As All Nigeria’s Peoples Party, (ANPP) hold its presidential primaries today, Nigerians are still waiting to see who will emerge the presidential candidate of the party ahead of the April general elections.

It might be true that politicians are incurable optimists; yet it will be foolhardy to describe Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s recent statement that Action Congress of Nigeria would chase out Peoples Democratic Party out of power in the next general election in collaboration with other parties as mere rabble rousing.

MR Abdulrazaq Balogun, a medical doctor, has been in the Lagos State legislature representing Surulere II Constituency since 2003. He remains one of the articulate and fluent contributors on the floor of the House and does not compromise his independent mindedness in the course of duty.

THE emergence of former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Adegboyega Dosumu, on Monday January 10, 2010, did not come to many, especially within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as a surprise.

Senator Olorunimbe Mamora (ACN, Lagos East), Deputy Minority Leader in the Senate, had on Monday at a press briefing held at his constituency office in Ogudu, Kosofe Local Council of Lagos State announced his withdrawal from the senatorial race following consultations with the party hierarchy. In this interview, Mamora spoke on his decision to quit the Senate and other sundry issues.

A disarming “fine boy” look as the locals in his native Niger Delta region would describe him is perhaps Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s potent weapon against authoritarian superiors. Neither Dipereye Alamieyeseigha nor the late President Umaru Yar`Adua may have figured out the unfading luck that has been the lot of Nigeria’s current Commander-in-Chief.

A total of 3578 delegates would be accredited as special and ad-hoc delegates to tomorrow’s national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party.

CALL her the last woman standing and you will not be wrong. She is the only woman challenging President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in today’s quest for the presidential flag of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

THOSE who accuse Atiku Abubakar of instability in his political relationships easily eat their words when they acknowledge the consistency of two of his life passions, making money and building relationships. That he has survived unimaginable political machinations of friends and foes is indeed reflective of the success to which he achieved in the two vocations.

Over 8,000 delegates from across the country are converging on the Eagle Square, Abuja today venue of the Special National Convention of the self acclaimed largest party in Africa where a presidential candidate would emerge for the party ahead of the Presidential election.

Any man seeking to lead a nation of more than 150 million persons must be a man of ideals. The two leading men in the forefront of the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan and Atiku Abubakar have over time postulated ideas they have for the country. Underneath are the visions the two men have for the country.

Mr. Mike Omeri is the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics in the Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation. In this interview with Vanguard, he articulates the motif of the Jonathan campaign, weaves the style adopted in marketing his product even as he affirms Presaident Jonathan as an already sold product to Nigerians. Excerpts:

Under normal circumstances, an incumbent office holder has a better advantage to be re-elected over a fresh contender angling for the same post. The reasons are obvious. The incumbent often times is better known and gets more media exposure. He is also in a better position to raise more money for electoral campaigns. And more importantly, he has executed projects to campaign with.

The Peoples Democratic Party was at the weekend over stretching itself to rectify what ordinarily should have been a harmless administrative procedure. But given the historic predilection of the behemoth to crisis, the constitution and membership of the National Convention Committee, NCC became another concern for the controversy prone party.

Hon. Bawa Bwari was one of the most prominent faces in the National Assembly between 1999 and 2007 having served as the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives in that period. His reputation as the longest serving principal officer in either chamber of the House is unbroken. His adventure in 2007 into the Niger State gubernatorial contest was swallowed up by the intrigues that shadowed the primary contest in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.