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M. FAROUK Radwan, in his article Dealing With the Past published posits that almost everyone of us is haunted by his past in a way or another. “You might be thinking that those who are haunted by their pasts are only the people who are suffering from breakups or trust problems but in reality almost all of the psychological problems we suffer from are somehow related to our past.” The Politicians being human beings are also not immune to their past actions which could be used against them by their opponents. That’s precisely what is happening now in the country in the current political dispensation.

Since 1999, democracy which has been defined as the government of the people by the people for the people has been evolving in the Nigeria and Nigerians seem intoxicated by the freedom that comes with democratic rule. Thus free speech has enabled most people to indulge in acts which would not have been possible were the country to fall back to our ugly past when the military exerted maximum rule in the country.

In the country’s democratic quest, past leaders have not been subjected to any rigorous test of character and temperament as it is being meted out to the two leading presidential candidates in the forthcoming elections slated for March 28. Supporters of the different presidential candidates are leaving no stone unturned to remind Nigerians of what their leaders did in the past and the present so as to guide them in electing their future leaders. The candidates like everybody people have a past which they have to live with.

But is there a lesson to be learnt from this peep into the past of the presidential candidates. For people who are aspiring for higher offices in the land, they will have to be more circumspect in their actions and utterances. It has been proven in the current political campaigns that ones actions or inactions no matter how correct it is now might be viewed negatively in the future, even if such actions were done with the best of intentions.  This is the sad story of what is happening in the current political firmament whereby opponents of presidential candidates are digging deep into their past to murk rake. This muck raking forms the basis for our cover story for this week entitled: Buhari: Haunted by his Past Deeds. Olu Ojewale, general editor examined the general’s  actions in the past with a view finding out if such  could indeed affects his chances in the presidential election. It is an interest analysis. Enjoy it.

Maureen Chigbo

Editor

mechigbo@yahoo.com

08033487603

— Mar. 2, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT

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