AS transitions go, the unity of purpose and inclusiveness in the PDP politics of Delta state is remarkable even if it is not sometimes recognized such. After a fierce governorship primary in the party, the coming together of majority of the contestants and their followers to work and to promote a common front in the February general election is a masterstroke in political bridge-building. Credit should naturally go to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and other political leaders for making this happen.

THERE is this general saying that; “if wishes were horses, beggars will ride”. We have started dreaming and assuming positions on what will be the outcome of the 2015 elections but like I have always noted, we have short memories in this country.

RECENTLY, some APC stalwarts principally the party’s chairman claimed that Nigeria has deteriorated under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and that APC offers a better solution, but is that true ? Rather than make subjective claims, it is better to examine the facts by global verifiable standards.

THE open letter written by Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigeria’s former Minister of External Affairs and Deputy Chairman, 2014 National Conference, to the two major contestants in this year’s presidential election; President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will continue to generate mixed reactions in the polity because it touched on salient points that bordered on our corporate existence as a nation.

It was only a matter of time before I retraced my steps to links that helped strengthen my nascent journalism career as sports editor for Newswatch
Magazine.

SEVERAL years ago, the Ghanaian public got fed up with that nation’s rut and economic meltdown and simply demanded that its erstwhile leader, J.J. Rawlings (then Ghana’s President at the material time), must do something. In the streets, the crowd poured out and chanted, “J.J., do something.” Their grouse was as varied as the disparate groups had contentious mission and agenda. At the end of the day, as they say, Ghana witnessed a fresh breath of national renewal.

The Southern Nigeria Christian Elders’Forum, SOCEF, Sunday, faulted the “prophetic message” of Enugu Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, concerning President Goodluck Jonathan.

There is no doubting the fact that Nigeria as a social system is basically passing through a most challenging period in its one hundred years of existence since its amalgamation in 1914. The year 2015 is fundamentally and historically important and specific year that will determine and shape another foundation for Nigeria upon which the continuity or demise of Nigeria will be based.

As one political circle goes for another, elected office holders are traversing the length and breadth of the country giving account of their stewardship in the last four years and seeking a fresh mandate from the people. Many will face their constituents not knowing the sort of reaction they will get.

With a tension soaked atmosphere, the Nigeria general election hits a countdown of days as various political parties and contenders continue to rally round for the sympathy and votes of the electorates.

Indeed this belief is a golden rule. It is not exclusive to politics. Even in the prominent fates that we adhere and believe in, a magnanimity in victory and gallantry in defeat especially, is what distinguishes real sportsmen from dilettantes and desperadoes. The outcome of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election in Adamawa State has exposed some politicians to belong to the latter category of sportsmen.

NIGERIANS must acknowledge that positive transformation in every facet of human endeavour is a necessity that must be embraced by any nation that is committed to the improvement of the welfare of its citizens. This explains why the Federal Government alligns with resource driven and globally comparable achievements in virtually all segments of the nation’s endeavour.

THOSE who are familiar with my political discourses know that I am an unapologetic supporter of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Ph.D., GCFR. I have been a “GEJite” or, if you like, a “Jonathanian” (a term coined by Nasir El Rufai thinking it is derisive) since October, 2009, when it became clear that late President Umaru Yar’adua was unlikely to continue as Nigeria’s President due to ill-health.

THE high prevalence of corruption is antithetical to the development of any nation. This does not only render public institutions ineffective, it breeds impunity and lawlessness. How the alarming rate of corruption can be drastically reduced will surely be of interest to Nigerian voters this time around. It is not new to many that the image of the country outside is a source of utmost concern.

THE Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, obviously regards himself as the head of a mob of urban protesters, given his recent action at the Police Headquarters, Abuja the other day, where he faced a rowdy APC barricade in the premises in his bid to deliver a protest letter to the IGP. Earlier at a rally, the governor had promised “civil disobedience” and “parallel government” as premeditated APC response to an unfavourable outcome of the 2015 elections. He appeared to care less about the ominous consequences of such anarchy.