President Goodluck Jonathan has made
several recent visits to Nigeria’s South
West, meeting various traditional and
other leaders in the region that is vastly
controlled by the country’s major
opposition party, the All Progressives
Congress (APC). How far can he go
with this strategy? Our Senior Reporter,
AKINWUMI KING, writes.
When the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) announced the
postponement of the general elections
earlier scheduled February 14 and 28, the
opposition party, All Progressives
Congress (APC), and some Nigerians were
of the opinion that both the presidency and
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
deliberately shifted the polls because they
were scared of losing, especially the
presidential election.
And since the postponement, both the APC
and PDP have had more time to perfect
their campaigns as their presidential
candidates and their teams have been
going from places to places.
Just on Thursday, the APC presidential
candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, was at the
Chatham House in the United Kingdom
(UK), where he spoke on some of his
plans, if he is eventually elected on March
28.
Also, as part of last efforts to win the
election, PDP’s President Goodluck
Jonathan was in the South West, where he
appealed to traditional rulers from the geo-
political zone to support him in his bid to
be re-elected. According to sources,
Jonathan was in the zone to lobby the
monarchs, knowing that votes from the
region were vital to his victory.
Apart from the Northern Region, which has
the largest chunk of votes, South West
seems to be the second, with over 13
million votes. The calculation, according to
other sources, was that if Jonathan is able
to garner the largest votes from the Soth
west, South East and South South, then, he
may not need to bother about where the
Northern votes will go.
So, the president’s visit to the South West,
which took him to Lagos, Ogun and Oyo
states, was specifically to enure that he
gets the majority votes in the zone,
especially as former President Olusegun
Obasanjo had dropped his support for him.
During the visit, Jonathan was said to have
met monarchs in the Ogun Central
Senatorial District, which are of Egba
extraction, the same region where
Obasanjo hails from. He also visited the
Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi II and
the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh
Ajagungbade, also in Oyo State.
On Jonathan’s entourage were PDP
National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu; former
Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel;
former Minister of State for Defence,
Musiliu Obanikoro; Minister of State for
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jomoke
Akinjide and Ayo Adeseun.
As it was gathered, the monarchs at the
meeting held in Abeokuta, requested that
the President should sign an undertaking
that if he is re-elected, South West will be
given valuable positions in his (Jonathan)
government. The traditional rulers were
said to have complained that the Yoruba
have been totally marginalised in
Jonathan’s government.
A former Minister of Works, Adeseye
Ogunlewe, who gave a hint on what the
president’s visit was all about, reportedly
disclosed that the Yoruba elders lamented
that the people of the South West had been
marginalised in the Jonathan
administration and that the monarchs
asked the president to put into writing that
if he wins the March 28 elections, Yoruba
would be given key positions in his
government.
Ogunlewe was quoted as saying, “The
President was here for our support in the
South West, which he will need in order to
weaken the effect of the North West. He
met with our leaders and Obas and
discussions and negotiations are on-
going.
“Specifically, the Yoruba leaders lamented
that there was no Yoruba person in the top
15 positions in this country. The only
position that we were to get, which was the
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
was blocked by Bola Tinubu.
“So, the President has been asked to put it
into writing that Yoruba will be given top
positions during his next term and also
implement the resolutions of the National
Conference with regards to the Yoruba. I
was not part of the meeting, which is being
held by the most senior Yoruba elders; but,
I am aware that discussions are still on,”
said Ogunlewe.
It was, however, not disclosed whether
Jonathan agreed to the terms and
conditions given by the traditional rulers.
But, feelers from the meeting claimed that
some of the monarchs, especially those
from Ogun State, raised various attacks on
Obasanjo, after he announced his exit from
the PDP. The monarchs allegedly told
Jonathan to caution his aides to cease
further media attacks on Obasanjo.
One monarch was even said to have
frowned at the impromptu meeting, which
he regarded disrespect to the royal class.
“We must be respected, because, we are
not politicians and cannot just be
summoned to a meeting without prior
notice. Also, we down here, always respect
elders; we don’t say because of politics,
one will not know his elders.”
The APC, in its reaction to the visit,
advised the traditional rulers to be
conscious of the implications of wht they
termed “Greek gift”, allegedly coming from
the president. The South West APC, in a
statement by its Director of Publicity, Ayo
Afolabi, advised the monarchs, who he
described as the bastion of democratic
justice and good governance, should vote
for their true cultural identity that loathes
tyranny, corruption and nepotism.
According to the APC, the visit had no
redemptive electoral value in South-West
because, “it is devoid of strategic
assessment,” asking how many of such
desperate and impromptu meetings were
needed before Yoruba voted for the
president in 2011.
“How much did President Jonathan spend
to get Yoruba votes in 2011 and why
should he think money will save him now?
Except the Yoruba, all other regions
extracted several promises from President
Jonathan in the race to 2011 elections,”
the statement read, adding that the zone
voted based on their firm convictions and
commitment to justice and good
governance.
On his part, founder of the Odua People’s
Congress (OPC), Fredrick Fasehun,
recently disclosed that Yoruba elders had
decided to support Jonathan based on his
promise to implement the National
Conference report. He sais: “The promise
he gave us is that if he comes back for a
second term, he will ensure that the
decisions of the Confab are perfected and
implemented as soon as he comes in.
“The Yoruba want self-determination
within the federation that will ensure their
form of government and politics and want
to be able to develop their own region.”
A member of the Lagos State House of
Assembly, Segun Olulade, who spoke with
our reporter, insisted that Jonathan’s visit
to the South West cannot change the
decision of Nigerians, who are determined
to make a change with their votes. While
referring to the PDP as confused and
desperate party, he said, “if you know the
politics of the South West, you will
understand that the desperation of those in
the PDP is pushing them to make
fundamental errors.”
Olulade, who is the Chairman, House of
Committee on Information, Publicity,
Security and Strategy, pointed out that
traditional rulers in the South West are
reasonable and wise people. “Do you think
they will want to believe any promise made
by Jonathan? The same Jonathan that
promised his party that he was going to
serve only one term and later turned back
to deny it. I am sure our monarchs can’t
be deceived and they will do what is right
when the time comes.”
Also, APC National Publicity Secretary, Lai
Mohammed, disclosed that his party was
not losing sleep over the antics of the
PDP. He stressed: “To be honest with you,
we are not losing sleep over the desperate
attempt by the PDP to rewrite history.
Today, Nigerians know that the APC is a
movement which time has come. Tell me,
who among those leaders, who they are
busy dolling out money to, can win their
wards?
“Tell me, who will vote for a party and a
candidate that has so mismanaged the
economy that one dollar is now
exchanging for N218? Is it that woman in
Balogun market that used to exchange the
naira to the dollar at $1-N160? Our only
worry is: where is the money the PDP
campaign organisation is giving out to
people coming from at a time the naira is
on a free fall? Where are these billions of
naira coming from?”.
One of the president’s campaign
strategists, Segun Awosanya, who said
recently that even though the president’s
visit to the South West was not all about
campaigning, it would definitely boost the
party’s chances in the region. He
condemned those who saw the visit simply
in terms of it being a show of might
against the APC.
“As president of the country, Jonathan can
choose to be anywhere he pleases. It is
not a show of might. But, the APC, being
founded on falsehood, believes a lot of
phantasmagoria. They are afraid that we
are here to destroy their propaganda;
afraid that their campaign has hit a pause;
that their candidate is absent and they are
shaking over the presence of the
president,” he said.
APC Publicity Secretary in Lagos, Joe
Igbokwe, said that the president’s visit will
have no effect because “Nigerians know
that he has failed already. He can go
anywhere he likes, but he has lost this
election already.”


http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/03/jonathans-bold-move-capture-south-west/

the pdp is not a popular party how much more a poverty development president,waste of time unless they use force

The result of this coming election go be like film triks 4 some people. Finger crossed

Jonathan to win South West?? Joke of the century!

Nigerians know,that he has failed already. He can go anywhere he likes,but he has
lost this election already. GBAM !