LAST year, as the political gladiators in our beloved nation plotted to remove President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GEJ, former president Olusegun Obasanjo,OBJ was quoted in the print media as saying that for him it was ” Anything But Jonathan, ABJ ” .

THE above title belongs to an extremely popular television slot started precisely in 1973 at the then Midwest Television (MTV) which later became Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) following the take over of all television stations nation-wide by the then Federal government.

TEARS dripped from my eyes as I watched President Goodluck Jonathan’s nationally televised address. His speech was short but momentous. He conceded defeat, and accepted the electoral victory of his political opponent, Mohummadu Buhari. In the lawless and unprincipled milieu of Nigerian politics, that concession of defeat by an incumbent president was unparalleled, almost, inconceivable. With that speech, President Jonathan levitated from a politician to a statesman; he left a footprint in the sand of time.

THOUSANDS of voters who endured the scorching sun and malfunctioning card-readers to cast their votes in penultimate week’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in Anambra State are still reeling from the shock of the dubious results announced by INEC at the end of the exercise.

THE governorship election in Nasarawa State on Saturday presents an interesting scenario. It perhaps will be one of the toughest in the country and may be shaped by the same factors easily accepted to have determined the outcome of the just concluded presidential elections.

THE death of Alhaji Mohammed Dikko Yusuf on the first day of this month should have been a silly April Fool’s day prank for me. But alas it wasn’t. For many, the death of MD would have been another attestation of the mortality of man. But to me, MD Yusuf was not just another man who had attained high position in Nigerian governance.

EVEN non-Christians have heard the cliché, the Good Samaritan, at least once. It is the parable of the non-Jew who came to the rescue of an armed robbery victim along the Jerusalem-Jericho route where a priest and a levite, who should know and do better, had passed, and left the victim to a die a slow, painful death. The good deed of the Samaritan was totally unexpected from Samaritans at that time.

To fully bring to the fore an understanding of the man Senator David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark the President of the Nigerian Senate since 2007, it is necessary to take a historical excursion of the man who has become a recurring decimal in the socio- political landscape of NIGERIA.

I have watched the ongoing political battle in Abia State with some reservations. I have not openly adopted any Candidate up till now, principally because, I deemed it necessary to study all the dynamics and make an informed choice. I have refrained from joining the bandwagon and condemning a man just because others are condemning him. All factors considered, especially meritocracy and fairness, I believe Okezie Ikpeazu stands a shoulder taller than all Candidates.

Many are the fulminations arising from the unfortunate outburst of the respected Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu. This was an intemperate, in-your-face assault. Many Igbo and non-Igbos alike are up in arms. It is important however to note that this unfortunate outburst is illuminating and provides opportunity for stock taking and strategic realignment by all parties.