North should forget power
Dogoyaro, PDP stalwart*Says ‘it’s undemocratic to scheme out Jonathan’
From Our reporter
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Dogoyaro
Photo: Sun Publishing
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Alhaji Bibi Dogoyaro Abubakar is a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State. The former Special Adviser on Crisis Management to the Ahmadu Muazu administration in Bauchi State told Daily Sun that it is undemocratic for the PDP to scheme out Acting President Goodluck Jonathan from the 2011 presidential race. Excerpts:

Ailing President Umaru
“Any mortal can fall sick anytime, we don’t have control over that. It is only God that can heal. While we empathise with Yar’Adua and his family on the situation, I must quick to point out that the health situation of the President has not been managed well by his handlers.

“There are reports that up till now Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has not seen him. To me, the first person to have access to Yar’Adua is the Acting President. So, it is improper and unfair to prevent Jonathan from Yar’Adua. It is so bad that the President’s handlers have embarked on deception on his state of health. Today, they would say the president would attend the Friday Jumat service, tomorrow he was seen in his library. The other time he was doing physical exercise.

This approach is childish and would lead us nowhere.
“We can’t continue this way. A president of a nation was hurriedly bundled out of the country and returned after three months like a contraband. Yet the nation has not seen him publicly since November 23. This is very unfortunate. The proper thing must be done. The Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) should invoke the necessary section of the constitution to deal with the Yar’Adua’s health. A medical panel should be constituted to ascertain his fitness for the office.
Honestly, Yar’Adua should be impeached so that the Acting President can become a substantive president. This will allow Nigeria to move forward.”

Sacked cabinet
“The sacking of the ministers by Acting President Jonathan was a right step in the right direction. Some of the former ministers constituted themselves as a clog in the wheel of progress. Unfortunately, their performances were below expectations. This nation must progress.
“The action of the Acting President should not be limited to the sack of the ministers; the federal boards should also be looked into. Many of the boards are rotten and should be reconstituted to drive the economy.”

Emergence of Jonathan as Acting President
“It is a blessing to Nigeria. For people who crave for the unity and progress of Nigeria, Jonathan’s emergence as the Acting Governor is a watershed in the history of Nigeria. Since he took over the reigns of government, the Acting President has taken some pragmatic steps to move the country forward. The action of the National Assembly which invoked the doctrine of necessity to empower the Acting President was in the national interest.

“It is important for us at this time to put that controversy behind us so that we can rally round him in his search for a way out of the woods. So far, his performance in office has improved the international image of the country. If the environment is right, he will surely do better. Don’t forget, the circumstance that threw him up as Acting President wasn’t his making. He did not scheme for the job until the National Assembly intervened. Another ambitious person would have been caught in one funny trick or the other. Everything was an act of God.”

The US visit
“The US invitation was a good omen for the administration. It shows the interest the Western powers have in the new leadership under Jonathan. Nigeria occupies a strategic position in Africa. Until this time, we have been relegated to the background because of our inability to demonstrate good leadership to other states on the continent.

“The invitation to the nuclear disarmament summit is another opportunity for us to show to the world that Nigeria is capable of solving its own problems and also be a leading voice in the sub-region. What we need to do to maximize the benefit of that trip is to ensure the conduct of credible elections in 2010. A lot of good things are already in the pipeline, especially in view of the promise made by Obama to support the country in some critical areas.

“We can tap into this understanding to overcome the developmental challenges facing the nation. This is the beginning of a new relationship. But how we sustain it will depend on our practice of democracy. Jonathan has promised to ensure a free and fair election in 2010. I believe he is committed to it. Let’s support him.”

Jonathan and 2011 presidency
“The decision of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to bar Jonathan from the race was done in bad taste and against the tenets of democracy. How could you scheme out a great potential out of the race just because you want the presidency to remain in the North? In all honesty, zoning the presidency to a particular region is undemocratic, parochial and a contraption in democracy. I admonish Nigerians to de-emphasize politics of regionalism and tribalism in the interest of the unity and sustenance of the nascent democracy.

“Jonathan’s presidency is still a continuation of the Yar’Adua government, which under the PDP zoning arrangement will lapse by 2015. It is, therefore, unfair and illogical for a section of politicians from the North to try to cause confusion in the polity by insisting on clinching the presidency in 2011. Doing so is tantamount to violating the Yar’Adua/Jonathan accord unanimously endorsed by the party in 2007.

“I will implore the PDP NWC to ensure immediate review of the party’s presidential zoning arrangement, which favours the selection of who becomes the party’s presidential flag-bearer in the next year’s election to the North. What Nigerians need today is visionary leadership rather than sectional leadership. Where a leader hails from is immaterial so long he or she can deliver and move the country forward.

“Jonathan is committed to continuing with the progressive aspirations of President Yar’Adua. There is a substantial stability in the oil industry. Nigerians are now beginning to enjoy stability in electricity supply within the short period of the doctrine of necessity under Jonathan. We need a rebirth in this country.”

The North and the leadership problem.
“For decades in northern Nigeria, we have watched with serious concern how some few opportunist, hangers-on that benefited from the northernization policies of the late patriarchs, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, have turned corridors of power into personal estates for self-enrichment, when majority of the people of the region are dying in abject poverty.
“The same cabal has over the years only translated the political power to impoverishment, a recurring ethno-religious unrest, unemployment, highest illiteracy level and general underdevelopment of the region. The North has not been better off under a northerner.”

What is the state of development in your state, Bauchi?
“There were high hopes when Governor Isa Yuguda came into office in 2007. He came through popular vote with the expectation that he would turn the fortunes of the state around. But three years down the line, there are still much to be done by the Yuguda administration for the people of the state.

There were lots of promises made when the governor came into office, he must strive to fulfil his electoral promises so that the people can trust him with their mandate in 2011. Yuguda should also try to unite the PDP in state as many party chieftains are aggrieved with the turn of events in the state chapter of the party.”

am not moved, this is just another northern power scheming gambit, no body should be deceived by these people, they have been in intrigues since the 16th century and more over they are not true blacks, the arab blood is much too much and that,s why they are bent on destroying nigeria