NIGERIA 2015 PRESIDENTIAL BATTLE- ASPIRANTS EMERGE: H.E. JONATHAN, FRANK UKONGA, LAMIDO, ATIKU,
TINUBU, BUHARI, KALU…..
Gradually 2015 draw near. It is the year of general and Presidential
Elections in the Nigerian Federation. Politicians have began in earnest to prepare
for that great year but mindful as to give the current government enough
breathing space to concentrate on service delivery to the electorate while
politicians engage in secret talks , campaigns and strategizing for the 2015
battle of the Titans.
H.E. GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN: First among the Aspirant to emerge is the
incumbent President His Excellency Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Who was given a
clean bill of health to contest the 2015 general elections by an Abuja High
Court last week when he was sued by an erudite barrister at law challenging the
President on the ground that the President has no constitutional backing to
contest as such that he has been sworn in twice as the President of Nigeria and
if he contest again and win it will amount to being sworn in three times. The
Abuja court ruling crushed the case as a non issue positing specifications of
force majore and accidents of history as the reason de entre for this specific
case of the amiable intellectual President and should not become bidding and bonding
as to posit these feeble premises which is untenable to intelligence and
legality as reasons to stopping the President from contesting a bonafide second
term. The judgment was greeted with great relief by the polity; most of who see
the President as doing his best to be as good a president as circumstances and
providence can provide. So it is not unlikely that the Fans and supporters of
the intellectual President will drag him to contest the 2015 presidency.
President Goodluck Jonathan has been able to gain subtlety, experience and
finesse in a short time to become one of the top 100 most influential leaders
of the world plus the incumbency factor will be difficult to edge out if he
decides to run in 2015.
H.E. ATIKU ABUBAKAR: His Excellency Atiku Abubakar , the former Vice
President is in the Race. He emerged as the consensus candidate representing
the North in the 2011 Presidential polls under the PDP that narrowly lost the
primaries to President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan and he has already fortified his campaign office and out with deft
political moves to contest the polls. Just yesterday H.E. Atiku Abubakar
popularly called “Aticulate” because of his immense dexterity in the field of
business and politics and in fact in all endeavors he puts his hand like the
guy with the Midas torch so to say. He met yesterday with his former boss Ex President
of the Nigerian Federation H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo in Katsina during the lecture
held at the new hall of the University of Katsina and it was said that H.E.
Atiku knelt down in sigh of honor to greet former President Obasanjo who is
seen as a king maker in Nigerian politics. H.E. Atiku has a formidable war
chest.All these deft political moves of the great Atiku Abubakar may see him
roller coast to becoming the favored candidate of PDP in the 2015 Presidential
polls and could become the President of Nigeria in 2015.
H.E. PRINCE FRANK UKONGA: Prince Frank Ukonga is a new entrant into the
Presidential Race but he contested the Senate of Edo North in 2011 general
polls, as well as the just concluded Edo state Governorship polls under the
SDMP Banner ,were he lost to Governor Adams Oshiomhole in an election adjudged
the best in Nigeria and African so far.
Prince Frank Ukonga is an intellectual of Afrocentric bias and the author of
the book –The Seething world- that is currently acclaimed one of the most
valuable book category of the world and a dean list award book of many
universities of the world. He has a portable war chest. He is very popular
among the youth whom are the majority of the voters in the voting demography of
the Nigerian state and could spring surprise if he can articulate and market
the philosophy of generational shift of power to the young breed. Prince Frank
Ukonga who hailed from Igarra of Ebira ethnicity, has been endorsed by the
Ebira Voyan and Ohiku Ebira, the two umbrella unions of the Ebira peoples
worldwide that number above 50 million peoples of the Nigerian Federation. The
Prince is from the Mid West Region and his face book site for 2015 Presidential
Race seems to be marketing the renaissance of the Mid west region in the
schemes of things of the Nigerian Federation. His strategy is to form a
coalition of most of the progressives’ parties of SDMP, NRP, DPA, ETC under one
umbrella and his advantage will come from the youth and protest votes which
could make the Prince becoming the next President of Nigeria in 2015.
H.E. MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMADU BUHARI: H.E. Major General Mohammadu
Buhari was a former military Head of State of the Nigeria Federation. He
contested the Presidential polls 2007 under ANPP , and contested the 2011 polls
under the CPC banner. Recently he has began to dust up most of the campaign
offices of the CPC and many political analyst view this as a sign of a strong
come back in 2015 as such that his party CPC are in crucial talks with the ACN
party of H.E. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for a possible merger in the 2015 general
elections. H.E. Mohammadu Buhari has a large team of followers and if the merger
with other progressives’ political parties comes to reality could be a person
to beat in the 2015 general and presidential polls.
H.E. ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU: H.E. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is the ACN Leader
that has emerged as the most formidable opposition party in the Nigerian
federation with seven governors, senators, MP’S ETC. He presides over a great
party with a very large following and immense wealth and tremendous war chest.
H.E. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was a former Senator of the Nigerian Federation and a
two term governor of Lagos state which is the richest state in Nigeria and sub
Saharan Africa. The strategy of H.E. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of ACN is obfuscating
as leading a dual two prong approach to the 2015 presidential polls. H.E.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu just yesterday was honored by Ahmadu Bello University, Just
last week bagged a chieftaincy title, just last month became the Chancellor of
Lagoke Akintola University, just two month ago was invited to attend the convention of the Democratic Party of USA by
the Obama’s, and the preceding month only successfully launched his book in the
United State in a well attended gathering of shakers and movers of world
politics…. Many political analysts view these stratagems as gunning for the top
position of Presidency of the Nigerian Federation. He cannot be doing all these
great chess moves only to fall in to a Vice Presidential slot in an alliance
that he is the person bringing in more than 7 governors, seven states ,
senators, MP’S ETC. So many analysts are still watching how the merger talk
with General Buhari’s CPC would work out. But 2015 is still 3 years yonder. Of
all the members of the progressives’ parties of Nigeria and opposition, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu has the goodwill, the following and one of the greatest advantages
of becoming the President of Nigeria in 2015.
H.E. ORJI KALU: H.E. Urji Uzor Kalu would be contesting the 2015
Presidential election of the Nigerian Federation. He has already opened a
website and face book site for the project tagged Kalu 2015. So the question whether
he will contest or not is not the issue, but under which political party he
would like to contest is the issue as the PDP is alleged to be wooing him to
their fold since he was a founding member of the party. While just yesterday
the party he funded and founded the PPA are also head over heel to get the handsome
amiable intelligentsia in to their fold. H.E. Orji Kalu has a formidable war
chest as a two term Governor of the God own state of Abia. He also has a large
following among the youth of Nigeria and among his ethnic group of Ndigbo. H.E.
Orji Kalu has goodwill, finesse and intelligence and well connected; if he is
able to horse trade adequately he could become the next President of Nigeria in
2015.
H.E. SULE LAMIDO: H.E. Sule Lamido is the Governor of Jigawa state of
Nigeria. His tremendous achievement in transforming the fortunes of the state
gives him the reason de entree into the Presidential Race as a great achiever.
And to this he has been endorsed by former President Ibrahim Babangida and Former President Obasanjo, who are seen as king Makers in Nigeria Politics.IBB has
endorse the ticket of Lamido /Oshiomhole for the 2015 Presidential polls. H.E.
Sule Lamido has both Local and international clout and was a former Ambassador
of the Nigerian Federation. He has a large following among the peoples of
Northern extraction mostly Hausa /Fulani origin and would spring surprise if he
can pair up with the Governor of Edo State H.E. Adams Oshiomhole in the 2015
presidential battle. He has a considerable war chest as well. H.E. Sule Lamido
has a credible track record of achievements as a leader and statesman which is
presentable, marketable and acceptable. He would prove a formidable candidate
to beat if he decides to run in 2015.
By
Dr Patrick Iwebo
Director- National Research and Development
National Peoples News.
