The main promoter of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential ambition, the Friends of Democracy, has summoned its leaders to two separate emergency meetings to map out fresh strategies to ensure that the President emerged a presidential candidate in the 2011 elections.



A source close to the group told our correspondent in Abuja that the first meeting was billed to take place at the residence of the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Aba-Aji, on Monday night.



As at press time on Monday, the meeting was yet to commence but it was learnt the second meeting by the Aba-Aji-led Friends of Democracy, would take place on Tuesday (today) at a yet-to-be determined location.



Our source, who declined to be named, explained that the meetings were neccessitated by the decision of the governors of the South-East not to support Jonathan until other presidential aspirants had declared their interests in the presidential race.



The South-East governors had at the end of their meeting in Enugu, Enugu State on Sunday, said they would back a candidate with the best programme for the South East.



“We will support for presidency, a candidate with the best programme that will address the imbalance in the country and marginalisation of the South-East zone,” they had said.



But our source said part of the strategies of the Friends of Democracy was to continue to woo the governors and the leaders in the South-East to back Jonathan’s bid for the presidency.



He said, “We did not expect the governors to hold such view because we have discussed with them and the President has taken them to confidence on his ambition.



“But that notwithstanding, we are going to meet again and map out fresh strategies on how to convince the governors and the leaders from the zone to support the President.



“Mind you, they (governors) have not said they would not support Jonathan. Their action could be tactical and we appreciate that.”



When contacted on the telephone by our correspondent, Aba-Aji confirmed the two meetings.



He, however, explained that the meetings were not called because of fear in Jonathan’s camp.



The presidential aide said, “Yes, we are meeting on Monday night and Tuesday. But I cannot tell you the details of the two meetings now.



“I can tell you that there is nothing to be afraid or panicking about. We are sure that at the end of the day, they (South-East governors ) will support us because Jonathan remains the best candidate so far.”



The signs that there were cracks in the rank of the leaders of the South-East on whether to support Jonathan in his ambition started manifesting when some of them (leaders) met with their northern counterparts in Abuja recently.



At the meeting, which was held on August 10, the South-East leaders had told their northern counterparts that they wanted another state created from their zone and that they should be allowed to produce the President in 2015.



A former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who was at the meeting, had said, “We met with a Northern group and they agreed to our minimum demands and made their own.



“My people wanted a creation of additional state and to be allowed to produce the President in 2015.”



The outcome of this meeting necessitated another one between some South-South and South-East leaders at the residence of a former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, on Thursday.



At the end of the meeting, the South-East leaders allegedly expressed their support for Jonathan to run for the office of President in 2011.



However, a former minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji, on Sunday dissociated herself from a statement issued at the end of the meeting.



Obaji said the meeting was merely summoned to look into ways of improving relations between the South-South and South-East.



She insisted that the people of the zone would want to take a shot at the Presidency in 2015.



Obaji said, “South-East delegates (at the meeting) raised issues at the meeting that we considered impediments to fostering good and smooth relationship between the two zones and tried to proffer solutions.



“Some of those issues are quite sensitive and are sore spots to the average South-Easterner.



“It was unfortunate that some positions we took did not go down well with notable leaders from the South-South who telephoned me the next day, threatening me.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2010082445535

Jonathan is fast losing supporters due to the unguarded utterances of his naive campaign team. Firstly, they wanted the presidency to be REZONED to Southsouth due to their SABOTAGE of Biafra and they suddenly lost the support of the Igbos as result. Now they are saying Jonathan became president by DIVINE intervention meaning that God killed Yar’adua because of Jonathan. They will soon understand the folly of such argument.