"The delegates should have thought that the choice of President Jonathan would provoke religious sentiment, which is very dangerous," Tanko Yakasai, a spokesman for the group, told AFP.

"The whipping of religious sentiment in the north against , President Goodluck Jonathan is a dangerous development to the sustenance of democracy and national peace and stability," said Shehu Sani of the northern Civil Rights Congress organisation.

asamuel:

Do you blame the almajiris? It's whatever their Imams in the mosque tell them that they do, not using common sense. They must have been told the Christians have taken over Nigeria and muslims will never rule again unless they fight with their blood. Can we see why our politicians want Nigerian youths to remain uneducated?

asamuel:

I just pray the whole crisis will lead to the disintegration of PDP. That way, Nigeria can make progress.

superboi:

We have to show this people that the can not use violence as a political currency. If they dare attacker people from other region or religion they should be attacked back also. Haba as their father Abacha would say, Enaff is enaff.

asamuel:

@sky blue. I disagree with you that opposition parties are not working hard to remove PDP. You should know that the resources of PDP cannot be marched by any opposition party. PDP has been ruling this country since this nonsense called democracy commenced. PDP loots the nation's treasury to win election, from OBJ to GEJ. Worse still, the corruption effect in Nigerians make many Nigerians to enjoy the whole saga, leaving the opposition very helpless. Tell me, if not, why will anybody still want to vote for PDP, looking at the damage the party has done to this country?

asamuel:

Backlash over Nigerian leader's presidential run
By Aminu Abubakar (AFP) – 5 hours ago

KANO, Nigeria — Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's primary victory has led to protests and anger in parts of the country's mainly Muslim north, the first signs of a backlash to his controversial nomination.

Jonathan, a southern Christian, easily won the Peoples Democratic Party primary vote last week, but his candidacy remains controversial because some argue a northern candidate should have been given the nomination.

Hundreds of Muslim youths poured into the streets of the northern cities of Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina and Hadejia at the weekend in protest, burning PDP flags and membership cards, witnesses told AFP.

On Sunday, the PDP campaign headquarters in the northern city of Sokoto burned, but the cause was unclear, local radio reported.

In Katsina, the home state of Jonathan?s predecessor, the late Umaru Yar?Adua, fiery sermons were delivered in mosques during Friday prayers urging Muslims not to vote for PDP candidates, local media reported.

Mass text messages on mobile phones have also been sent condemning northern state governors as "the enemies of the north and Islam" for supporting Jonathan instead of Atiku Abubakar, who challenged the president for the nomination.

The controversy stems from an arrangement within the PDP that says its candidates should be rotated between the mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south every eight years -- called "zoning."
Jonathan became president in May after the death of Yar'Adua, who had not finished his first term, leading some to argue another northerner should take his place.

The party has won every presidential vote since Africa's most populous nation returned to civilian rule in 1999, making the PDP nominee the obvious favourite in the April 9 election.

"We have resolved to renounce our membership of the PDP for the injustice meted on the north over the zoning arrangement and have started consultation on which of the northern candidates to vote for in the presidential election," said Ahmad Yazid Rafindadi, who led the protest in Katsina.

All three major opposition parties have nominated northern Muslim candidates.

Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, running under the Congress for Progressive Change banner, is particularly seen as a potential threat to Jonathan if he forms an alliance with another influential party.

But despite the bluster, the extent of northern discontent with Jonathan remains difficult to gauge.

It was unclear whether the protests resulted from politicians co-opting youth gangs and sending them into the streets, as has been done in the past.

"There is strong public anger against northern PDP governors for going against the popular will of their people in supporting Jonathan in the primaries," said Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed, a political science professor at the northern Ahmadu Bello University.

"Certain political forces are no doubt exploiting this public disenchantment, especially the religious aspect of it."

Some had also predicted that Jonathan's primary run would result in violence and that Abubakar, an ex-vice president, would be a strong challenger.

In the end, Jonathan handily defeated Abubakar. There has been an upsurge in violence in recent weeks, including bomb attacks in the capital Abuja and the central city of Jos, but it is unclear whether it is directly linked to Jonathan's run.

"The whipping of religious sentiment in the north against , President Goodluck Jonathan is a dangerous development to the sustenance of democracy and national peace and stability," said Shehu Sani of the northern Civil Rights Congress organisation.

"It is equally true that politicians and Christian clerics in the south are also using religion to promote and rally support for Jonathan against northern candidates."

The Northern Elders Assembly, which challenged Jonathan's candidacy in court, blames northern PDP delegates who supported the president.

"The delegates should have thought that the choice of President Jonathan would provoke religious sentiment, which is very dangerous," Tanko Yakasai, a spokesman for the group, told AFP.


Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5giPnIT3W2sDLKNMnwV2FkLaWUPlw?docId=CNG.3979b9cd43236654729450c12c6fab04.2f1

asamuel:

@sky blue. If you say there's no alternative to PDP, I'll tell you it's a lie. Pat Utomi is contesting. Ribadu is contesting. Buhari is contesting. Please tell me who is not better than Jonathan among these people. Jonathan was a deputy governor, then a governor, then a VP and now a president. What did he achieve? In all his decisions so far, he has been commiting blunders. He has squandered all our money in securing delegates. Will you want this kind of person to rule you? Even if my votes won't count, I'll better throw it away than give it to Jonathan.

asamuel:

Reasonable people would vote for individuals and not parties of course. But sometimes a party's performance could be so woeful that a rightthinking person would reject all its elements. no matter how good they may look. PDP is so bad that even if you plant a saint there, it would become a pig. Look I am off to bed. Good luck on your PDP ambition!!!

Sky Blue:

That is not always the case and is more a symptom of a country with very weak institutions where any change in government can cause massive disruption and bring about little to no continuation. Do you think if the PDP aspirant in Lagos wins the gubernatorial elections there would eb continuation in policies (good ones ) that the present government has started, or would the new man try to start everything from scratch again just to prove their is a new man in town? Don't necessarily answer based on what your ideal for the situation is, rather look back at the numerous experiences of the past before you answer.


Now thats a fact you've stated there.

Our institutions need strengthning and continuity and must not be based on individuals.

Just use NAFDAC as a case study where continuity is at work.

We need more of such.

Onlytruth:

Apparently some people think that Nigeria is their sectional property, so they riot when they lose ordinary presidential primaries. Talk of mass arrogance and delusion.

Sai wan Naijeria!

ndu_chucks:

Instead of posting utter rubbish, you would have been better off supporting people who were peacefully protesting their disenfranchisement at the hands of PDP. Their peaceful protests turned into riots in certain areas as a result of the failure of the authorities to keep the crowd under control and unnecessary provocation.

If more Nigerians protest such disenfranchisement  instead of simply rolling over for more, the country will be better off. olodo

Onlytruth:

Apparently some people think that Nigeria is their sectional property, so they riot when they lose ordinary presidential primaries. Talk of mass arrogance and delusion. 

Sai wan Naijeria!  

Beaf:

Almajiri's rioting!!!
What has politics been reduced to that people now wheel out kids to protest political party primaries?

I call it foolishness.

shakes my head at the level of ignorance

alj harem:

Mr stu.pid and Mr ideeiot

shakes my head at the level of ignorance