Even If Buhari Picks the Pope as Running Mate...

Former military dictator, General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) has picked Save Nigeria Group (SNG) Convener Pastor Tunde Bakare as his running mate in the 2011 presidential election. I will not vote for Buhari and I have my reasons based on facts of our nation's past.

Buhari is a great man in his own right and I respect him as an elder statesman. But as far as a democracy is concerned in this digital age and time, Buhari is not the best that Nigeria has to offer.

Abuse of power is the worst form of corruption in leadership. Buhari abused power when he was military Head of State.

When Buhari seized power, he threw Alex Ekwueme into prison in KiriKiri and kept Shehu Shagari under house arrest. How do you explain such double standards?

During Buhari, journalists were brutalized, hushed and muzzled. Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were jailed under the evil laws of the Buhari regime.

During the Buhari regime, 53 suitcases were smuggled into the country at a time the nation's borders were closed because of the change in the colour of the national currency in 1984. Have we forgotten?

Under Buhari's regime, there was a law against 18 year olds going to Hajj. Tunde Idiagbon took his 14 year old son to Hajj and nothing happened.

Lawal Ojuolape, Benard Ogedengbe and Bartholomew Owoh; these three men were ordered to be executed by Buhari under a retroactive decree for the crime of drug trafficking which didn't carry a death penalty wen they committed the crime.

The late Tai Solarin was imprisoned and refused treatment for his asthma by this same Buhari.

Secretary General of the ruling NPN Uba Ahmed who was Buhari's tribesman was arrested at the airport only to be released on Buhari's orders and allowed to fly out of the country.

Buhari, like IBB and Abdusalami Abubakar treated the Oputa Panel with disdain. He refused to show up at the panel.

I will not vote for Buhari in 2011; not even if he picks the Pope as his running mate.

BREAKING: Dele Momodu Picks Yunusa Tanko as Running Mate

The Presidential Candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Bashorun Dele Momodu has picked Kano State born Dr. Yunusa Tanko as his running mate in the 2011 presidential election.

Until his selection, Dr. Tanko was the National Secretary of the National Conscience Party (NCP). Born on February 12, 1966, Dr. Tanko had his primary school education at the Army Children School, Ikeja, Lagos between 1974 and 1981 and proceeded to Ikeja Grammar School, Lagos where he completed his secondary school education in 1985.

Dr. Tanko holds a HND in Marketing from Kaduna Polytechnic (now University of Technology, Kaduna) in 1992 and bagged a Post-Graduate Diploma in Co-operative Studies from the same institution in 1994. In 2006, he obtained a second HND degree in Accounting from Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria which followed with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria as well as an MBA from the same institution. In 2010, Tanko, a practising muslim, was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Leadership and Management from the Universal Christian Academy (UNICA) - a representative of Cambridge Advanced Technology Training in Affiliation with the University of London, United Kingdom.

A Chartered Accountant and member, the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), 2008 and the Institute of Cost and Management Accountant (ICMA) 2006, his working experience traverses civil service, politics and civil society. He has served in various capacities as Head of Accounts, National Population Commission, Kaduna, 1993-2000; Head of Revenue, Nigerian Immigration Service, Kano, 2000-2002 and Head of Finance, Team Nigeria Trust Fund Limited, FCT, Abuja, 2002 till date.

For 10 years, Dr. Tanko was NCP's Deputy National Chairman to Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN. In 2007, he was appointed Secretary to the Coalition for a New Nigeria (CNN) - the Charles Nwodo led conglomerate of Nigerian political parties that gave General Muhammadu Buhari his first ticket in 2007 before he secured a presidential ticket from the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP). Since 2009, Dr. Tanko has been Secretary of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) of all political parties in Nigeria led by Prof. G Nnaji of BNPP. Since 2003 till date, he has served as the Assistant Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) whose chairman is Alhaji Balarabe Musa. In 2007, he was running mate to NCP's presidential candidate Dr. Osagie Obayuwana. He is the Assistant Secretary to Dr. Usman Bugaje under the Tunji Braithwaithe led Nigerians United for Democracy from 2007 till date.

With a rich background in social activism, Dr. Yunusa Tanko is a Secretariat Member of the Pastor Tunde Bakare led Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and played a very prominent role as Field Marshal of the popular Save Nigeria Group (SNG) protest to the National Assembly in 2010. Dr. Yunusa Tanko is the recipient of the chieftaincy title - the Nwane iku de Neba 1 of all Ndigbos in diaspora.

This marks a fresh beginning for Nigeria. Bashorun Dele Momodu and Dr. Yunusa Tanko are two of Nigeria's brightest. As self-made and accomplished citizens, they represent that radical departure from the incompetence, the corruption and the general backwardness that is currently characteristic of our nation's leadership.


Signed
Ohimai Godwin Amaize
National Coordinator
Dele Momodu Presidential Campaign Organisation
Tuesday, 1st February, 2011