In a surprise move earlier today, a political group from the Middle Belt accused President Goodluck Jonathan of being a deceitful leader who fails to reward loyalty but instead snubs his support base in matters of political appointments. The scathing criticism came from unexpected quarters: the Middle Belt that is regarded as the president’s strongest support base in Northern Nigeria.

In a memo, a group called the Middle Belt Dialogue accused the president of retreating from his earlier nomination of General Bitrus Ushe (rtd) as a ministerial nominee from Kebbi State. The group alleged that Mr. Jonathan abandoned the retired general because of the erstwhile nominee’s Christian faith. The statement added that the president was desperate to please certain interest groups in the north. SaharaReporters obtained a copy of the memo, which was sent to Mr. Jonathan and his top aides.

Titled “Under President Goodluck Jonathan Loyalty Does Not Pay,” the memo was signed by one Emma Endazo Alamu on behalf of the pressure group. The memo flayed the president for shoving aside Mr. Ushe after initially tapping the retired general for a ministerial slot.

The full statement is reproduced below:

“We received with shock and dismay the nomination of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as a ministerial nominee representing Kebbi State by President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan. It is interesting to note that President Goodluck Jonathan has gone out of his way to placate those who vigorously, albeit violently, opposed his election as President of the Federal Republic, and promised to make the country ungovernable, should he win the 2011 elections.

This time, the President has gone ahead to nominate the 2011 Governorship candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kebbi as the ministerial nominee in place of the initial Zuru-Christian nominee, Brigadier General Bitrus Ushe (rtd) whose only crime is his tribe and religion. This President has acted against the Zuru Senatorial District which voted for him. Indeed the bulk of the 369,198 votes the President got in the 2011 elections were from Zuru area. After his swearing in ceremony President Goodluck Jonathan had nominated the then National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Haliru Bello and the people of Zuru did not bat an eyelid, and upon Dr. Haliru's resignation, Brig. Gen. Bitrus Usher was considered as a possible replacement. When this became public knowledge, the Chairman of the PDP in Kebbi State, Alhaji Mansur Shehu, objected to the possible nomination saying that General Ushe was not acceptable to the party because they (in the PDP) did not know him as bona fide PDP member, in spite of the fact that it is public knowledge that the General is a card carrying member of the PDP and actively worked to ensure that President Jonathan got the 36% of the votes he got during the April 2011 elections.

“It is now clear that President Jonathan denied General Ushe, his supporter, the ministerial nomination because he is a Middle Belter, a Dakarkar by tribe and to wit, a Christian!

The only sin of the Zuru people, we believe, is that they are a minority like their brothers and sisters in Gombe, Yobe, Niger, Adamawa, Bauchi, Kaduna, Borno, Kogi etc, whose support and vote for President Goodluck Jonathan has been rewarded by the denial of political appointments, which he prefers to give to the areas and peoples who voted against him, and organized violent attacks on his supporters, killing and maiming several thousands and destroying their properties to wit.

“We are not really surprised by these unfriendly actions of the President, who has refused to give assistance to the communities traumatized by the post-election violence, and did not even bother to send relief materials to the communities or even visit them. Even when the President set up a committee to investigate the post-election violence (the Lemu Committee) he ensured that we, the minorities, the victims of the violence, were not represented.

“It is interesting to note that out of the 22 Ministers of President Goodluck Jonathan from the North, only five are from local government areas which voted for the PDP in the 2011 elections. We in the Middle Belt Dialogue do know of several ministers and other Federal appointees who did actively campaign against him, voted against him and have refused to be supportive of him, and are in fact gearing to do the same come 2015, should he decide to contest. We, the people of the Middle Belt, feel betrayed by our fellow brother, who has refused to give us justice, and as a matter of fact, treats our people with contempt.

“It might interest President Jonathan and his advisers to note the following:

I. The people and interests he is promoting will not change their opposition to him;

II. He is strengthening and arming those who do not wish him and his people well;

III. Statistically, and as can be seen from the 2011 election results, it is politically suicidal to treat the Middle Belt people (the aborigines of Northern Nigeria) with contempt: where we stand will again determine the winners and losers of subsequent Nigerian elections.

IV. We supported the President to further our interests and not to weaken our people as the President has been doing.

V. All over the world, people give support to benefit from appointments, projects, policies and programs. For President Jonathan, favor and appointments go to those who oppose him. Is President Jonathan telling us the people of the Middle Belt to go to the opposition, as it pays high dividend opposing the President?

“Finally we wish to use this medium to advise our Niger Delta brothers that they should talk to their son to stop treating our people with such disdain and contempt. We are not asking for what belongs to other people. We are seeking for fairness and equity which President Jonathan is denying our people, his loyal supporters.”

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/jonathan-accused-deceit-religious-bias-over-nomination-minister-defence

In as much as President GEJ probably did wrong, he has no obligation to seek their opinion on anyone's candidacy.
Though they make VALID points, their letter come off as somewhat shrewd and sarcastic, they need to tamper down their grievances. Anyway, Pres. Goodluck, are you gonna respond to these allegations?

The point that made sense pass is that GEJ is empowering his enemies... N when the time comes those hawks would cast him out of Aso rock as God did to Mr Adam and Eve.

Retardeen is just so clueless most of those who voted for him are regretting it

Let the president do what he thinks is best afterall he takes the blames of every decisions he had unwittingly taken in the past.. but making appointments to please certain group in the north, well, I doubt that...

dayokanu: Retardeen is just so clueless most of those who voted for him are regretting it

I am not regretting voting for my president. Given the same circumstances I will vote for him over and over again... if you think you can make naija better get into the political arena.... stop blaming the president. Nigeria has virulous problems and you don't expect change to come instantly and rapidly...

Gej should be sensible enough to know, that , even though the whole 41 ministers are hausa muslims, they will still not vote for. He to them is an infidel and an unbeliver, and should not allowed to lord over muslims. It is in the qu‘ran.

Burger01:
I am not regretting voting for my president. Given the same circumstances I will vote for him over and over again... if you think you can make naija better get into the political arena.... stop blaming the president. Nigeria has virulous problems and you don't expect change to come instantly and rapidly...

Most people are regretting it while some are still clueless about the impact of their decision to vote Retardeen into power you might belong to either

The President has the right to appoint his preferred nominee and he isn't obliged to seek anyone's consent to do that. We do not hear of any religious or ethnic dichotomy among Northerners when efforts are being made by Northern law-makers to favour the north as a whole when issues like PIB, revenue allocation etc crops up.
Well, this is an elite manipulation and an intense struggle to have a piece of the national cake. Its left for the President to allay their fears and anxieties!

To be sincere,Nigeria is a very complicated country to govern over,imagine the Northerners still struggling for a post amongst themseleves.Even if he gives it to an Itsekiri man,all we want is someone that can perform very well.Bleep tribe n ethnicity.

so it is no longer who is fit for the job but our person? we won't get it right in a million Years if that is the case.........I don't blame the president, he is just keeping his enemies closer.

But your person that was in the position resigned. So, he probably lost the slot on his resignation. Why the cry? Its not like your person never got a slot, he got it and then resigned it, so?

This federal character sh.it is really destroying this nation. Its no more who knows how to do the job but its which region you were lucky or unlucky to have been born.

I think d greatest losers in gej administration are the northern xtians. They voted 4 dis guy bear d burnt of d hausa killings (post elec vio) lost kaduna n taraba but are unrewarded 4 thier jobs. One thing they fail to realize is to d southerner from benue to sokoto are all abokis n nothing can change dat perception. Northern xtians remind me of the bat who d birds n rats denied he is part of them.

Thank GOD I didnot waste my time voting under that hot sun and get this as a reward

So, let me get this straight: This so called Middle Belt Group is accusing GEJ of being biased against Christians and minorities?!

Lmaoooo

Whats in the water certain Nigerians drink?

They should go and sleep.

No one is questioning the competence and integrity of the nominee..

Its all about ETHNICITY and RELIGION...

Country still has a long way to GO...

Burger01:
I am not regretting voting for my president. Given the same circumstances I will vote for him over and over again... if you think you can make naija better get into the political arena.... stop blaming the president. Nigeria has virulous problems and you don't expect change to come instantly and rapidly... So we should blame ourselves abi?

I still don't understand this middle belt wahala. They should please change the forum to Northern Christian Group. The last time I checked,kebbi state isn't part of the middle belt.

miiraaj: I still don't understand this middle belt wahala. They should please change the forum to Northern Christian Group. The last time I checked,kebbi state isn't part of the middle belt.

you see why sanusi says they should ban all of them,

miiraaj: I still don't understand this middle belt wahala. They should please change the forum to Northern Christian Group. The last time I checked,kebbi state isn't part of the middle belt.

The Middle Belt is not about States. It is a region that includes southern Kebbi and even southern Borno.

President Jonathan doesn't appear to me as a good politician. He leaves those he should empower, and empowers those that will oppose him at the end of the day.
..If he nurses d plan of contesting in 2015, then he isn't playing his card well.
RULES: ★ STRENGTHEN YOUR CAMP, WEAKEN YOUR FOE'S CAMP.
★IMMENSELY REWARD LOYALTY, LEAVE "DISLOYALS" ISOLATED AND LAGGING, (They will later or sooner decamp)

How on earth can any part Kebbi or Borno state be a middle belt state, this are just bunch of oppurtunist looking for relevance.

Jonathan knows that they are irrelevant hence forgetting them

There are other ways he can reward them for their loyalty,let him not hesitate in doing so.

Never knew that the north is full of many disgruntled minorites. As a biafran,this is a good news to me. It seems the longer we keep the core north from power,the more these minorities find their voice,i can now see why the core north is desperate for power,it's survival as a unit,depends on it. To weaken,fragment and balkanize the north is a task that must be done,the core north must be kept from power for as long as possible,even if it means GEJ going for third tenure( yea,i said it,why not),those minorities must be greatly empowered and given a voice of their own, GEJ should not disappoint.

pazienza: Never knew that the north is full of many disgruntled minorites. As a biafran,this is a good news to me. It seems the longer we keep the core north from power,the more these minorities find their voice,i can now see why the core north is desperate for power,it's survival as a unit,depends on it. To weaken,fragment and balkanize the north is a task that must be done,the core north must be kept from power for as long as possible,even if it means GEJ going for third tenure( yea,i said it,why not),those minorities must be greatly empowered and given a voice of their own, GEJ should not disappoint.

And the only reason to give GEJ a third term, according to your infinite wisdom, is to just spite the "Core North", abi?

smh

kingoflag:

And the only reason to give GEJ a third term, according to your infinite wisdom, is to just spite the "Core North", abi?

smh

Hahahaha! Nigeria is on self programmed death, there is no hope for her now,i am only interested in her quiet harmless demise,GEJ is doing exactly that,with the external debt piling up,a politically fragmented north incapable of acting as one is a welcome development,it will make the process harmless.

kingoflag:

And the only reason to give GEJ a third term, according to your infinite wisdom, is to just spite the "Core North", abi?

smh

Something like a genius? confirmed you are my friend