‘Why Northern monarchs won’t back Jonathan’s re-election bid in 2015

on July 09, 2013 at 1:02 am in News
BY SONI DANIEL
AS the nation prepares for the next general election, a strong
indication emerged yesterday that some key northern traditional
rulers, who spearheaded the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan
in 2011, are not ready to back his re-election in 2015.
The anger of the monarchs, Vanguard gathered, stems from what they see
asa spirited attempt by the Presidency todeny an agreement President
Jonathan allegedly reached with them before they gave their nod to his
election in 2011.
File: President Goodluck Jonathan closely followed by Vice President
Namadi Sambo at the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council at
the State House.
A northern governor, who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity,
pointed out that there was an unwritten understanding between
thePresident and northern monarchs thathe would not stay in office
beyond 2015, if given the support to complete late former President
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's tenure and run for a term of four years.
The governor said it was wrong for those, who did not know what took
place between the president and North to begin to whip up political
sentiments, insisting that what transpired was a gentleman's agreement
that must be respected.
The governor said it was the unwrittenundertaking reached between the
North and Jonathan in 2011 that the Sultan of Sokoto made a veiled
reference to at a meeting of Islamic scholars in Abuja last week.
The Sultan had said the North gave Jonathan a blueprint to work on and
that they would evaluate implementation of same to decide on the way
forward.
Kano politician, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, said Jonathan's attempt to deny
the deal he reached with the North was the basis for the renewed anger
in the region.
Muhammed said: "That agreement is the basis of the anger against the
President and they can no longer trust him. If an agreement with
northern governors is not respected, what of the one the President had
with the emirs and other leaders of the area that he would do a single
term and return power to the North?
"It is left to Jonathan to show statesmanship and respect the deal
before during and after his election because it is dangerous to
disagree with emirs in the North."
Niger State governor, Dr. Aliyu Babangida, was the first to accuse
President Jonathan of trying to breach the agreement he reached with
northern governors in 2011 to do a single term of four years, thereby
setting the stage for a bitter confrontation with the President and
his hordes of supporters, particularly his kinsmen from Ijaw ethnic
nationality.
Some Niger Delta militants and youth leaders had threatened to cause
mayhem should Jonathan be prevented from doing a second term.
Although they were cautioned by the National Assembly, an attempt to
openinvestigation into the statement, which many saw as treasonable,
met with serious resistance from the youth leaders who threatened
further actions against the lawmakers.
There has been no word again on the matter from the legislature.