The People's General Vs The People's President by Eric Uchenna Chimara.

Truth be told, the 2011 Presidential election was not ISSUE based but SENTIMENTS. Infuriated by the previously unseen level of impunity exhibited by the northern cabal in its bid to hold on to power, holding the nation to ransom making it officially the first country to be ruled by a dead or incapacitated president, the rest of the country decided to call the north bluff and inform them that they were fed up with their constant jugular like love for power. Anybody, even a lame, who stood a chance of challenging them, was going to be voted for, Intelligence, charm, charisma, proven stellar antecedents of the candidates would be a story for another day.

Incidentally, the lot fell on the Vice President Goodluck Jonathan who like his name implies was lucky; from the minority ethnic group of the Niger Delta, not from any of the big two constantly nagging wives of the north; Igbo and Yoruba.
Across the bridge of the divide, with the deflated dream of Atiku Abubakar stepping into the shoes of the late president Yar'adua and finishing off the purported four remaining years, everybody relocated to the tent of Gen Buhari whose grassroots popularity hadn't translated into electoral success as at the time. "

The battle was set, far north versus the rest of the country, sentiments against sentiments, budding emotions against pride and arrogance. Obviously but not surprised; riding on the back of the mounting sentiments, the ex general who had earlier lost his home state during the previous elections suddenly swept all the twelve core northern states amassing 12 million votes.
Down south, the untested Jonathan who hadn't wowed anybody with any form of brilliance ran riot, winning all the states in the south and the middle of the country thus drawing a new and disturbing electoral map.

The final polarization of the country was completed. North versus South.

Elections are here again. The man we had elected has been as expected, not so spectacular, his challenger, likely the same man he rumbled in the jungle of 2001 is still up for another fight, The opposition couldn't find a winnable candidate outside the far north to alley the fears of the independents who still maintain that the alliance was formed just to wrestle power from Jonathan and return its northern custodians, as if that is all that matters, the true progressive for the Nigeria state is but a mirage.

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, voters not satisfied with the current government but united by their total disdain for the General might have no choice than to hold their noses and cast their votes for the current president. After all, the devil you know and trust is better than the angel you don't know.

Either way, the nation will still be teetering on the edge of UNCERTAINTY.