Editorial Suite
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WHEN General Muhammadu Buhari, president-elect was warming up for the presidential race which came to pass on March 28, Realnews in its editorial suite on May 6, 2013, had discussed the fate of perennial candidates. That editorial suite was hinged on confidence which every politician must have to achieve victory. It was that dose of confidence that made Buhari to overcome all odds against him to beat an incumbent president.
In doing so, Buhari has joined the rank of perennial candidates like Lula da Silva of Brazil who ran for the Presidency three times before he was elected and re-elected, achieving the second largest number of votes on each occasion.
Da Silva and Buhari have a lot in common. Apart from being perennial candidates they are both in their 70s now. Both men were the founding members of the party that propelled them to victory. Popularly, known popularly as Lula, Da Silva is a member of the Workers’ Party while Buhari, popularly called GMD, is of All Progressives Congress. Both ran for president three times unsuccessfully. Lula, first ran in the 1989 election, then again in 1994 and 1998.before he achieved victory in the 2002 election. Buhari also ran 2003, 2007 and 2011 before he won on March 28. Although Lula was re-elected, only time will tell what Buhari’s fate will be.
Also, only future will tell how he performs which will determine his re-electability like Lula who is often regarded as one of the most popular politicians in the history of Brazil and, at the time of his mandate, one of the most popular in the world.
Is Buhari one of the most popular candidate in Nigeria today? Going by the polls result he appears so at least in the country for now. He polled 15.4 million votes to defeat his opponent incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan who got 12.8 million, approximately 2.5million difference.
Right now all eyes are on Buhari to implement social programmes and reforms that will change the face of Nigeria for the better; tackle political, economic and infrastructural problems in the country. Will he be able to do it? How is he going to achieve it? Will he like Lula play a prominent role in recent international relations developments, including the nuclear programme of Iran and global warming? Can the world at the end of his tenure described him as “a man with audacious ambitions to alter the balance of power among nations and be featured in Time ’s The 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2010, and be called be called “the most successful politician of his time like Da Silva?”
There is no gain saying that the world and Nigerians in particular have a tall order expectations for Buhari. Realnews in this week’s cover story entitled: What Nigerians Want from Buhari chronicled all the things the people have on their shopping list for the incoming president. It is a very interesting story. It was written by Olu Ojewale, our gneral editor. Enjoy it.
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Realnews Magazine and Publishers Limited congratulates General Muhammadu Buhari, the president elect and commend President Goodluck Jonathan for graciously conceding defeat. God bless Nigeria.
Maureen Chigbo
Editor
Email: mechigbo@yahoo.com | mechigbo@realnewsmagazine.com
Tel: +234 8033487603, 8052528603
— Apr. 13, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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