Nigeria Presidential Election: Abubakar To Run Against Buhari

 

The opposition, led by ex-VP Atiku Abubakar, plans to beat President Muhammadu Buhari in the February polls.

Nigeria's main opposition has chosen former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate for the 2019 elections as it seeks to remove President Muhammadu Buhari.

The nomination of Abubakar, 71, by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), sets the stage for what is expected to be a fiercely contested poll in Africa's largest economy.

Abubakar hopes to replicate Buhari’s 2015 feat, when the latter became the first opposition candidate in Nigerian history to defeat a sitting president.

Abubakar, who had been the country’s vice president between 1999 and 2007, left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party in November and re-joined the PDP.

Buhari, 75, has already been selected by the ruling party as its candidate.

Next year's presidential race appears to have tightened in recent months, with the APC hit by a wave of defections over Buhari's leadership style.

Abubakar comes from the Muslim-majority north and his nomination follows an unwritten rule in Nigeria that the presidency should alternate every two terms between a candidate from the north and south.

Fall in popularity

In 2015, Buhari's victory over former President Goodluck Jonathan was marked by a wave of optimism, which seems to be in decline now.

In May, his approval rating plummeted to 41 percent from a peak of 80 percent in October 2015, according to NOIPolls, a Nigerian polling service.

There have also been concerns about his fragile health, his economic policies, the extent of his claims about better security, as well as the targets of his campaign against corruption.

However, Niyi Akinsiju, coordinator of Buhari Media Organisation, told Al Jazeera that Buhari's chances of re-election are "very high".

"He has developed a trusting relationship with the people who have confidence in his fidelity and integrity in the exercise of power," he said.

The PDP is hoping Abubakar will be able to leverage Buhari’s dwindling fortunes.

"Atiku Abubakar is seen by a majority of Nigerians as the candidate with the magic solution to the crisis plaguing our nation," PDP spokesman Kola Ologbodiyan told Al Jazeera.

"He has a respectable pedigree within the political class across party leanings," he said.

The country's electoral commission has cleared 19 candidates to challenge Buhari in the February election.

Oby Ezekwesili, 55, a two-time minister and former vice president for Africa at the World Bank, is among other standout candidates.

She is the cofounder of the #BringBackOurGirls group to raise awareness about more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by armed group Boko Haram in 2014.

"Governance keeps worsening. So we the citizens have decided to get into the political arena to make things right," Ezekwesili said.

Kingsley Moghalu, former UN official and deputy governor of Nigeria's central bank, is also in the race.

An optimistic Moghalu even points to recent history for an "upset victory" for a non-mainstream candidate. "It happened with Trump. It happened with Macron," he said.

Hamza al-Mustapha, controversial security chief of the country's former military ruler, Sani Abacha, is also in the race. He has never held any political position.

In July, 39 registered political fronts, including the PDP and a splinter group from within the ruling party, signed an agreement to form the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

The splinter group of disaffected APC members led by Buhari's former ally, Buba Galadima, criticised the president's tenure as "a monumental disaster".A

Ahead of his election in 2015, Buhari promised to tackle B

oko Haram as well as fight corruption, revive the economy and provide jobs.

"He has stabilised the economy, reduced the Boko Haram insurgency from an invading army to opportunistic terrorists. His fight against corruption has reduced acts of brazen corruption and bureaucratic impunity," Akinsiju said.

Nigeria, Africa's top oil producer and the continent’s biggest economy, entered its first recession in 25 years in 2016, mainly caused by lower oil prices and attacks in the Niger Delta crude production region.

It emerged from recession in early 2017, but economists say growth remains sluggish and inflation has remained high.

Buhari’s supporters claim he has stabilised the economy.

"The economy has witnessed an unprecedented, consistent decline in inflation rate over an 18-month period reducing from a high of 18.7 percent in January 2017 to 11.14 percent in July 2018," Akinsiju said.

But the opposition is confident the economic situation will dent Buhari’s popularity.

"Atiku understands this nation and its economy. He is a personality that can take charge of his environment and comes up with decisions that affect the people positively," Ologbodiyan said.

Learning from Lessons of the Past; 1992 Uproar, Boko Harram Insurgence, S. Cameroon Struggle: ZERO Post Election Violence, Street & Mob Justice, Who Can Afford to, with the Axe of Antiterrorism Hanging?

Ø  Who is a Fool or Should be Fooled in the 21^st Century to Face the Barrel of the Gun after Proclamation of 2018 Presidential Results in Cameroon?

Is the 20 Billion dollar question many a Cameroonians are asking themselves. While others lay aside wandering if there are still some Cameroonians who have not learned from lessons of the past?

Cameroonians lived it all in the early days of the advent of multi-party politics in Cameroon that is in the early 90s which saw the launching of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) Party amidst great tension. Post election violence immediately followed in 1992 when its National Chairman Ni John Fru caused young Cameroonians to take to the streets crying for justice and stolen victory. The economy was paralysed and grounded, human and material lost recorded in millions.

That was the advent of the wind of change which consumed Cameroon gradually up to the point where she finally hijacked the Cameroonian economy. In the process, right up to 2011, Cameroon experienced a lot of restive situations that led to military confrontation with civilians, brutal murder and violence in all its form, all for the right of freedom to expression and justice.

Not before Cameroon knew some small rest Boko Harram stepped in with their doctrine against western education and the desire to create her own nationhood at the mercy of countless bomb blast, ceaseless attack on the military and population which again was responsible for many deaths, displacement of persons and heavy financial lost to the government in attempt to control their suicidal actions.

Still pulling the strings with Boko Harram in the Grand North, the Teachers and Lawyers came up with their legitimate strikes that has since 2016 held Cameroon hostage and caused the English speaking part of the country to jump into the conclusion that they want their independence in what is today termed Ambazonian struggle for independence which has led to over 10000 displaced persons, villages burnt down to ashes, heavy human lost both in the military and the civilians. As we report armed groups who are increasingly on the rise daily prove their resilience over the republican army mindful of ceaseless raids, and attacks that has led to the destruction of many camps and the killing of many youths carrying dane guns against the State.

In the midst of all the chaotic situation “la democracy en marche” orate for Presidential elections to come in to play with all it entails. That is political manoeuvre and manipulation to see who picks the crown. Nine political parties picked the ticket and were given the mandate to campaign and run for elections which Cameroonians know, in the Likes of Paul Biya, Serge Matombo, Gabral Libil, Akere Muna, Adamu Ndam Njoya, Garga Haman, Frankline Afanui etc.

Today, at the foot of the declaration or the proclamation of results by the Constitutional Council the only legal authority charged with the locus standi, after elections to tell Cameroonians who is the victor and the vanquish in the said encounter, many a politician are already claiming victory in the likes of Maurice Kamto at the mercy of stirring up another rebellion if the results comes out other wise.

Maurice Kamto’s countless media outing immediately after elections has since fumed the political scene with speculations that are a threat or dangerous to the peace and social welfare of Cameroon.

His famous metaphor i was mandated to kick a Penalty, i have done so and scored so Cameroonians should defend their victory right through means apportioning victory to himself and already preparing the minds of youths to rebel in the event of a contrary declaration.

Other school of thought who are strongly for change but need peace and believe in state institutions and authority question, the gullible actions of Maurice Kamto, his bad intension and faith to wheel victory to himself and the country into chaos. According to them, victory in a Presidential race is not based on speculations, and as a patriotic leader, all avenues of peace must be exploited in and after the proclamation of election for Cameroon to ferry on in peace and unity with whosoever at the helm.

As i report the future of Cameroon lies in the hands of or at the cross road of post election violence if the political scene and situation in Cameroon is not properly tamed or managed. There is no doubt that Cameroonians are feed up with the system, the master planner, with the problems left and right and would not want to add another trouble on the existing ones. So whosoever is clamouring for disorder or post election violence should be doing so at his own cost and risk. I rest my case for now.....affair a suivre. Lets wait to see who will take to the streets after proclamation of results, will be back soon with Part II

   

Session 155 US Congress Call on Cameroon Government to Open Fresh Dialogue with Ambazonian Activist, free Ayuke Tabe Sesseku and 46 others

H. RES. 1111 Calling on the Government of Cameroon, armed separatist groups, and all citizens to respect human rights and adopt nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 2, 2018
Ms.  Bass (for herself, Mr.  Smith of New Jersey, Mr.  Rush, Mr. Kind, Mr.  McGovern, Mr.  Grijalva, Ms.  Moore, Ms.  Clarke of New York, Mr.  Cohen, Mr.  Johnson of Georgia, Mr.  Carson of Indiana, Ms. Fudge, Mr.  Connolly, Mr.  Castro of Texas, and Mr.  Garrett) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of Cameroon, armed separatist groups, and all citizens to respect human rights and adopt nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution.
Whereas Anglophone Cameroonians have long felt marginalized by official actions and policies of the Government of Cameroon;
Whereas beginning in late 2016, protests organized by lawyers, teachers, and students were violently repressed by the Government of Cameroon, leading to numerous deaths and imprisonments, including of journalists, lawyers, and an Anglophone judge on the country’s Supreme Court;
Whereas, in January 2017, the Government ordered the suspension ofinternet services in the northwest and southwest Anglophone regions of Cameroon, the suspension lasting for 93 days and having a major,
debilitating effect on the economy, educational institutions, freedom of expression, and social communication of the region’s 5 million residents;

Whereas the conflict escalated in late September and early October 2017, when Cameroonian security forces brutally cracked down on unarmed civilians peacefully demonstrating, resulting in dozens of
deaths and leaving over 100 injured;
Whereas, in 2017, armed separatists launched a campaign to pressure school officials in the Anglophone region to go on strike as part of a boycott against the Government of Cameroon, and began burning school buildings and threatening education officials with violence if they did not comply with a boycott of schools in the Anglophone regions;
Whereas human rights monitors have documented armed separatists killing tribal chiefs and targeting civilians who are perceived to be supporting or working with the Government of Cameroon, and reports
indicate that armed separatists have killed over 80 Cameroonian security force personnel;
Whereas numerous credible reports from human rights monitors, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have documented the excessive use of force by government security forces against Cameroonians living in the Anglophone regions, including the burning of villages, the use of live ammunition against protestors, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, and sexual abuse;
Whereas the United States Department of State has expressed serious concern over the Government’s use of force to restrict free expression, and the use of violence against individuals protesting the Government’s discriminatory policies in the country’s Anglophone regions;
Whereas both the Government of Cameroon security forces and armed separatists have been documented targeting and brutally killing civilians, including women and children;
Whereas the Government of Cameroon has repeatedly restricted freedoms of expression by shutting down the internet, harassing and detaining journalists, refusing licenses to independent media, and intensifying political attacks against the independent press;
Whereas the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that since December 2017, the violence has resulted in the internal displacement of over 500,000 people across Cameroon;
Whereas the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that more than 20,000 Cameroonian refugees have registered in Nigeria;
Whereas emergency officials in Nigeria have reported that the number of refugees having fled from Cameroon since October 2017 exceeds 40,000;
Whereas some of those who have fled to Nigeria have been deported to Cameroon, where they are at risk of unfair trial and torture; and
Whereas the United States Department of State has expressly called on the Government of Cameroon to respect the rights, including the right to due process, of 47 Cameroonians forcibly returned from Nigerian custody to Cameroonian authorities, many of whom had reportedly submitted asylum claims in Nigeria: Now, therefore, be it  Resolved,  That the House of Representatives—
(1) strongly condemns the abuses committed by the Government of Cameroon, security forces, and armed separatist groups, including extrajudicial killings and detentions, the use of force against nonviolent civilians and protestors, and violations of the freedoms of press, expression, and assembly;
(2) affirms that the United States continues to hold the Government of Cameroon responsible for upholding the rights of all citizens, regardless of political views or beliefs or the regions in which they
reside;
(3) urges all parties, including political opposition groups, to exercise restraint and to ensure that protests remain peaceful;
(4) urges the Government of Cameroon to—
(A) initiate a credible, good, and full faith effort to work with religious and community leaders in the Anglophone region to address grievances and seek nonviolent solutions to resolve conflict, including possibly involving an independent mediator in such negotiations;
(B) respect the fundamental rights of all Cameroonian citizens, including political activists and journalists;
(C) ensure that any security operations are conducted in accordance with international human rights standards, including efforts to ensure security forces only use force under appropriate circumstances;
(D) investigate all allegations of human rights violations committed in the Anglophone regions and take the necessary measures to prevent arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, deaths in
custody, and inhumane prison conditions;
(E) promptly charge or release all those detained in the context of the Anglophone crisis, including the 47 Anglophone activists arrestedin Nigeria, and ensure that any future detainees are treated with due
process, in line with Cameroon’s penal code;
(F) ensure that detainees are treated fairly and humanely, with proper judicial proceedings, including a registry of those detained by the Cameroonian security forces, and with full access to legal resources;
and (G) release human rights defenders, civil society activists, political prisoners, journalists, trade unionists, teachers, and any other citizens who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained without trial
or charge; and
(5) urges the separatist groups to— (A) engage with regional and government officials to peacefully
express grievances and credibly engage in nonviolent efforts to resolve the conflict;
(B) immediately stop committing human rights abuses, including killings of civilians, torture, kidnapping, and extortion;
(C) end the school boycott and immediately cease attacks on schools, teachers, and education officials, and allow for the safe return of all students to class; and

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE YOUTHS AND SOUTHWESTERNERS OF THE MIDDLE CLASS ABOUT NORTHWESTERNERS IN THE SOUTH WEST REGION

We, the youths and southwesterners of the middle class, have from time immemorial welcomed, lived with, and tolerated the excesses of northwesterners in our land. We have given them jobs, land to cultivate and build on, taking them as our brothers, sisters and fellow compatriots.

To our greatest dismay, we have noticed that northwesterners are a very cunning people, they are tribalistic, greedy, egocentric, aggressive, violent, destructive and ungrateful. Their only interest is to see the southwesterner extinguished from the surface of the earth.

Northwesterners have taken our hospitality for stupidity and our leniency for weakness. They have built churches, banks, schools, and other personal structures which we southwesterners have promoted without bias. They occupy important positions in both public and private structures in the South West, yet we have never complained. They make up more than 60% of the population in the second largest employer after the state (the CDC). We even allowed them become councilors in our local councils and quarter heads / block heads in our traditional councils and villages.

Recently, they came up with a blood sucking cult called ambazonia, in which they claim to want to secede from French speaking Cameroon, together with us of the South West. They succeeded to brainwash some southwesterners to join in this occultism. Following the orders of their leaders who reside abroad, they have succeeded in crippling the economy of the South West Region. PAMOL is shutdown and CDC is barely creeping on four weak limbs. They kidnap, ask for ransom, torture and KILL our people, including our Chiefs. Both private and public edifices in our region have been burnt down by this ambazonian cult. Fear and terror looms and insecurity has become the order of the day in our one time vibrant South West Region.

We, the youths and southwesterners of the middle class, hereby dissociate ourselves from this diabolic cult created by northwesterners, which we have come to realize, is their plan to take over our region completely, a plan they have been nursing for several years.

Pursuant to the above and many other reasons, we the youths and southwesterners of the middle class resolve as follows:

1.) We are coastal people of Cameroon and not Anglophones as such. English Language is just a borrowed robe or second language we inherited from our colonial master, hence we have no cultural umbilical cord with northwesterners.

2.) No councilor in any of our councils shall henceforth come from the North West Region.

3.) South West land does not belong to any individual to be traded and sold to whoever, for whatever reason, and whenever.

4.) Henceforth, no quarter or block in the South West shall be headed by a northwesterner.

5.) Land with specific traditional or cultural significance occupied by a northwesterner shall be reclaimed by the traditional council concerned.

6.) All burnt land and fraudulently acquired pieces of land belonging to any northwesterner shall be retrieved.

7.) Henceforth, there shall be no construction of new structures by any northwesterner in our land for whatever reason.

8.) If government wishes to rebuild burnt structures belonging to any northwesterner, this should be done in the North West Region.

9.) Churches (especially Catholic, Presbyterian and Baptist) and schools, noted for discrimination and dominated in management by northwesterners shall be disinfected of intruders. Thus, the South West Region will have to manage its own churches and schools.

10.) The South West Region is blessed with intellectuals of high standard, therefore, the University of Buea (the birth place of the radical ideology of northwesterners), shall be completely left in the hands of southwesterners. Northwesterners should go and manage the University of Bamenda.

11) Those wishing to contest in the municipal and parliamentary elections shall do so in their regions of origin, not in the South West.

12) Service heads and top school management posts in the South West Region shall be held by southwesterners, be it at the regional or divisional level, private or public.

13.) “Mixed blood” (South West / North West) and southwesterners married to northwesterners shall have very slim chances to contest in all elections in the South West Region.

14.) South West chiefs are enjoined to unanimously come up with a traditional law that all land to be sold or resold need the approval of the concerned traditional council.

15.) Each clan shall have a traditional council devoid of northwesterners, and made up of noble men with good reputation to give recommendations where necessary.

16.) All forest reserves like The Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve, The Bomboko Forest Reserve, The Meme Forest Reserve and other forest reserves not mentioned here but are found in the South West Region, occupied by northwesterners should be liberated with immediate effect.

17.) All traditional halls bearing North West names in the South West Region should disappear.

18.) Any northwesterner found guilty of a past

crime with the intention to destroy the South West Region shall be charged to court and later banished.

19.) All witchdoctors of North West descent shall be ostracized from the South West Region.

20.) Priority shall be given to southwesterners in case of recruitment in structures found in the South West Region.

21.) All banking institutions including Credit Unions bearing names from the North West should disappear from the South West Region.

22.) The government should transfer civil servants of South West origin from the North West to the South West and vice versa.

23) Northwesterners working in the South West Region should not hold top positions of responsibility in the public sector as well as the private sectors based in the South West Region.

We want to use this opportunity to emphasis here that, the people of the South West Region heartily embrace those of other regions, (excluding troublemakers from the North West Region), with whom we have been living in peace and harmony for long. We equally call on our brainwashed brothers of the South West Region to come back to reason so we can together rebuild our prestigious South West Region.

Finally, we entreat the government to consider implementing the sections of this open letter which directly concern the state. Southwesterners have been patient enough. If nothing is done, we may resort to the same method northwesterners are using to implement their xenophobia on other Cameroonians.

THE SOUTH WEST REGION MUST BE FREE
God being our helper