A Storm In A Teacup Or A National Crisis?

I have been struggling with the best approach to take in writing about the most recent rivalry (not competition) between the two top political parties in Nigera, PDP and APC, because there are so many angles and points of views to the whole saga. I recently wrote here about how dirty the politricking has gotten but since then, newer and less vicious allegations have come up. 

The PDP are adamantly claiming that the Presidential aspirant for the APC party, Mohammed Buhari, does not have the required minimum qualification (WAEC) needed to contest for the position of the President of Nigeria. Buhari initially said the Nigerian Military ought to have the results, seeing as he went to join the army straight out of college. I mean this is a man that used to be a former military Head of State in this same country and a man who has contested and lost thrice previously under civilian regime. And to be fair to him, the original certificates being demanded are from 53 years ago!!! Not a lot of people hold on to paperwork for that many years. Why then is his educational qualification being called to question this time around?

* Could it be a desperate move on the part of the PDP, as reality hits about how popular Buhari has become in the light of the alleged incompetence displayed by his opposition, the incumbent president?

* Could this persistent allegation be proof that perhaps, just perhaps, President Goodluck Jonathan is finally ready to fight corruption, because if Buhari does not own a WAEC certificate it would mean he has led a corrupt life by holding positions of power based on a lie this whole time? 

* Could this also mean that the credibility of the Nigerian Army and INEC are questionable? Or how else did this fail to be noticed since 1961 until 2015?

* Could this accusation also mean that the PDP are clutching on the thinning straws of desperation and would do anything to ensure their candidate wins?

* Could this mean that the PDP are now like the proverbial bull in a china shop, who if not led out carefully, would throw a mighty tantrum and thus destroy all the chinaware within the shop?

* Could the delay in the reveal of the actual certificate (original or copy) also be a tactic the APC are using to ensure the PDP digs a deeper pit than they have dug for themselves with their numerous gaffes and cunning acts during this campaign?

* Could Buhari be right in stating that this certificate brouhaha is merely a ploy to divert people's attention from the real issues such as lack of security, power supply, etc which the PDP has failed to address nor provide in over a decade in which they have been ruling? 

I've only just got word that Buhari has finally laid his hands on a copy of his official WAEC results which now proves that indeed he qualifies to run for presidency. If the PDP are not satisfied with this still, taking the matter of his qualification to run up to the Supreme Court would be a better and more civilized option for all concerned. 

If you are not a Nigerian and you are reading this and wondering why on earth any rational human being would prefer a 72-year-old candidate over a  58-year-old incumbent president, well to put it simply, their past records are the key determinants in this choice and it would take another post from entirely to compare and contrast both critically.

I think it is high time for PDP to quit the mudslinging and face the reality of what's before them. The APC also needs to buckle up and do right by all concerned while proving that they have better to offer Nigerians than have been meted out to them by PDP in the past.

#Nigeria #Love #Peace #Live