[size=14pt]Kalu Seeks Ndigbo’s Support for Jonathan[/size]
05.31.2010

Former governorship candidate of the All progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Onwuka Kalu, has challenged the Igbo people to stand up and take a stand on where they belong as far as the 2011 presidency is concerned, saying Ndigbo cannot afford to sit on the fence in the face of present realities.


"My advise to Igbo leaders is that they should urgently raise a team, preferably a non-partisan team, comprising Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, Alex Ekwueme, Ebitu Ukiwe, Arthur Nzeribe, Emannuel Iwuanyanwu, Ken Nnamani, Sunny Odogwu, Peter Odili , Godwin Ndubisi Kanu, Pat Utomi, B B Apugo, Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, Pius Anyim, Ogbonnaya Onu, and others to meet Goodluck Jonathan and urge him to contest the 2011 Presidential Election," Kalu said.


In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, Kaslu said there were so many “reasons why I wholeheartedly urge Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to throw his hat into the ring for the 2011 presidential elections. He should contest. If he contests, I believe majority of Nigerians will vote for him and I believe he will win by the grace of God. His victory will ensure continuity and completion of the lofty programs his former boss, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’ardua had started. In 2007,


“Yar’ardua and Jonathan were voted into Aso Rock as a package. From all indications, that package could have gone for a second term had the late president lived till 2011. Unfortunately and regrettably, one half of that package is gone.


I think it is only fair that the remaining half is given the opportunity and the support to continue and complete the eight years. Anything to the contrary is against natural justice.
“ To those who are against Jonathan running in 2011, my question is: are you saying that the Niger Delta is only good to produce the wealth of the Nation but not good enough to produce a President – a manager of that wealth?


Kalu added that there was nothing in the constitution of Nigeria that “precludes Goodluck Jonathan, or Ibrahim Babangida, or Atiku Abubakar or Orji Kalu or Bola Tinubu, or Muhammed Buhari, or Ebitu Ukiwe, from contesting for the presidency in 2011 if they are nominated to do so by a political party.” According to him, there in nothing to show that election rigging in Nigeria is primarily instigated by a sitting president.

“So, those who are opposed to Jonathan’s candidacy on this score are wrong. They have ulterior motives. I would argue that much as a sitting president would have a say in who becomes the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission – INEC, there is no proof that the person will take instructions from the president to commit a crime as heinous as electoral malpractice. The president must simply ensure that only a reputable person is appointed to that exalted office of INEC chairman in accordance with the recommendations of the Uwais Report. It is upto the person so appointed to ensure that he is a true umpire in an election where the president is also a candidate.


He noted that our recent experience in Ghana, Republic of Benin and Siera Leone has shown that all it takes to conduct a credible election is an independently minded umpire who is prepared to conduct election according to the law of the land and declare true results which may not always be in favour of the sitting president. An umpire who will call a spade, a spade, irrespective of whose ox is gored.

“Before we open our mouth too wide to support or oppose Jonathan for 2011, we must pause and ponder about the role of God in the life of our nation and in the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as our president. If you study the life of Goodluck Jonathan very closely, you will know that he is one of those people God has been using to teach us lessons,” Kalu asserted;

According to him, "Ndigbo should discuss our strategic interests with him and obtain concessions for them, and in return back him up. We should be seen to be championing his bid to the 2011 presidency. Ndigbo should not wait for others to take the lead and then start reacting."

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=174547

No body is preventing Jonathan from contesting the 2011 presidential election. The crux of the debate is that he should respect the PDP zoning arrangement which the founding members of the party agreed upon. However, if he thinks that he can win the election fair and square without the PDP rigging machine, then he should decamp to other political parties like AC or ANPP that might be more willing to field him as their candidate.

What are you talking about.

Even the PDP never at any time agree to zoning of the president.
What the PDP agree to was rotation between the south and the North,

So Igbo can contest, yorubas can contest and south south.

Now Obasanjo southerner started it.
Then Yar Adua Northerner continued
Now 2011 is the turn of the South. A northerner can not continue after Yar Adua.

Everybody can contest. It is winning that is the problem.

If pdp zoning arrangement is what determines the president of this country then am afraid theres no democracy in nigeria. our votes dont count, and leaders are imposed on us. Are we running an interim system of govt?

This Onwuka Kalu is just looking for cheap relevance; why have these old men refused to die sef?

It is called Political Re-Alignment.

Commendable idea. If we in the East don't back him up who do we expect? Charity begins at home.

dem do come again.YEAJ-YOUTHS EARNESTLY ASK FOR JONATHAN.

IGBOS EARNESTLY ASK FOR JONATHAN-IEAJ.

How much is ever enough for this old buffons.Still seeking the odd airport road/refinery contract.thief

Musiwa,:

What are you talking about.

Even the PDP never at any time agree to zoning of the president.
What the PDP agree to was rotation between the south and the North,

So Igbo can contest, yorubas can contest and south south.

Now Obasanjo southerner started it.
Then Yar Adua Northerner continued
Now 2011 is the turn of the South. A northerner can not continue after Yar Adua.

Everybody can contest. It is winning that is the problem.

Q.E.D

did Jonathan force him to drum up support?

I think what Kalu was trying to do may be right but with wrong motive. I dont understand what he mean or where he is going and beside I find it so hard to beleif him saying because Jonathan is from east zone pls point of correction did Jonathan regard himself as Eastern man or people and we Ibo need to get this right the people from Jonathan region has carved out their own name as Niger Delta people full stop.

I dont understand when some so called politician talk and be mentioning voting for someone because he is from so and so region is that a democracy? If this is the way a president is chosen then why Voting? why are we wasting our time even conducting election? It's absolute nonsense.

For Kalu I dont have any word for him yet because I dont know what he is talking about at this moment now.

Let everybody who want to contest come out and do so freely PDP is a party not Nigeria. And Nigerians are not PDP workers, beside we have other parties so Nigeria is not one party country. So the issue of zoning should be throw to Bin.

What I am saying in essence is that lets stop give reason to support or vote for anybody be the issue of he os from so and so place if Jonathan want contest he should do so, if any Ibo man want to contest let do so if he win so be it, if a Benin man want to contest he is free, if a Yoruba man want he is free and if any Hausa man as well. All we care about is a performing leader with heart of Human beign not a nasty goat disguise as a politician.

There's a lot of sense in wat Kalu has said, its time 4 d easterners nd oda southerners 2 start engagin Jonathan so that they can mobilize a bloc vote 4 him across party lines so dat if not d whole north then a section of d north can sway 2 Jonathan otherwise Jonathan may as well be hijacked by d north, because as we spik d north is consultin widely nd they also hav Jonathan on their cards.


Just lik somone said earlier it makes no sense votin a candidate because of his zone, but instead lik anoda said Jonathan nd Yaradua are 2 halves of 4 2007 presidency wit d 7point agenda which has a clear focus of settin dis country straight Jonathan shld be allowed 2 complete nd promote d 7point agenda.

none zone the president in the PDP to the south south. It was zone to the south. so Igbos can contest and Yorubas can contest. .

Good idea

metal-gong:

No body is preventing Jonathan from contesting the 2011 presidential election. The crux of the debate is that he should respect the PDP zoning arrangement which the founding members of the party agreed upon. However, if he thinks that he can win the election fair and square without the PDP rigging machine, then he should decamp to other political parties like AC or ANPP that might be more willing to field him as their candidate.

In the above, I think I smell the "it will be Igbo turn next, if we allow the North". Well, well! Kanti-Bello, that obnoxious "Northern leader of thought" thinks otherwise. He believes zoning should end in 2015 (after a "Northerner" for 2011 of course). Where exactly does that leave your hopes?
The East and South South were never factored into zoning, so please think fast. The Hausa Fulani do not own Nigeria and cannot by any stretch, claim to be the "North". Fight for your rights, your region produces a lot of money but are simple water carriers in the Nigerian scheme of things; why sweat to maintain a rotten status quo?

udezue:

Commendable idea. If we in the East don't back him up who do we expect? Charity begins at home.

Udezue my brother, you have hit the nail on the head. Jonathan has Northern, Yoruba and SS support, so why not Eastern support? Jonathan's home state falls within the former Eastern region and he has already shown good tendencies toward empowering every Nigerian back into the political fold; no more will the East be ostracised from Nigeria. The SS, SE SW, Northern Christian and Middle Belt alliance is natural, lets push it.

In all ramifications southerners got the majority, and i know many of them would rather goodluck gets another term, so it would be nice if they'd join forces and back goodluck

I think every right thinking Nigerian should be supporting Jonathan by advising him on ways of solving numerous Nigerians' socio economic problems then when we see how he performs in this remaining time we will then tell him to continue.

I argued this point once. It makes every sense and I don't see how Ndigbo loses provided we extract concessions from GJ first, and those concessions aren't even much: functional international airport, fixed federal roads, bridge and second bridge at Onitsha, remove quota system and federal character, expand Calabar and Port harcourt ports (these should interest south south too), state police (if possible). He doesn't have to achieve all of these, but at least he can achieve most if he wants.

Let's support him if we get those commitments from him first.

Onlytruth:

I argued this point once. It makes every sense and I don't see how Ndigbo loses provided we extract concessions from GJ first, and those concessions aren't even much: functional international airport, fixed federal roads, bridge and second bridge at Onitsha, remove quota system and federal character, expand Calabar and Port harcourt ports (these should interest south south too), state police (if possible). He doesn't have to achieve all of these, but at least he can achieve most if he wants.

Let's support him if we get those commitments from him first.

Ojukwu already signed you guys up for IBB. and you already have an international airport.

sjeezy8:

Ojukwu already signed you guys up for IBB. and you already have an international airport.

Maybe you didn't read where I said "functional international airport". .
My position is that we should support whoever can win, and deliver on a promise. If none of them can win or deliver on a promise to us, we should not vote for them, heck we can even skip on voting for a president.
If both GJ and IBB can deliver, then we go for GJ for obvious reasons.

Onlytruth:

Maybe you didn't read where I said "functional international airport". .
My position is that we should support whoever can win, and deliver on a promise. If none of them can win or deliver on a promise to us, we should not vote for them, heck we can even skip on voting for a president.
If both GJ and IBB can deliver, then we go for GJ for obvious reasons.

You are an IBB boy- im sure you will go to your hometown with an IBB poster and shirt

"a vote for IBB is a vote for ndigbo in 2015" lol

sjeezy8:

You are an IBB boy- im sure you will go to your hometown with an IBB poster and shirt

"a vote for IBB is a vote for ndigbo in 2015" lol

Truth is that I believe that the PDP zoning arrangement will stop Jonathan. It should, unless he changes party. So, to break it down for you; if Jonathan gets the PDP to drop or amend their zoning arrangement, then he is home and dry, and gets my vote obviously. If he decamps to a different party, he still gets my vote, provided he commits to those things I listed earlier. Bottomline is that if he does the right things, I would vote for him. Ojukwu made his statements mainly based on PDP zoning arrangement. Politics is a fluid game. No hard feelings. To call me an IBB boy is naive and glib.

aint we tired of all this 'Recycled retired generals' and ex ministers.

We need a breath of fresh air more like.

To hell with zoning.

sjeezy8:

Ojukwu already signed you guys up for IBB.

Lol. I was about to say the same thing!lol.

i think all south should support jonathan come 2011. is there any thing wrong for a ND man to lead our country since almost all the wealth of nigeria comes from there( though we igbos have much of the oil too). but then jonathan has shown some qualities which seems a step towards right direction. please for GOD sake all i want is nigeria to become great! look at how other countries are making fun of us! can you imagine ghana and south africa, now they have join other countries in making fun of our great nation nigeria. hausa/fulani should wait and see what nigeria will turn into with jonathan on the sit come after 2011.

My question is this;
"Let's assume Jonathan does not contest in 2011 - if a northerner takes over and runs again in 2015, will u call the Israeli Mossad to blow up Aso rock?

Do you think we should sacrifice this political stabilty to zoning formula coin by a Party, Please if we can break off from norms that has made us failures for 50 years, let us do it. Ethnicity is the problem of NIGERIA

benzine:

My question is this;
"Let's assume Jonathan does not contest in 2011 - if a northerner takes over and runs again in 2015, will u call the Israeli Mossad to blow up Aso rock?

Nobody is against Northerners, so lets avoid simplistic arguments.
Those "leaders" in the class of Tanko Yakasai, Isa Yuguda, Yerima, IBB, Kanti-Bello etc DO NOT represent the average Northerner. Those men and their type represent all that is corrupt, backward and wicked about Nigeria. In the 40 years they have been in power, what have they achieved even for their own people? Everyone knows that the North is the poorest and by far the most deprived of Nigerian regions; yet all young progressive Northerners and other future detribalised leaders have been witch-hunted, criminalised, hounded into jail, or forced into exile (in a democracy ). Masari, Ribadu and El-Rufai easily come to mind.

The North is more of a hostage to these men than Nigeria in general (judging by the incredible degree of backwardness they have levied against their own people). At this point in time, the North actually needs the South to save it from the bloodsuckers, paedophiles and vampires that have siezed her instituitions of power and are plotting ways to extend their territory across the country. The North deserves a fresh and better set of rulers, leaders and opinion shapers than they currently have. . . Nobody deserves the likes of Yerima and his 13 year old "bride".