Why North is skeptical of Jonathan’s Acting Presidency


Going by recent development in the polity,there is no doubt that the on- going power play at Aso rock over the plight of ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has angered the Northern elite who were convinced of ‘hi_tech conspiracy’ to rig the Hausa/Fulani dominated conservative region out of power through the back door.

The emotions are high, and one can smell the hatred on the streets and cities of the Northern region.  The reasons are not far fetched. It is borne out of the fear founded on what the Northern elites have come to identify as a ‘false start’ by the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who was conferred with presidential powers by the federal legislatures some weeks ago.

Until lately, leading critics from the region had thrown their support for the transmission of power to the Vice President following the long absence of President Yar’Adua in the country. The likes of Farouk Adamu Aliyu, former minority leader of the House of Representatives, and several leading lights from the region went to court to force the transmission of power to the Vice President.

Coincidentally, the tone changed soon after the wishes of majority Nigerians was actualized, and in a dramatic turn of event, Alhaji Farouk Adamu Aliyu who marched the streets of Abuja along side Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka went back to court seeking to nullify the action of his former colleagues stressing that the process adopted by the law maker was ‘illegal, and a nullity’.

Farouk’s  about turn speaks volume of the nature of an average northerner who is undoubtedly gifted with an in-depth knowledge of power play in a complex polity like Nigeria . And the question that crop up was what must have gone wrong, why and how has this affected the relationship of the Acting President with the politically conscious region ?.

There is no gain saying the fact that the North has a sophisticated illiterate audience, no thanks to British and some European powers, and United States of America that committed millions of tax payers money to keep the region abreast with daily happening across the world over the half century by dedicating a special services on its  radio stations to the cause.

It appears that there is an orchestrated plan by the northern elites to mobilize the average man in the region to join in the emerging war against the Jonathan Presidency.

While an ordinary man in the street view Jonathan ascension to power as an attempt to dupe the north, an elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai maintained that the issue is beyond Jonathan, stressing that ‘its about the North and South’ struggling to control and manipulate each other to advantage.

Alhaji  Yakasai who was former Liaison officer toformer president  Alhaji Shehu Shagari explains that the North is bent on maintaining every tenet of agreement that gave the South the Presidency for 8 years under Obasanjo.

“We are not talking of Jonathan, the issue is that the South had it for 8 years under Obasanjo, and the North should be allowed to have its own term of 8 years irrespective of current happening”, Tanko Yakasai explains.

Alhaji Yakasai accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo for scuttling the process that gave him 8 years in the presidency, stressing that his likes in the North are only trying to compel the PDP hierarchy to adhere to the gentleman agreement reached by the party on rotational presidency in 1999.

He accused the South of exploiting its vast media resources to unleash a war on a region that out of magnanimity conceded power to a Southerner in the interest of a united and strong nation.

Yakasai stated that it is only normal for the region to fight back, maintaining that anything short of it will be harmful to regional interest,and must not be allowed to happen.

He described those who entered into agreement with Obasanjo as naïve, stressing that ‘gentleman agreement is only entered into with a gentlemen’.

“Obasanjo has never shown traces of a gentleman all his life and the founding fathers of the PDP made a fatal mistake by agreeing on such deal with Obasanjo. The long and short of it is that the South is fighting to scuttle our chance and we are trying to resist them in a civilize way”,  he explained.

Despite the submission by Yakasai, an average man in the street believes that Jonathan Presidency is a return of Obasanjo to power through back door, and the Acting President’s much publicized meeting with the former Nigerian strongman within the very week of his acting capacity eroded the North’s confidence and trust in Jonathan.

The changing tide in the North/ South dichotomy has forced many Northern  critics of President Yar’Adua to tread softly, and rebuffed entreaties to comment on the development.

Idi Mamuda, National President of the Northern Youth Progressive in a chat with Vanguard declare that Goodluck Jonathan had within the very week of his acting capacity displayed ‘ethnic agenda’ through his actions and pronouncements.

Mamuda stated that  it is unbelievable that the man we expected to be fair to all unleashed his anger on the region by reshuffliing cabinet ministers and reversing contracts commissioned by his living boss’

An analyst, Isa Danmadami told Vanguard that they are opposed to Jonathan presidency because of ‘a conscious effort by the Southerners to ‘fraudulently rig the North out of power’, explaining that the North will resist attempt to have a replay of Cameroonian’s example in Nigeria politics.

“We are aware of happenings in the country, and the conscious effort to revisit Paul Biya’s treatment on the North. This I assure you we will be resisted. It won’t be allowed to happen’, Danmadami explained.

As it is stands today, the North is unified against Jonathan’s acting Presidency, and may employ the services of  reactionary elements within the larger group to prosecute the war. Head or tail Nigeria has to watch it to avoid the express way to Kigali .

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/03/04/why-north-is-skeptical-of-jonathans-acting-presidency/

As it is stands today, the North is unified against Jonathan’s acting Presidency, and may employ the services of reactionary elements within the larger group to prosecute the war.

So where are those fraudsters who keep chanting "Nigerian elites are the problem"?
I say northern obsession with power ( though they have failed to use it well for 39 years) is THE PROBLEM and this can still precipitate war.

It is one thing to be optimistic. It is another to be delusional about Nigeria. Every indicator leads to a future conflict.

This is very very interesting.
Should we call this a declaration of war?

LEKWANU ANOTHER CIVIL WAR

asha 80:

LEKWANU ANOTHER CIVIL WAR

This is crazy oh

Onlytruth:

Why North is skeptical of Jonathan’s Acting Presidency


Going by recent development in the polity,there is no doubt that the on- going power play at Aso rock over the plight of ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has angered the Northern elite who were convinced of ‘hi_tech conspiracy’ to rig the Hausa/Fulani dominated conservative region out of power through the back door.

[b]The emotions are high, and one can smell the hatred on the streets and cities of the Northern region. The reasons are not far fetched. It is borne out of the fear founded on what the Northern elites have come to identify as a ‘false start’ by the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who was conferred with presidential powers by the federal legislatures some weeks ago.[/b]http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/03/04/why-north-is-skeptical-of-jonathans-acting-presidency/

On a more serious note if the bolded above is true and not a media propaganda then every southerner up in the core north should better arm himself to the teeth to prevent a repeat of the Araba 66

asha 80:

On a more serious note if the bolded above is true and not a media propaganda then every southerner up in the core north should better arm himself to the teeth to prevent a repeat of the Araba 66

This is serious

Let nobody say, the issues Jonathan is facing are not the result a tribalistic war by those claiming to be "Northern leaders".
Let nobody say the intrigues we have seen are not a tribalistic reaction to Jonathan.

Call a spade, a spade.

It is a dangerous situation that must be met head on.

As it is stands today, the North is unified against Jonathan’s acting Presidency, and may employ the services of reactionary elements within the larger group to prosecute the war. Head or tail Nigeria has to watch it to avoid the express way to Kigali .

bring it on.

Beaf:

Let nobody say, the issues Jonathan is facing are not the result a tribalistic war by those claiming to be "Northern leaders".
Let nobody say the intrigues we have seen are not a tribalistic reaction to Jonathan.

Call a spade, a spade.

It is a dangerous situation that must be met head on.

Deep

ode remo:

bring it on.

Like say u dey ready.

As it is stands today, the North is unified against Jonathan’s acting Presidency, and may employ the services of  reactionary elements within the larger group to prosecute the war. Head or tail Nigeria has to watch it to avoid the express way to Kigali.

Racists like Tanko Yakasai needto be told who foots their bills.
We have been through so much bull in this country in the last four months, yet there are still clowns up North running around and making explosive statements, yet their kinsmen do not call them to order; silence they say, is acquiescence.

Jonathan should order all troops to their home states. Let us rewind 1966 and see who will win this time.

Imo,I think this whole issue has been overblown.thanks to the media for their continous dissection and unnecessary attention given to this issue.in as much as we needed to move forward and maintain the current peace,then the status quo should be maintained.the goveernors' forum after due consultation have resolved that jonathan should act and it was revealed that jonathan had not complained about any interference whatsoever in his discharge of presidential powers.there have been different analysis and there will still be more that will cause nothing but further ethnic distrust.As jonathan said in his speech,"its time to move forward in a more determine direction"

Alhaji Tanko Yakasai is just talking nonsense. Yar'adua is ill, he cannot govern, so who should take over ?

Because OBJ, a southerner, ruled for 8 years, does that mean we should bypass the sitting vice president and install
a northerner to replace Yar'adua ?

The Nigerian constitution has precedence over the interest of the North.

Jaylon:


Alhaji Tanko Yakasai is just talking nonsense. Yar'adua is ill, he cannot govern, so who should take over ?

Because OBJ, a southerner, ruled for 8 years, does that mean we should bypass the sitting vice president and install
a northerner to replace Yar'adua ?

The Nigerian constitution has precedence over the interest of the North.

That is what rotational presidency has brought to Nigeria

Jaylon:


Alhaji Tanko Yakasai is just talking nonsense. Yar'adua is ill, he cannot govern, so who should take over ?

Because OBJ, a southerner, ruled for 8 years, does that mean we should bypass the sitting vice president and install
a northerner to replace Yar'adua ?

The Nigerian constitution has precedence over the interest of the North.

ex-army generals arrangement!!!

~Bluetooth:

ex-army generals arrangement!!!

Exactly why it should not be allowed, cos this is democracy and not military rulership

NORTHERN NIGERIA is the problem we have with this country. They are a shameless and unashamed clueless set of people.

There is a saying in Southern Nigeria, ' he didn't do, and he refused to allow a doer to do'

The problem is not what tribe or religion or region the person who governs or preside over Nigeria comes from BUT their
COMPETENCE and LEADERSHIP

And on those two criteria highlited above, the North after more than 35 years out of our 50 years of Independence has failed woefully, and that is the reason the south want a better person. Granted OBJ may not be very good, but he is better than the best of the North.

WE in the South want power/Presidency for the development of our people, the North want it it to embezzle and improvished their own people, the records with respect to the difrence in the developments are there to see for everyone. They were stealing Southern oil and taken the money to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, they canot even build an hospital to treat themselves, and that is why those useless leaders will all die of treatable diseases and illnesses.

I think we should say enough is enough and everybody bear their own names and maybe go our separate ways. yeye people

Idi Mamuda, National President of the Northern Youth Progressive in a chat with Vanguard declare that Goodluck Jonathan had within the very week of his acting capacity displayed ‘ethnic agenda’ through his actions and pronouncements.

Mamuda stated that  it is unbelievable that the man we expected to be fair to all unleashed his anger on the region by reshuffliing cabinet ministers and reversing contracts commissioned by his living boss’

Aondoakaa was reshuffled and that annoys the North?

Very telling words. These basta'rds pretend to be fighting for a non-existent "Northern interest", whereas they deliberately keep their people poverty stricken, malnourished, hungry and iliterate; while they shovel stolen money in their pockets.

Northerners are better off understanding that these people are there to suck their blood, while claiming that Southerners are the enemy. It is easy to decieve those they have deliberately kept iliterate. There is always a ready store of almajiri's to unleash on innocent Southerners at any time.
Southerners are not the problem, rather Northern leaders are everyones problem.

vigasimple:

NORTHERN NIGERIA is the problem we have with this country. They are a shameless and unashamed clueless set of people.

There is a saying in Southern Nigeria, ' he didn't do, and he refused to allow a doer to do'

The problem is not what tribe or religion or region the person who governs or preside over Nigeria comes from BUT their
COMPETENCE and LEADERSHIP

And on those two criteria highlited above, the North after more than 35 years out of our 50 years of Independence has failed woefully, and tha is the reason the south want a better person. Granted OBJ may not be very good, but he is better than the best of the North.

WE in the South want power/Presidency for the development of our people, the North want it it to embezzle and improvished their own people, the records with respect to the difrence in the developments are there to see for everyone. They were stealing Southern oil and take the money to Dubai and saudi Arabia, they canot even build an hospital to treat themselves, and that is why those useless leaders will all die of treatable diseases and illness.

I think we should say enough is enough and everybody bear their own names and maybe go our separate ways. yeye people

It is not that easy

Fhemmmy:

Exactly why it should not be allowed, cos this is democracy and not military rulership

i guessed if it would ever be possible,i mean as at now because most of the political heavy weight in nigeria now are either ex-military or miliary-affiliated.viz ibb,obj,david mark,marwa,abdulsalam,mukhtar,gusau,ty danjuma and so many others.so you see

The North is scared of the following scenario playing out:

1.) Goodluck assumes full Presidential powers.

2.) Tompolo, Boyloaf & the Creek Side boyz start gingering some swagga.
2b.) Goodluck in the name of Niger Delta amensty, reconcilliation & all that shieet approves 75% derivation or autonomy or even Independence of ND region.

3.) May 2011 he leaves Aso Villa & returns to Niger Delta as Supreme Godfather/Elder statesman.

4.) Oil Poor North is left with just their Sausages in their hands.

diggler:

The North is scared of the following scenario playing out:

1.) Goodluck assumes full Presidential powers.

2.) Tompolo, Boyloaf & the Creek Side boyz start gingering some swagga.
2b.) Goodluck in the name of Niger Delta amensty, reconcilliation & all that shieet approves 75% derivation or autonomy or even Independence of ND region.

3.) May 2011 he leaves Aso Villa & returns to Niger Delta as Supreme Godfather/Elder statesman.

4.) Oil Poor North is left with just their Sausages in their hands.

roflmao

vigasimple:

NORTHERN NIGERIA is the problem we have with this country. They are a shameless and unashamed clueless set of people.

There is a saying in Southern Nigeria, ' he didn't do, and he refused to allow a doer to do'

The problem is not what tribe or religion or region the person who governs or preside over Nigeria comes from BUT their
COMPETENCE and LEADERSHIP

And on those two criteria highlited above, the North after more than 35 years out of our 50 years of Independence has failed woefully, and that is the reason the south want a better person. Granted OBJ may not be very good, but he is better than the best of the North.

WE in the South want power/Presidency for the development of our people, the North want it it to embezzle and improvished their own people, the records with respect to the difrence in the developments are there to see for everyone. They were stealing Southern oil and taken the money to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, they canot even build an hospital to treat themselves, and that is why those useless leaders will all die of treatable diseases and illnesses.

I think we should say enough is enough and everybody bear their own names and maybe go our separate ways. yeye people

Dats d big difference between the north and the south.

Onlytruth:

Why North is skeptical of Jonathan’s Acting Presidency

Alhaji  Yakasai who was former Liaison officer toformer president  Alhaji Shehu Shagari explains that the North is bent on maintaining every tenet of agreement that gave the South the Presidency for 8 years under Obasanjo.

“We are not talking of Jonathan, the issue is that the South had it for 8 years under Obasanjo, and the North should be allowed to have its own term of 8 years irrespective of current happening”, Tanko Yakasai explains.

Alhaji Yakasai accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo for scuttling the process that gave him 8 years in the presidency, stressing that his likes in the North are only trying to compel the PDP hierarchy to adhere to the gentleman agreement reached by the party on rotational presidency in 1999.

He accused the South of exploiting its vast media resources to unleash a war on a region that out of magnanimity conceded power to a Southerner in the interest of a united and strong nation.

Yakasai stated that it is only normal for the region to fight back, maintaining that anything short of it will be harmful to regional interest,and must not be allowed to happen.

He described those who entered into agreement with Obasanjo as naïve, stressing that ‘gentleman agreement is only entered into with a gentlemen’.

“Obasanjo has never shown traces of a gentleman all his life and the founding fathers of the PDP made a fatal mistake by agreeing on such deal with Obasanjo. The long and short of it is that the South is fighting to scuttle our chance and we are trying to resist them in a civilize way”,  he explained.

As it is stands today, the North is unified against Jonathan’s acting Presidency, and may employ the services of  reactionary elements within the larger group to prosecute the war. Head or tail Nigeria has to watch it to avoid the express way to Kigali .

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/03/04/why-north-is-skeptical-of-jonathans-acting-presidency/

Reading this peace makes me red with anger. In a civilized society, this piece would be treated as treason or at worst incitement and the person would be thrown into jail.

I hate arguing based on ethnic sentiments, this comment is annoying and insulting.

Now lets summarize the arguments presented above;

1. That Alhaji Yakasai and by extension the North cannot allow Jonathan a southerner to assume the presidency, because of the agreement they had with OBJ in 1999, irrespective of what the constitution says

2. That if the south should insist of following the constitution, the North would be ready for war to enforce that agreement.

3. That the only way we can ensure peace in Nigeria is by handing over to the north (Hausa/fulani.

But, the main issues are;

What was the Nature of the agreement and who were parties to the agreement? Was is a private agreement between a few northerners and Obasanjo, or between representatives of the Northern and southern political elites. Was in between the Yoruba and Hausa/ Fulani elites or between political representatives from all the over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria? Even fron the article above, we can clearly see that the agreements were personal gentleman's agreements with OBJ and OBJ broke a lot of them. SO let them publish the exact nature of the agreements the had with OBJ.

Yakasai is now indirectly confessing, that MKO was not allowed to assume power after winning an election because the North was not ready to concede power to the south and was ready to go to war to maintain their hold on power. And that they only agreed to concede power to OBJ to cool down tempers and then take it back immediately after. Because from what we know OBJ was given power not as a result of a rotational agreement but to pacify the Yorubas for MKO.

Another annoying issue is the fact that the Hausa/Fulani political elites arrogantly feels that the North starts and ends with their interests, what of the hundreds of other Northerners living in the North, have they been conquered into submitting to the hausa/fulanis, and so they are not entitled to vie for the presidency.

Then i am also surprised at the acquiescence of the Yoruba's, why don't they come out and tell us if it is true that they have entered into a secrete agreement with the Hausa/Fulanis. They seem to agree with the postulations of Yakasai.

.