http://odili.net/news/source/2013/jan/27/605.html

2015: Southern leaders gang up against North

Written by Idowu Samuel-Uyo
Sunday, January 27, 2013



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POLITICAL juggernauts across the country have started drawing battle lines ahead the 2015 general election as indications emerged that some leaders of thought from the 17 Southern states of the country would be converging on Enugu on Tuesday to take a position on the issue of 2015 Presidency.

The Southern leaders of thought, led by the chairman, Delta State Elders’ Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, had earlier met twice in Lagos and Akwa Ibom, just as they are set to hold their third session at the Nike Lake Hotel Resort, Enugu early next week to finalise talks among them about 2015.

Sunday Tribune can report authoritatively that the Southern leaders would not only deliberate on the build up to 2015, but might also rally support behind President Goodluck Jonathan on his possible ambition to contest the next presidential election, notwithstanding the stiff opposition he is currently contending with.

The group, known as Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, has Dr Alex Ekweme (South-East), Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi (South-West) and a host of other members, including Chief Olu Falae, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, former Governor Ggbenga Daniel and Dr Kunle Olajide.

Other members include Chief Mbazulike Amaechi (leader, South-East) and Mr. Ledum Mitee from the South-South.

In an interview with Sunday Tribune, Chief Clark said the geopolitical zones of the South were more united in their resolve to ensure the restructuring of Nigeria to guarantee equality of all the component units such that no region or ethnic group would claim superiority over the others.

He said the Enugu meeting would involve all like minds from the South-West, South-East, South-South and part of the Middle Belt, as each zone, according to him, would attend the meeting with 40 delegates.

Former minister and a top shot of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Babatope, who also spoke with Sunday Tribune on the agenda of the meeting, said it was time the 17 South-South states came together to begin to speak with one voice against the background of the state of insecurity in the country and the larger than life image being carved by a section of the Northern region over the rest of Nigeria.

Babatope said for so long the core North area of the Northern region had been giving an impression that it was superior to the other zones of the federation and that the presidential power of Nigeria was its birth right, a situation he said had been inimical to the progress the country.

The former Director of Publicity and Propaganda of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria stressed that the Southern Nigerian Peoples Assembly would deliberate on the 2015 presidential election and examine all available options on possible contestant against incumbent President Jonathan with a view to deciding who among them would earn the support of the group.

He said in the event that the group does not find a better option among aspirants, it would not hesitate to cast its lot for President Jonathan who at the moment has not indicated resolve to contest in the 2015 presidential election.

The Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, since it sprang up mid 2012, has been making strident call on the Federal Government to convoke a Sovereign National Conference as panacea for the increasing multiple problems which have been threatening the existence of Nigeria.

During its last meeting in Uyo, the assembly called on President Jonathan to sack from his government and the nation’s security forces, persons of dubious integrity and loyalty as it spoke against activities of Boko Haram sect, urging the government to treat its activities as treasonable and apply relevant laws on culprits and their sponsors.

Who made Chief Edwin clark the chairman? he will spoil everything.

ok...edwin clark set up a bar parlour committee to confront the north over their attempt to gang up against gej in 2015.
Who re they representing sef?

There is nothing like southern Nigeria. I only know of south western Nigeria, her interest and that's all. I thought the brainless goats were shouting SS,SE & middle belt coalition? oh, they want our votes so that after election they will start calling us names? We have leaders in southwest capable of leading us and not assembly of useless goats

These old senile fools can say whatever they want but not presenting the most corrupt, clueless and useless toad called Jonathan as presidential candidate.

K o

Joke section please !

About time the South rallied together and confront the problem in one accord.

It's a just a shame that characters like Edwin Clark is assuming leadership of the group. Nevertheless, I hope the find some solution to the question of equity in the polity!

Gbenga Daniel there?
No wonder He is bragging that OBJ can not do anything for him.
GEJ mingles with ROGUES only.

PointB: About time the South rallied together and confront the problem in one accord.

It's a just a shame that characters like Edwin Clark is assuming leadership of the group. Nevertheless, I hope the find some solution to the question of equity in the polity!

You will wait till eternity if you think this people have anything to offer The South.
They are there for there own share of the loot only.
Tell me a single one that can Councillorship election in his local ward among them?
How will they lead if they are not acceptable to their intended followers?
Though there is need for Southern coalition no doubt, but not this Tribe of Goats calling themselves Southern Leaders Assembly,
What a joke

seanet01: You will wait till eternity if you think this people have anything to offer The South.
They are there for there own share of the loot only.
Tell me a single one that can Councillorship election in his local ward among them?
How will they lead if they are not acceptable to their intended followers?
Though there is need for Southern coalition no doubt, but not this Tribe of Goats calling themselves Southern Leaders Assembly,
What a joke

I guess your tirade is because Tinubu is not listed? When he finishes decieving Buhari, perhaps then he will get that phone call. Until then, these guys should go ahead with their summit.

You only notice the dichotomy and union among politicians when it suits their interest. Men who can hardly win election in their wards calling themselves leaders!

take dat: You only notice the dichotomy and union among politicians when it suits their interest. Men who can hardly win election in their wards calling themselves leaders!

So it only those who contest and win election that can/should be termed leaders? What kind of education did you get?

PointB:

I guess your tirade is because Tinubu is not listed? When he finishes decieving Buhari, perhaps then he will get that phone call. Until then, these guys should go ahead with their summit.

Tunnel Vision. That is your problem.
Tinubuphobia is truly haunting you around.
You can not put two sentences together without mentioning Tinubu, you get real problem

PointB:

So it only those who contest and win election that can/should be termed leaders? What kind of education did you get?

No wonder Oju-Iku who can not win a Senatorial election in his Senatorial district was accepted by ibos to lead them to a Senseless war where they ended up being massacred in millions and their a.z.z. Kicked out for them.

PointB:

So it only those who contest and win election that can/should be termed leaders? What kind of education did you get?

Must you always act a foo.l at any given opportunity? Keep you pottymouth and filthy fingers to yourself abeg!

take dat: Must you always act a foo.l at any given opportunity? Keep you pottymouth and filthy fingers to yourself abeg!

Olodo, answer the simple questions!

PointB:

So it only those who contest and win election that can/should be termed leaders? What kind of education did you get?

seanet01: No wonder Oju-Iku who can not win a Senatorial election in his Senatorial district was accepted by ibos to lead them to a Senseless war where they ended up being massacred in millions and their a.z.z. Kicked out for them.

Same tirade everyday, I guess you learn by rote! Did you perchance attend an almajiri school? You are so good at this rote thing, you could get a medal for it at almajiri olympics game!!

PointB:

Olodo, answer the simple questions!

Numpty, you do not have to hold public office to be termed a leader but these men in question pride themselves as political leaders when most of them command no followership and respect from their people!

Sounds like a good development to me

ekt_bear: Sounds like a good development to me

Please tell that your folks. They don't seem to understand the larger picture. I guess provided that power doesn't get to the SE, every thing is cool by their reckoning. Even if we continue to retrogress to stone age.

take dat: Numpty, you do not have to hold public office to be termed a leader but these men in question pride themselves as political leaders when most of them command no followership and respect from their people!

That's according to you.

Ekwueme commands a lot of respect across Nigeria; likewise Chief Olu Falae, and Babatope, and host of others. Even so does Edwin Clark among the Ijaw! So please keep those myopic opinion about them to yourself, it is not shared by the majority!

SMH @ this stupidity of southern leaders. Sometimes I wonder if Nigerian leaders actually think logically. Yes I agree, Leaders from south should do something about the insecurities up north, I agree joining together to fix it is necessary but joining leaders that are either not known or not liked outside of their region is not going to do anything. First anything would Edwin clark would fail in SE and some SS depending on the ethnicity. Him being the leader automatically is a fail. Including SW in the equation is very stupid, they are the only southern state that trying to join and work alongside Buhari, who is believed to be the main guy behind BH. That is literally like standing next to a guy you know you can't trust, give him a hand gun and turn your back away from him. SMH!!. Lastly there is no such thing as southern unity, we need to stop faking it exist. It no exist.

PointB:

That's according to you.

Ekwueme commands a lot of respect across Nigeria; likewise Chief Olu Falae, and Babatope, and host of others. Even so does Edwin Clark among the Ijaw! So please keep those myopic opinion about them to yourself, it is not shared by the majority!

Says you who earlier questioned the character of Edwin Clark! Babatope who wept profusely when he was sidestepped in the PDP primaries or Falae with a dead political party! Abeg enough of all these "jegudujera" politicians.

One_Naira: SMH @ this stupidity of southern leaders. Sometimes I wonder if Nigerian leaders actually think logically. Yes I agree, Leaders from south should do something about the insecurities up north, I agree joining together to fix it is necessary but joining leaders that are either not known or not liked outside of their region is not going to do anything. First anything would Edwin clark would fail in SE and some SS depending on the ethnicity. Him being the leader automatically is a fail. Including SW in the equation is very stupid, they are the only southern state that trying to join and work alongside Buhari, who is believed to be the main guy behind BH. That is literally like standing next to a guy you know you can't trust, give him a hand gun and turn your back away from him. SMH!!. Lastly there is no such thing as southern unity, we need to stop faking it exist. It no exist.

Do you believe Buhari to be the sponsor of bokoharam? I pity your life. Honestly, I pity your life.

Everyone just want to make themselves relevant

I know about Southwest and I know a combination of Gbenga Daniels, Babatope etc can not win on their own street.

Those who cant win in their family are now talking with authority on how to deliver a whole regions vote

I guess dem wan scam retardeen Jonathan again

A look at the list again just shows that they are dead politicians seeking fro relevance. Whenever Tinubu, Jonathan, Ngige, Okorocha, Amaechi, Ekwueme come together for a southern leaders forum, let me know.

aurenflani:

Do you believe Buhari to be the sponsor of bokoharam? I pity your life. Honestly, I pity your life.

Hell yeah I believe him to be a sponsor or have a small hand in it. You can pity as much as you want, telling me you pity isn't going to change my mind. Abeg commot for road. Let look at this logically: After he lost the election, they went wild and killed of innocent people for no damn reason because of him. Did the man come out and condemn them? Nope. Did he speak on the behalf of the victims? Nope. A sensible politician would have done that. Wetin him do? he used that incident to preach about how Nigeria made a mistake. Ever since GEJ won, they've gone haywire, he seems to be loved by the group therefore he has a great strength to stop their activity or reduce it since they admire him so much. FG has failed granted but he has influence to them. Has he done it? Nope. What has he done? threaten the nigerian population anytime he speaks. Not only that he was once labeled by them as someone to use to dialogue a treaty between them and FG. He is known to make threat of killing innocent people if he does not get his way. The nigg@ has some hand with BH one way or another. I no sabi how but he definitely has one. Either sponsoring them or sponsoring someone that is sponsoring them. Ya'll can preach on NL as much as you people want on this forum but Buhari activity in the past shown the truth.

Silly assembly. Tinubu should forge a good alliance with CPC and get the dummy out of Aso rock.

Goodluck will not return back, it will lead to a civil war.. even the west do not want Goodluck as president.

I don laugh tire sef. One of them even claimed he was UPN's Directoe of publicity and "Propaganda" lwkmd

What a joke. This is the best GEJ can do? Sound out a bunch of jobbers, has-beens and no-hopers no one takes seriously to make noise for him as the "southern leaders of thought"? Oga GEJ just pack your bags. It is easier to do that because Nigeria has outgrown you and you are now openly disdained, maligned and queried by every Tom, D1ck and Harry daily. If it is not a Ghanaian economist savaging you, it is David Cameron questioning the accountability of your Government or Dr.Ezekwesili openly calling you wasteful and profligate.

Nigeria has outgrown what your ilk, i.e 'Dinosaur leaders' from an era of waste and thoughtlessness, want to make of her. Many bright Nigerians are sick of your style of leadership that encourages the looting of all funds only for zilch to be left to aid development. Oil prices has remained consistently high for the past few years yet you paint a gloomy picture daily telling us the Nation is too poor to fund important project but not too poor to feed you with billions, buys fleets of cars, build banquet halls and buy the many planes in your fleet that is a total disgrace to our nation and an emblem of your "don't give a damn" callousness.

Every single major test you have failed. You totally lack integrity, focus, a sense of direction and even the smallest iota of political will. You dribbles Nigeria silly with the fuel subsidy scam and then disgraced the Nation with the whole Farouk-Otedola 'James Bond' show. The whole event was laughable considering Otedola is an integral member of your economic team. I can only guess what world leaders must make of your cynical antics when you openly used procedural inanities and your induced minions to thwart the effort of the petroleum task force, led by Ribadu, you set up to "deliver solutions" after the serious fuel subsidy protests.

Bright Nigerians do not want to continue casting envious glances at our neigbhours now parading leaders who understand the concept of delivering minimally for the populace. Your best option is to pack your expensive louis Vuitton bags and go because the entire world, even beyond Nigeria, see that the job is far beyond your ability. No 'accidental' President in 2015. No 'Voltron' of the AGIPs, looters, scammers and politically ruinous hands in 2015.

PointB: About time the South rallied together and confront the problem in one accord.

It's a just a shame that characters like Edwin Clark is assuming leadership of the group. Nevertheless, I hope the find some solution to the question of equity in the polity!

You are such an inconsistent fellow ...I pity these easily impressionable young lads on this forum following your footsteps and taking counsel from you

What happened to your often mouthed combination of SS..SE and NC alliance? DOA?

You are such a crude joker I tell you