the young Abacha registered as a member of the CPC in Buhari's residence. What is the difference in the reception Bode George's friends had for him and that which Buhari gave to Mohammed Abacha who incidentally is now a gubernatorial candidate in Kano under the banner of Buhari's party?

MYJOE great post. I need u to understand that Nuhu Ribadu has been placed in position of leadership at the EFCC, and in the Nigerian Police (which led to his recommendation for the EFCC) and his record remains impeccable. I believe that is enough experience to lead this great nation and working alongside him is an equally great man in Fola Adeola. THEY DESERVE MY VOTE.we need a change

FOR ME I DON'T CARE IF THERE R MORE POPULAR CANDIDATES, I WILL VOTE FOR THE ONE ONE WHO I AND MOST NIGERIANS CONNECT WITH MOST.

I WILL VOTE ANYWAY, THAT WAY I KNOW I VOTED WELL.

Same from here, I dont care what they say,

[size=20pt]Buhary Bakare all the way, [/size]

NOW WE SEE THE LIGHT

[size=24pt]BB 2011[/size] _{for the future of our children}

Everyone has got the right to choose whoever s\he feels is a good choice, for me I am going for Ribadu

MyJoe:

I was not too young when Mr Buhari sacked Nigeria's elected government with a gun and visited his brand of discipline, which included death for carrying drugs, on Nigerians. And my memory is not failing me. But why do most of you Buhari supporters always do this - making vague references to the golden days of Buhari without pointing to anything concrete? You mentioned PTF. Ok, let's talk about PTF. Do you know why it was only the Northern elders that protested stridently when PTF was shut down? PTF built a lot of structures that we can still point to today, but that agency remains Buhari's legacy of shame, a lasting testimonial to his narrow-mindedness and ethnic bigotry. There have been lists of PTF's executed projects published. You may wish to get up and find any, and then come here to explain why the region that exclusively funded PTF got about the least number of executed projects while Buhari's home state and NW region without a proven drop of oil got the highest. Then if you are unable or unwilling to, I can help you tie that in with other Buhari utterances and actions and what emerges will be a perfect specimen of an ethnic champion. Obasanjo may have failed as Nigeria's president, but at least he was Nigerian in outlook. That is something Buhari cannot become in 100 years.

Voting for Ribadu is a gamble, but, unfortunately, he remains the most qualified of those running for the top job in the present election. It is a sensible gamble. Why do you say it is a "senseless" gamble? Again you say nothing in support of that serious assertion.

I'll like to take you on on this.But I gat to crash now. I will respond later.

Between Buhari and Ribadu, I'll choose Ribadu everytime.
Between Jonathan and Buhari , I'll choose Jonathan everytime.

U de vex?:

Between Buhari and Ribadu, I'll choose Ribadu everytime.
Between Jonathan and Buhari , I'll choose Jonathan everytime.

Excellent permutation! Reasons already stated.

honestly, Buhari is stil d most disciplined of d 3