Punchng:

Great leaders don’t ask youths to attack others -
Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said no great
leader would encourage youths to attack others because of
political differences.
Although, he was not specific, Jonathan was apparently
reacting to an attack on his convoy by some suspected
political thugs during his Tuesday visit to Katsina.
Speaking at the Aminu Kano Triangle Square, Dutse in Jigawa
State, in continuation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s
presidential campaign, Jonathan recalled that past leaders
harped on unity, unlike current leaders.
He said leadership should not be about intimidation.
He said, “Leadership is not about intimidating people, it is
not about threatening people.
“One thing about democracy is that people should be free.
Freedom is the hallmark of democracy, democracy where
you are not free, democracy where you will live in bondage,
is not democracy. Nigerians will never be in bondage, this
country must be united.
“Sule Lamido mentioned Aminu Kano; he talked about Sir
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello; these are great
Nigerian leaders that talked and spoke about unity,
encouraged the unity of this country.
“They never encouraged young people to attack others
because of political differences.
“We believe in one Nigeria and we just celebrated our
centenary as a nation. Nobody can disintegrate this country,
we will remain united.”
Jonathan restated his position that Nigeria, under his watch,
would overcome the challenges currently posed by the Boko
Haram sect.
He said his administration would not allow any person or
group to disintegrate the country.
In his remarks, Governor Sule Lamido alleged that those
who did not support the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, in the North
were being vilified, called names and blackmailed.
He said the only thing the APC had was Buhari’s popularity.
Lamido added that the North was liberated by Aminu Kano,
regretting that leaders were being nsulted by the youth of
the region because they had different political views from
that of Buhari.