Buhari Praises Jonathan For Accepting Defeat

buhariBy Alexis Akwagyiram

ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigerian election winner Muhammadu Buhari congratulated outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan for peacefully relinquishing power on Wednesday, a day after becoming the first politician in Nigeria’s history to unseat a sitting leader at the ballot box.

 

In an unprecedented step, Jonathan phoned Buhari to concede defeat and urged his supporters to accept the result, a signal of deepening democracy in Africa’s most populous nation that few had expected.

 

“President Jonathan was a worthy opponent and I extend the hand of fellowship to him,” Buhari, wearing a black cap and kaftan, told reporters and supporters to loud applause.

 

“We have proven to the world that we are people who have embraced democracy. We have put one-party state behind us.”

 

The 72-year-old general, who first came to power three decades ago via a military coup, campaigned as a born-again democrat intent on cleaning up Nigeria’s corrupt politics.

 

The margin of victory – Buhari took 15.4 million votes to Jonathan’s 13.3 million – was enough to prevent any challenge.

 

Nigeria’s main stock index soared 6.7 percent, posting its single biggest gain this year, and Nigerian dollar-denominated bonds also climbed amid relief at the absence of the violence that has blighted previous elections.

 

Investors are also cautiously optimistic that any crackdown on leakage and corruption by Buhari will stimulate investment and boost flagging growth in Africa’s biggest economy.

 

The rules state that Jonathan must officially hand over on May 29.

 

His People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been in charge since the end of army rule in 1999 but had been losing support due to several oil sector corruption scandals and the government’s performance in combating Islamist Boko Haram militants in the northeast.

 

“You voted for change and now change has come,” Buhari said.

 

Cities in the largely Muslim north, where Buhari’s core support base lies, erupted in celebration.

 

Jonathan’s appeal to his supporters that “nobody’s political ambition is worth blood” meanwhile helped calm their frustrations, reducing the chance of post-election violence that blighted the 2011 poll.

 

Despite the killing of more than a dozen voters by Boko Haram gunmen – who had pledge to derail the poll – the election was one of the most orderly in the country’s history.

 

Buhari took power in a 1983 coup only to be thrown out 18 months later by another general. He subsequently embraced democracy, running in several elections and despite losing always bounced back.

 

He acknowledged the hard work ahead in building bridges.

 

“I asked that we all be circumspect, respectful and peaceful … We must begin to heal the wounds,” he said.

 

Oil-rich Nigeria remains a complex ethnic mix of 170 million people speaking more than 500 languages, split between Muslims and Christians. Though they mostly live side by side in peace, many harbour disputes that politicians have often used to stoke violence that has worsened over the years.

 

As well as the Boko Haram insurgency Buhari must deal with the fallout from a dive in global oil prices in the last eight months which has hammered squeezed state revenues and forced two de facto currency devaluations.

 

(Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Courtesy of Reuters

Ends

38 Comments

  1. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Apparently during his time as military ruler (1984-1985), General Buhari used to make civil servants who turned up to work late do some “frog jumps”. I hope he will reinstate that disciplinarian wrath. Not sure if it is cool though lol!!

    Thanks

    • And he won the APC candidature through a primary… Time to get checked…

      • Lafia Touray la Manju

        Bax, The primary was limited to the APC party alone and does not involve other opposition parties. This is normal and any party in The Gambia can decide to adopt “Primary” as a mode of selection of their party candidates. A primary is an internal selection instrument.

        Pdois is calling for a primary involving different political parties as a way of choosing a coalition candidate. That has not happened in Nigeria.

        APC is a registered political party.

        Thanks

        • Are you confused or just flip flopping because you are not sure of yourself..?

          Let’s listen to you…

          ( 1)…@”Lafia Touray la Manju on April 1, 2015 at 6:35 AM

          Gambia, the opposition coalition in Nigeria is led by the biggest party, The APC, in line with international standards….”

          Comment : It is quite clear that what you are saying here is that the APC is in coalition (with other parties ) and that it is leading because it is the biggest opposition party….

          (2)…@”Lafia Touray la Manju on April 2, 2015 at 3:42 PM

          Bax, The primary was limited to the APC party alone and does not involve other opposition parties. ”

          Comment : It is quite obvious that what you are saying here is that the APC is NOT a coalition (of parties) but a party by itself…

          Which is it then, Lafia..?

          (a)… Is APC the biggest and leading party in a coalition…?;

          (2)…or is it a party standing alone by itself.?

          (3)…If it is in.a coalition, who are its coalition partners..?

          Also, why are you now claiming that the APC held a primary when you disputed this as “bonkers” when stated by Kamalo and asked him to provide a link or check into rehab. .?

          Not sure of yourself, again…!

        • @Lafia….”Bax, The primary was limited to the APC party alone and does not involve other opposition parties. ”

          Comment : Are you blind..? Can’t you see how this turns your “International Standards formula” (for building alliances/coalitions) into rubbish and laughable..? Of course, you can’t. ..!

          So let me show how…

          If your formula was truly an “International Standard”, then there should NEVER have been a primary at all in Nigeria…And here’s why…..

          Buhari contested twice under the ANPP (2003 & 2007) ticket and once under the CPC ticket (2011)..

          As ANPP candidate in.2003 and 2007, he polled about 32% and 18% of the votes respectively…. And as CPC candidate in.2011, he polled about 31% of the votes…

          If we go by your criteria of votes equals size, then taking the later results (2011), the CPC can claim to be the biggest opposition party in Nigeria…

          Therefore, going by your “International formula”, all other parties should have simply rallied behind the CPC, and under Buhari’s uncontested candidature, rather than create a new party and go through a primary to select a leader…The APC would NEVER have existed under your (not so) “International Standards”…And they would probably have failed again…without the APC strategy..

          In fact, according to a daily paper of Nigeria ( Daily Independent ), many people in the APC, including some in the party’s hierarchy, wanted Buhari to lead without any leadership contest, because of the danger of him not leading the party…

          The party leadership, though aware of this danger, was equally mindful of the far more bigger dangers they faced, if the credibility of the selection process became an issue..So they insisted that since there were challengers, the process must continue but urged the Buhari campaign camp to redouble their efforts to get him to win….It worked, as everyone now know, because it is a workable strategy….

          Will The Gambian opposition borrow a leaf from the Nigerian opposition and come up with a winning strategy..? Time will tell….., but the people are watching and no amount of.distortions, distractions and falsehood can change the facts…

          • lafia Touray la Manju

            You’ve already been told APC is a political party and that it is normal for political parties to adopt a primary as a mode of selecting a candidate since primaries are always internal party instruments used to select a candidate or leader for a given party.

            This is just telling you that you are mixing your oranges and your apples. In the case of the Gambia, we are talking about a coalition of different legally registered political parties.

            Thanks

  2. Yes Bax reality checks on A UNITED NATIONAL FRONT vindicates PDOIS, on best strategic and tactical options open for opposition front, especially way forward for nation!

  3. Lafia Touray la Manju

    About Nadd;

    1. The MOU that established it created an Allaince of political parties.

    2. Allainces are not registerable with the I.E.C

    3. Even when Nadd was a political party, it was not the biggest opposition party in the country as it trailed behind UDP in the 2006 presidential election by 5:1.

    4. It only won one seat in the 2007 parliamentary elections compared to UDP’s 4.

    5. NADD therefore had no legitimacy to lead any coalition involving the UDP, which is the biggest opposition party in the country.

    Thanks

    • 1. The MOU established NADD as an “umbrella” political entity (alliance) under which all parties can rally to contest elections…That is as clear as day light..

      2. NADD was registered by the IEC…United Front (alliance) was also registered by the IEC…So this contention is a false one..

      3 & 4. What’s the point you are making..? NADD was not contesting with the UDP. ..It challenged and lost to the APRC, just as the UDP..

      5. NADD derived its legitimacy from the consent of its founding members, signed in black and white in the MOU…What other legitimacy do you want..?

      • Lafia Touray la Manju

        Bax, what is an umbrella Party? I have never heard of that term. How does it look like in your world of weird PDOIS politics?

        On the NADD MOU, I have said that it established an alliance and here is my support for that statement below;

        ‘We, the undersigned representatives of opposition political parties who seek to establish an alliance…….’’- The preamble of the NADD MOU

        ‘‘An alliance is hereby established. The name of the alliance is National Alliance for Democracy and Development with the acronym [NADD].’’- Article 1 of NADD’S MOU.

        Now, I would like you to also provide a provision from the same MOU that declared the establishment of NADD as an ‘Umbrella Party’, whatever that phrase means.

        On your claim that United front was registered with the IEC, I have looked at the list of registered entities with the IEC and there is no showing up for the United Front. Can you provide your list to substantiate your claim. You probably have a ghost register in your underworld pdois politics. Surely, it is different from what the rest of us know of and have seen before. would like to provide this please??

        These pdois disciples are a complete knob. Go back to school and learn. Halifa is feeding you with crap. You understand nothing about politics and yet you want to be bigmouthed about it. Very unfortunate.

        Thanks

  4. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bax, since you are speaking as if APC is a coalition/alliance of political parties rather than the single political party it is, I ask you this question below;

    In the UK, there was the Liberal Party and the Social Democrats. The two parties merged to form what is today known as “The Liberal Democrats” headed by Nick Clegg. Is the Liberal Democrats a political party or a coalition????

    We in the real world know it to be a political party. Just wondering how you call it in your weird world of PDOIS politics. I can’t stand your other adjective “umbrella party”. So I will no longer ask you about that. You guys are just a bunch of confused.com.

    Thanks

    • @Lafia…” You’ve already been told APC is a political party …….”

      Comment : We know the APC is a political party, created by the merger of other political parties…

      What we want to establish is whether it is in a coalition or not…and whether it is the biggest opposition party in this coalition….

      Since you made these claims, you should be able to provide evidence to prove your claim by using your logic of “votes equal size”, to prove that APC is the biggest opposition party in Nigeria….

      In other words, provide previous vote records of the APC, as a political party, to substantiate your claims….You should also tell.us the coalition partners of the APC, since it is in a coalition…

      Whether the United Front was registered with the IEC or not is irrelevant because the registration of NADD alone makes your claim @(2) a FALSE one…

      @Lafia…. “On the NADD MOU, I have said that it established an alliance and here is my support for that statement below;…..”

      Comment : Another pointless argument again…That NADD established an ALLIANCE of opposition parties is NOT a contentious issue at all…The very 2nd letter in.the acronym stands for Alliance….

      What is contentious is the nature and form of alliance the MOU envisaged. ..And here’s just three short paragraphs to give us an indication.

      Culled from MOU….

      (We the undersigned)…”Firmly convinced that an alliance transcending ideological and other differences in principle, policies and programmes could augur well for the country by ensuring the adherence to a common code of conduct and thus consolidate a culture of respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, democratic participation, tolerance of diversity that can serve as a launching pad for genuine multi-party electoral contest based on diverse principles, policies programmes and practices; ”

      Appreciating that no single opposition party can put an end to self-perpetuating rule given the culture of patronage, intimidation and inducement that has already taken root in the political life of the country; 

      Taking note of the fact that any given party may easily lapse into the vicious cycle of self-perpetuating rule if the proper institutional and administrative safeguards are not put in place to ensure democratic processes and practices;…..”

      Here’s my understanding. …

      (1)…This alliance must transcend ideological and other differences (ie policies,/programmes of individual parties);
      ( 2)…It.must establish common codes to serve as a launching pad for genuine multi-party electoral contest based on diverse principles, policies, programmes and practices. ..
      (3)…It acknowledges that no single party can do this by itself due to the entrenched Gambian political culture….
      (4)…It recognised the danger of lapsing into self-perpetuating rule that any.party can fall into unless “proper institutional and administrative safeguards are put in place to ensure democratic processes and practices. .”

      This.is effectively a non partisan arrangement which seeks to achieve specific objectives to create a “launching pad for genuine multi-party electoral contest. ..”

      NADD was to.serve as.an.”UMBRELLA POLITICAL ENTITY” (not party because it’s a strategic temporal electoral arrangement) that brings all parties under one common platform to undertake agreed reforms, without seeking to put any party at risk of falling into the trap of self-perpetuating rule…

      You can differ but you also need to support your position…But please, don’t make pointless arguments….

  5. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bax,

    Again, you have been told just like the liberal democrats in the UK, which is a by- product of a merger between the Liberal Party and the Social Democrats, the APC in Nigeria is not a coalition but a registered political party. Will you call the Liberal Democrats a coalition as well??

    You people are a bunch of confused.com. You don’t know anything and yet you use words that you have no understanding of.

    When a merger takes place, the legal personalities of all involved becomes subsumed and thus, extinct. The by-product of the merging process becomes the only existing legal entity. I think I have clarify this enough now.

    By the way, we are still waiting for you to provide a provision from NADD MOU which says it is created as an “Umbrella Party”, whatever that adjective means because I have no clue, and not an alliance. I have backed my claim with a provision from the MOU. It your turn now to do the same. You don’t want to make yourself a laughing stock. Do you??

    Also, we would like you to provide a list of all registered entities with the IEC showing the United Front of 2011 as one of them.

    Your cooperation in this urgent matter is highly solicited.

    Yours sincerely,

    Lafia Touray la Manju

  6. Lafia Touray la Manju

    “The MOU established NADD as an “umbrella” political entity (alliance) under which all parties can rally to contest elections…”- Bax

    But Halifa told us repeatedly that NADD is an Umbrella party and now you are telling us it is an alliance which is exactly what UDP UK said during their spat with Halifa in 2010/2011 on this issue. Are you UDP now??

    It takes real courage to differ with Halifa and still remain a PDOIS member, you know. He would have asked you to de-name your son after him if he was given the name Halifa Sallah. I am dead serious for he has done it before.

    Anyway, thanks for your courage. Its very comforting to know that you are gradually seeing light. Slowly but surely I will get you there.

    I am glad that you are no longer stating things about NADD as a matter of fact. You are saying; ‘My understanding is..” That is very qualifying and I tell you something; others have a different understanding. That’s why I chose to stick to facts by quoting the MOU itself. I have no patience or time for idle talk. Too serious a guy I am.

    Further on APC, I concede that the party has no previous electoral records but since its inception in 2013, it was clear to all that it is the biggest opposition party in the country. But hang on a minute, we do not have that issue in The Gambia because our biggest opposition party, the UDP, has abundance of previous electoral records all of which shows that it is the leader in Gambia’s opposition politics. It is a fact that I know you don’t like but it won’t change just because you don’t like it. So I ask you to get use to it before your blood pressure starts shooting through the roof.

    Thanks

    • Before I quit, I need to respond directly to some of the things you stated….

      @Lafia. … “I am glad that you are no longer stating things about NADD as a matter of fact. You are saying; ‘My understanding is..” ”

      Comment. .I have quoted FACTS from the MOU and then explained them based on my understanding and why…I do not have.any monopoly over how MOU should.be understood…That’s why I am saying,”my understanding” of.the evidence/facts…That doesn’t diminish their factuality. ..

      @Lafia. …”Further on APC, I concede that the party has no previous electoral records but since its inception in 2013, it was clear to all that it is the biggest opposition party in the country…. ”

      Comment….Therefore, your claim that it was the leading party in a coalition is.a FALSE one..It did.not exist at the time of.the merger talks and.therefore.had no role in the process..It was simply the outcome of the process..

      @Lafia…”But hang on a minute, we do not have that issue in The Gambia because our biggest opposition party, the UDP, has abundance of previous electoral records all of which shows that it is the leader in Gambia’s opposition politics.”

      Comment :. …You missed the point again…During the APC merger talks, all of.the main.parties had abundance of electoral records to indicate their influence/size in Nigerian politics, but non touted it about as their entitlement to lead…I am.pretty sure if they had, there would have been another PDP Government in Nigeria….The.margin was.only 2.million votes…

      @Lafia “Also, we would like you to provide a list of all registered entities with the IEC showing the United Front of 2011 as one of them.”

      Comment : Not necessary because I was responding to rubbish your claims that “no alliance can register with the IEC”, and the registration of NADD is sufficient to do that..

      The fact that NADD was registered with the IEC renders your claim FALSE…Job.done..I.don’t need any more.proof…

      @Lafia. ..”But Halifa told us repeatedly that NADD is an Umbrella party ….”

      Comment : I don’t speak for Halifa and I don’t know what he may have told.you, but any descent person.would.provide the relevant source to back up their claim…However, I’m not surprised that you can quote Halifa “off head”..You are genius in that..You even know what he says in “private”…

  7. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Guys, I am not done with Bax yet. I am just eliminating the issues one by one to ensure clarity.

    Bax, you said Nadd is an alliance under which all parties can contest. Can you clarify this for me please because I do not understand your point here.

    You did not deny that both Nadd and the Udp participated in the 2006 presidential election and the Udp out-matched Nadd in terms of votes. Thank you very much for conceding on that point. You could not have done otherwise anyway because the odds are stacked against you.

    Anyway, please send in your clarification so that I can school you properly. Halifa did it very poorly.

    Thanks

    • Final Response. ..

      Lafia….

      I can’t continue to flog a dead horse…complete waste of time….Who are you telling about a merger, by the way.?

      Here is.what you posted on April 1,2015 at 6.35AM

      @”Lafia Touray la Manju on April 1, 2015 at 6:35 AM

      Gambia, the opposition coalition in Nigeria is led by the biggest party, The APC, in line with international standards….”

      Here’s what I posted in response…

      “Comment….What opposition coalition..? The APC is NOT a coalition…It’s a party created by the merger of other parties…It doesn’t fit your international standards formula….Try another one..

      There is a world of difference between a coalition of parties (each maintaining their identity and independence) and a merger (where identities and independence are lost into the new entity)…”

      (1)…As all can see, it is quite clear that you are the one that talked about the APC being in a coalition whilst I made it clear that it was not a coalition, nor was it in.a coalition, but that it was a new party created by the merger of other parties and standing by itself.. ..NOT in.a coalition, as you claimed….If you want to change the story, you can try but it’s here in black and white…

      (2)…You provided what you called “proof” to support your argument that NADD was an alliance and I said that this was a pointless argument because even its name says so…It is not a contentious issue and therefore completely pointless in this discussion….

      I.then.stated that what is contentious is the type and form of alliance NADD was envisaged to be according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)…That’s where we can find what NADD actually was…

      When.we look into the MOU, we will be able to answer these questions…

      (1)…Did the MOU create an alliance that should rally under one opposition party..? Or

      ( 2 )…Did the MOU create a registerable umbrella political entity (NADD), under which all the parties can rally to contest the elections…?

      Now, before I give my understanding based on the FACTS inscribed in the MOU, allow me.to point out what may be an error by you…. I noticed that you have tried to put words into my mouth by substituting what I wrote with what you would want me write..

      Here is what I.wrote. ..

      “The MOU established NADD as an “umbrella” political entity (alliance) under which all parties can rally to contest elections…”- 

      This is how you attempted to twist my statement. .

      @Lafia…”By the way, we are still waiting for you to provide a provision from NADD MOU which says it is created as an “Umbrella Party”, ”

      I deliberately avoided the word “party” for a reason….What I said was that the MOU established an umbrella political entity ( not party)..I hope that is clear..Also notice how the word umbrella was put in inverted commas (“…”)…That too was deliberate…

      Continued. ..

    • Continuation…

      Did the MOU establish an alliance to be lead by the strongest/bigger party or did it create an alliance (a political entity that can be registered) and under which all opposition parties should rally..?

      My contention is that the MOU established an “umbrella” for all.parties to rally under, which is NADD and I will provide my evidence from the document to prove my point….

      You keep yap yapping about, and seem fixated to the word “alliance” without seeming to understand what it really means in the political sense…

      Broadly speaking, an Alliance (also called a Coalition or Political Block) is nothing but “an.agreement for cooperation between different political parties on common political agenda, often for the purpose of pulling resources together to contest elections because individual parties lack the strength to overcome their main opponent in government…..”

      The nature of the problem that opposition parties face to overcome their main opponent in government, differs from country to country, though there may be close similarities in.some cases…For example, in The Gambia and Nigeria and I will show how later…

      Therefore, the nature of cooperation between parties must also differ from country to country….This is just simple logic…No single method can solve two different political problems…Every problem.with its own solution..

      And in the case of alliance building, such factors as nature of the problem,; political system, traditions & practices; size of.parties; the countries laws; the objectives of the alliance; the consensus of the participants; etc, determine the type and nature of alliance suitable for the parties, in each given country…

      It is again, absolutely pointless, to cite the Lib Dems in UK and ask whether it is an alliance because the only person.that is.associating the APC with an alliance is Lafia…So may be you are doing so to educate yourself but it is completely pointless, as far as I am concerned.

      Continued….

    • @Lafia….”You did not deny that both Nadd and the Udp participated in the 2006 presidential election and the Udp out-matched Nadd in terms of votes.”

      Comment : Another pointless argument again…The UDP’s much bigger share of votes in 2006 or since 1996 is not being disputed. So.why should I.deny it or do.you wish I had denied it.?

      What I will say though, is that the UDP was never in a contest with NADD, to defeat it as the opponent in the state house..If it was, then congratulations are in order…Let me whether that was the case..

      And in the Gambian context, where winner takes all, the UDP’s share of votes, as impressive and consistent as it may be, is as irrelevant as the less impressive share that other opposition parties get, if it doesn’t win the elections…unlike Senegal, where the runner up has a chance to go head to head with the incumbent, if he fails to win 50% of the votes or.more…

      If you disagree, tell me what other legally binding use (s) these votes have….They could be used for historical and statistical data, but I don’t think that’s legally binding on anyone. .

  8. Lafia Touray la Manju

    “Comment….What opposition coalition..? The APC is NOT a coalition…It’s a party created by the merger of other parties…It doesn’t fit your international standards formula….Try another one..”- bax

    How is this different from what I said about the APC being the biggest opposition party in Nigeria?? I Would like to know.

    By the way, I did not say APC is a coalition. On the contrary, I was educating people in all my posts that it is a political party notwithstanding the fact that it is a by-product of a merger. You got educated from that and now you are twisting it on me. Interesting.

    Thanks

  9. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Final Response. ..

    Lafia….

    I can’t continue to flog a dead horse…complete waste of time….Who are you telling about a merger, by the way.?

    Here is.what you posted on April 1,2015 at 6.35AM

    @”Lafia Touray la Manju on April 1, 2015 at 6:35 AM

    Gambia, the opposition coalition in Nigeria is led by the biggest party, The APC, in line with international standards….”

    Here’s what I posted in response…

    “Comment….What opposition coalition..? The APC is NOT a coalition…It’s a party created by the merger of other parties…It doesn’t fit your international standards formula….Try another one..

    There is a world of difference between a coalition of parties (each maintaining their identity and independence) and a merger (where identities and independence are lost into the new entity)…”

    (1)…As all can see, it is quite clear that you are the one that talked about the APC being in a coalition whilst I made it clear that it was not a coalition, nor was it in.a coalition, but that it was a new party created by the merger of other parties and standing by itself.. ..NOT in.a coalition, as you claimed….If you want to change the story, you can try but it’s here in black and white…

    (2)…You provided what you called “proof” to support your argument that NADD was an alliance and I said that this was a pointless argument because even its name says so…It is not a contentious issue and therefore completely pointless in this discussion….

    I.then.stated that what is contentious is the type and form of alliance NADD was envisaged to be according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)…That’s where we can find what NADD actually was…

    When.we look into the MOU, we will be able to answer these questions…

    (1)…Did the MOU create an alliance that should rally under one opposition party..? Or

    ( 2 )…Did the MOU create a registerable umbrella political entity (NADD), under which all the parties can rally to contest the elections…?

    Now, before I give my understanding based on the FACTS inscribed in the MOU, allow me.to point out what may be an error by you…. I noticed that you have tried to put words into my mouth by substituting what I wrote with what you would want me write..

    “Here is what I.wrote. ..

    “The MOU established NADD as an “umbrella” political entity (alliance) under which all parties can rally to contest elections…”-

    This is how you attempted to twist my statement. .

    @Lafia…”By the way, we are still waiting for you to provide a provision from NADD MOU which says it is created as an “Umbrella Party”, ”

    I deliberately avoided the word “party” for a reason….What I said was that the MOU established an umbrella political entity ( not party)..I hope that is clear..Also notice how the word umbrella was put in inverted commas (“…”)…That too was deliberate…

    Continued. ..”

    Ok what is this Umbrella entity called, political party, alliance Yai compin, terikafo, tolay kafo, kunkengpeleng kafo or what???

    It was Halifa Sallah who said NADD is an umbrella party. I thought you are going with that line too but I can I am adequately schooling you here in this forum. I still need clarification from you on this point below though;

    You said Nadd is an alliance under which all parties can contest. Can you clarify this for me please because I do not understand your point here.

    Thanks

  10. Continuation. …

    Now, let’s look at the MOU to answer our questions. .. I.will only reproduce the areas that provide proof to.support my contention….

    After tracing the origins of the political problems that they face, the MOU continued as thus….

    Culled from the MOU. …

    (1)…”In this light, we the undersigned representing our political parties, are obliged to strive for the establishment of an alternative government …..”

    Comment…..What sort of government is the MOU envisaging? Is it a.one party lead government or an all party government. .? It is.clear as day light…It is an all party government….You can disagree but you must provide your proof…

    (2)…”Appreciating that no single opposition party can put an end to self-perpetuating rule given the culture of patronage, intimidation and inducement that has already taken root in the political life of the country; 

    Taking note of the fact that any given party may easily lapse into the vicious cycle of self-perpetuating rule if the proper institutional and administrative safeguards are not put in place to ensure democratic processes and practices; ”

    Comment…..Here, as in other places, the parties have identified the problems they face and why an alliance is needed…

    In.this section, they have acknowledged that no single party can overcome the incumbent by itself. ..

    In fact, they have also rejected a party led alliance by acknowledging that “any party can easily lapse into the vicious cycle of self-perpetuating rule if the proper institutional and administrative safeguards are not put in place to ensure democratic processes and practices….”

    (3)… “Firmly convinced that an alliance transcending ideological and other differences in principle, policies and programmes…..”

    Comment…We can.see.again that this alliance transcends ideological and other differences in principle, policies and programmes….An . indication that it was a party lead alliance that was being created…

    The most telling proofs that the MOU established an umbrella political entity, under which all opposition parties should rally are found in.Parts II, III, and IV of the MOU…

    In.part II, it established an Executive Committee as the highest decision making body of the alliance, and comprising two members of each party….The UDP, regarded as the leading party, has an Executive Committee….Why would the MOU create another one, if.the intention was for all.parties to.rally behind the UDP..?

    One would have thought that this article would.have incorporated reps of coalition Members into the UDP executive, rather than.establish a a new Executive Committee…

    Continued. …

    • Oops….rectification. …”an indication that it was an all party lead alliance…..” (not.a.party lead alliance)

    • Lafia Touray la Manju

      Ok no party is sought to establish a one party led government. As a matter of fact, the UDP’s proposal intends to form an all-inclusive national unity govt.

      Thanks

      • A “National Unity Government” is only possible under a non partisan alliance under our current political system…Not a party led one…

  11. Continuation…

    In Part III, it states how candidates will be selected, including the Presidential Candidate…If the intention was a.party lead alliance, why would this provision exist when the potential leading party (UDP) already has a Presidential Candidate…

    In Part IV (16) it provides for the creation of an emblem, colour, motto and symbol, all of which the UDP already have….There is no need for all that if they were agreeing to rally behind the UDP….These are indications that it was preparing to.register with.the IEC to contest elections as a political entity independent of.its constituent members…Again, you can disagree with my views or understanding of the MOU, but you must provide evidence to back your view point…

    Now, how is Nigerian situation similar to The Gambia’s situation…? Let the Nigerian elections results speak for itself…

    2003…..
    Olusegun Obasanjo….PDP. …24,456,140…61%
    Muhammadu Buhari. ..ANPP…12,710,022…32%
    Voter turn out was put at 69.1%

    2007…
    Umaru Ya’radua. .PDP..24,638,063…69.82%
    Muh’madu. Buhari..ANPP…6,605,299…18.72%
    Voter turn out was put at 57.5%

    2011…
    Jonathan Goodluck. ..PDP. .22,495,186…58.89%
    Muh’madu Buhari. ….CPC…12,214,853….31.98%.
    Voter turn out was put at 53.68%

    As you can see, the opposition winning candidate in 2015, General Buhari, has lost 3 consecutive elections against the incumbents of the ruling party, just as in.The Gambia, though it’s the same incumbent in our case…And he would probably have lost again, if he had contested without this merger…

    It is clear that he won because the main opposition parties got their strategy spot on…The Gambian opposition can come out with a similar strategy, if the will is.there…

    It is.worth pointing out that in Nigeria, the ANPP, which came.out 2nd twice, did not claim to be the biggest party and demand that it must lead an alliance, as the international standards, nor did the CPC, which came out 2nd in the latest elections in.2011, make the same claims…Both parties agreed to participate in a merger as equals together with other less popular parties..

    Also.worth.noting is that the undisputed leading opposition candidate for the.past 3 consecutive elections, Genera Muhammadu Buhari, was not handed the leadership on a silver platter…He.had to see off several challengers in.a leadership contest, to earn the APC candidature….

    We can dismiss without a shadow of doubt, that the claims that Lawyer Darboe’s candidature was the obstacle to opposition alliance, as utterly false and disingenuous…We know that an all party, non.partisan alliance to be headed by Lawyer Darboe was proposed by L.J Sonko but it was rejected by the UDP out of hand…

    We.also.know.that the convention that was to elect the flag bearer was going to take the electoral gains.of the UDP into account, by allocating the party more delegates than any other party…Meaning his selection was probably a foregone conclusion…Just as that of Buhari ..

    The biggest obstacle is that the UDP is not interested in any form of alliance that does not put it into office and in an advantageous position for the.next round of elections…To say otherwise is to be dishonest..

    To be fixated on only the factor of size, (which cannot win you anything under the current climate for the next century) and disregard the many other factors that should determine the type of alliance suitable for the Gambian opposition, given the realities.on.the ground, which all acknowledged in 2006, is to be.the biggest obstacle for Alliance efforts….If you disagree, make your case but avoid pointless arguments…

    The end….

  12. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Oh Ghosh! Bax, can you answer this simply question and stop the rambling;

    You said Nadd is an alliance under which all parties can contest. Can you clarify this for me please because I do not understand your point here?

    Thanks

    • Answer these questions…

      (a)…why did NADD establish an executive committee as its highest decision making body if its intention was to rally behind the UDP…? Hasn’t the UDP got one….?

      (b)…Why did NADD indicate that their presidential candidate will be chosen by consensus or where that fails,through a primary,if the intention was to rally behind the UDP…? Has the UDP not got a presidential candidate…?

      (c)…Why did NADD create its own symbol,colour, motto and emblem if the aim was to rally behind the UDP…? Has the UDP not got all of these…? Is it for a purpose or just for the sake of it…?

      I contend that it is for a PURPOSE and that purpose is so that it can be registered with the IEC to contest elections, as a NON PARTISAN ALLIANCE that embraces all its members as EQUAL PARTNERS in the alliance government…In other words, an UMBRELLA POLITICAL ENTITY…

      You want to know what a political entity is….? It is any distinct and independent body, be it a country,organization or group, that has political responsibilities,etc…

      If you contend that the MOU that was signed by all created an alliance that should rally behind the UDP, then you must also provide proof to support that claim…Do not just produce the part that reads,”hereby establish an alliance” full stop…You must go into the agreement signed to prove that it was A PARTY LED ALLIANCE…

      By the way Lafia,even if you did not say that the APC was a coalition,you said very clearly that it was “the leading party in a coalition,” which is NOT TRUE…But if you still stand by that claim, then you must tell us who are its coalition partners and what is the name of their coalition group that contested and won the elections…As far as we know, the group that contested the elections was the APC…

      You have to explain also how you can view the APC as a party that contested and won on its own, but also as the leading party in a coalition… all at the same time…An impossibility in my view but over to you…

  13. Lafia Touray la Manju

    “We can dismiss without a shadow of doubt, that the claims that Lawyer Darboe’s candidature was the obstacle to opposition alliance, as utterly false and disingenuous…We know that an all party, non.partisan alliance to be headed by Lawyer Darboe was proposed by L.J Sonko but it was rejected by the UDP out of hand…” BAX

    Bax, this shows that UDP is not Lawyer Darboe but a national party with principles. If Landing Jallow Sonko want Lawyer Darboe as candidate without UDP, why didn’t he go and nominate him?? It would not have changed udp’s position.

    By the Way, Halifa Sallah raised issues about Lawyer Darboe’s Mandinka identity on Freedom radio and also reportedly told diplomats he rather have Jammeh continued as president than to have Lawyer Darboe as President. So clearly, even PDOIS and Halifa are opposed to Landing Jallow’s proposal you alluded to here. There is nowhere in which PDOIS stated their support for this so-called Landing Jallow Sonko proposal.

    UDP too was not going change Lawyer Darboe as a candidate just because he is a mandinka as mandinkas are not second class citizens in The Gambia. That also means there is no way Halifa Sallah was going to support Lawyer Darboe’s candidacy because of his disdain about Darboe’s Mandinka identity.

    Thanks

    • @Lafia…”There is nowhere in which PDOIS stated their support for this so-called Landing Jallow Sonko proposal.”

      Comment…Do you understand simple English…? OJ said the UDP rejected this proposal out of hand…Meaning that there was no chance for a serious discussion….Why should PDOIS go out of their way to express support for a proposal that the main beneficiary rejected…?

      @Lafia…”Bax, this shows that UDP is not Lawyer Darboe but a national party with principles.”

      Comment…Oh…! So principles should not be compromised then,,,? Why do you find fault with PDOIS when they stand by their principles…? Let me hear what you have to say to that…

      • And it is not “so called proposal”….OJ,who attended that meeting, revealed that to the public…

  14. Lafia, i don’t think you will convince anyone by linking Halifa to ethnic politics. It is better to look for better scapegoats than trying to link Halifa or PDOIS to politics of ethnicity. The PDOIS i know gives no significance to politics based on ethnicity and other parochial considerations. It wants to win people based on its program and not any divisive strategies. Stop the deception it will not work.

    • Lafia Touray la Manju

      Yerro Ba, you can make any conclusion you wish to make. I am concern about facts and the fact is that Halifa Sallah made issue out of Lawyer Ousainou Darobe’s Mandinka Identity and also reportedly told diplomats that he rather see Yahya Jammeh continue as president than to see Lawyer Darboe becoming the president. This has been reported all over by other people since 2011. So don’t waste my time.

      Thanks

      • Lafia, which diplomat did Halifa say this to that he would rather see Yahya Jammeh continue as president than to see Lawyer Darboe becoming the president? And which medium reported this information? You are simply a liar pure and simple. Halifa has no business with Darbo becoming or not becoming president. Is it Halifa’s wish that will make Darbo president or not? This is what i am saying, stop fabricating to win an argument. It is not true and you are just spreading mischief among people who are all striving to make this country a better place for all of us. Halifa has no personal problems with Darbo or any other opposition leader including Yahya Jammeh. You are the one wasting people’s time belaboring on side issues that are just figments of your imagination.Halifa is collaborating with Darbo and all other opposition leaders right now on electoral reform agenda and you are just inventing mischief among them. Kaironews should remind you of their disclaimer that it will trash any comment that inflames tribal hatred.

        • Lafia Touray la Manju

          By the way, thanks for your insults. Truth is bitter.

          cheers

          • Do not loose people’s respect by making claims that you can’t substantiate….especially the ones that all can identify as untruthful…

  15. gibiril samateh

    la wuliya am sorry la manju, you are challenged to state on which media Halifa Salah said that he will rather have Jammeh as president than Honourable Ousainou Darboe, if you can’t say that, shut up.

    If there is a hatred between Halifa and Ousainou, it’s people like you who are creating and promoting it among these two genttle men,

  16. gibiril samateh

    You are right, truth is bitter, you can’t stand it,all you can is politics of blah blah blah,but when challenged by the bitter truth then you are dead,

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