₦airaland Forum

chyz:
Pat Utomi

If GEJ's ambition is killed because of the Igbo - Ijo matter, don't be surprised if Pat Utomi's ambition is killed even before it leaves Delta state. And in Delta state, Ijo's are a minority. Think about it.

The whole ND is for GEJ, including politicians from opposing parties. The Igbo - Ijo matter needs to be resolved amicably, because we all lose; after which the bitterness will be entrenched and expanded to all SS and SE groups. We don't need it.

naijaking1:
Right on the money!!!
That's the reason to remove any inflammatory personality from both the SS and SE side before any meaningful talk can start. You see, strategically a loose for GEJ would be a loss for all eastern Nigerians, however, the earlier Ijaw people stopped boasting about how they co-operated with Hausa people to kill and defeat Igbos the better.

That foolishness came from a tiny faction that was acting outside of the mainstream. Each time the mainstream Ijo or other SS group mentions North - South cooperation, it is purely about voting patterns.

[quote author=Akanbi_edu]Light is constantly improving!

This is a big lie. By the time the raining season ends, we shall see.[/quote]The increased power is coming from gas powered plants that aren't affected by rain. In fact power supply will increase even further in the dry season.

[quote author=Akanbi_edu]Super grid has been signed and immediately kicked off! Mutallab and the terror blacklist have been forgotten!

As if billions of dollars were spent recently on the same power. Why are you counting signing as a measure of success? why don't you wait till we see results? Over N350billions was spent on federal roads between 1999 and 2007. what was the result?[/quote]Of course, Mutallab and the terror blacklist are now dim memories! That is one huge success!
As for the billions you are talking about that were spent on power; for some reason Yar Adua's govt abandoned 2000+ containers in the ports to the extent that they accrued demurrage of 4 billion Naira and were being auctioned. Tax payers money! Jonathan's govt released the 2000+ containers with immediate effect. Talk about action and value!

Bids for the immediate construction of the super grid have already been recieved. Its construction is an immediate thing.

[quote author=Akanbi_edu]NNPC has seen quantum changes in productivity!

General statements from sycophants. In what way please. Babalola had to be moved from this ministry for declaring NNPC broke! I sense somebody is trying to hide something here.[/quote]Nigeria's only source of money is oil and in the previous regime, the money was going straight into personal pockets. Jonathan has brought accountability into the NNPC for the very first time in its history. In fact Babalola's statement was based on the auditing of NNPC's books. That place is no longer a dark alley for accountants; NNPC is meant to serve Nigeria, not private pockets and for the first time in its history, it is functioning correctly. Fuel yanfun yanfun!

Gbawe:
Why would anyone argue with the deluded and , frankly, propagadist conclusions of a diasporan Nigerian? You should worry more about why Jonathan , despite his 'achievements' , is failing to win the backing of those who have always shown that they want what is best for Nigeria.

Chineke!
What wouldn't one experience in this vast World! So apart from being a bigot to you, simply from supporting Jonathan, I am now also a "diasporan Nigerian?" All because you cannot argue against the clearly visible points I have raised.

Na wa o!

EzeUche22:
Beaf, my nemesis. There was nothing tribalistic about my post. Just trying to understand the muscle that the fictional south-south has. Anything East of the River Niger will forever be the Igbos domain.

It is time for us to flex our numerical muscle.

Get used to it. GJ dream of becoming president will remain a dream if the Igbos are not on-board. Let "Chief" Edwin Clarke beg the Ndi Igbo for our support. Let him grovel on the floor. I would enjoy that very much.

I'm quite sure you are a dreamer. Its a two way thing, everybody loses from knuckleheadness. What goes around, comes around, there is no winner; Clark begs today, you beg tomorrow. It is best to sit down and talk, because nobody will be begging on either side of the table.

sjeezy8:
South south should cool their blood- the last thing needed if for people to look at Jonathan as a South South president.

You do have a point, but blood pressures there have been raised because of utterances from the North.

I just feel like repeating these things, because it seems nobody can argue about any of them.

God bless Jonathan in "Totality!"
No to charlatans, yes to the cool, quiet achiever!

Fuel yanfun yanfun!
Light is constantly improving!
Super grid has been signed and immediately kicked off! Mutallab and the terror blacklist have been forgotten!
NNPC has seen quantum changes in productivity!
There are now several positive political realignments all over the country and attempts to heal long running ethnic grievances.

[size=14pt]All in 3 short months, up Joe![/size]

Gbawe:
Indeed. Jonathan's action of fraternising with the most ruinous hands in Nigeria shows that he is "more of the same" . The likes of Beaf do not stop to think of why it is only crooks and mercenaries , who have profited from the misery of Nigeria, that are mainly behind Jonathan. That is of no concern to them so far as their man remains President next Year. In their mind they can 'somehow' manage to rationalise the closeness of Jonathan to a mentor who masterminded "one of the worst elections seen in the history of man" .

They also fail to speak about how one of Jonathan and Nigeria's biggest enemy , only yesterday, is now in Jonathan's campaign team today i.e Aondoakaa. Sensible and principled folks know that you cannot associate yourself wth so many felons if you are not a felon yourself. This is why progressive and upright Nigerians who previously protested in the Streets for Jonathan subsequently went on to shun him and have now eventually begun to speak openly against him.

Jonathan hasn't even declared, but you claim Aondoakaa is on his campaign team? Damn!
You are just making all this stuff up as you go along sha.

Aondoakaa is a Middle Belter and his people haven't rejected him. You should go to Benue state to advice them to dump Aondoakaa, instead.

yiboboy:
ROTFLMAO!!! See how corridors of power don begin change the perception of an erstwhile activist (so I thought). . . wahahala dey!!!

I see something deeper in a Jonathan victory. The present political alliances need to be broken if the country is to ever progress.
We can't continue to expect a different result while doing things the same old way. We need fresh thinking and a fresh approach.

The only way forward for Nigeria is to begin make up a time table for the attainment of true federalism; there are cries for true federalism from the Middle Belt, South West (Fashola is the most vocal here), South East and South South.
The only aspirant with the backing of his region for such a programme is Jonathan.

debosky:
So Beaf is in support of OBJ's declaration?

I guess all is fair in politics - achieving the goal by all possible meanss has always been the rule in Nigerian elections.

There is nothing wrong with Obj's statement, he is simply mobilising his party.
I support Jonathan to go for at least another term, nothing wrong with that also.

igbo boy:
Haha at least am not a free loader like some other states, Given my states is a major revenue earner for the government I demand a yearly cheque from Aso rock

Abi?
Up Delta!!!
If dem do de tin per capita, na we be first! And we don't produce the most oil! There is something about that state o!

Gbawe:
Seems as if I always need to educate you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigotry

Who will say the above is not a description of you ?

Who , on Nairaland, does not know that you think the sun shines out of Jonathan's posterior while events on the ground paint a picture of a poor, compromised and corruption-friendly leader ? My man , you are a bigot . Pure and simple.

Charlie, you need to look in the mirror!
Go through just this thread, read your responses and decide who has been intolerant.

[size=14pt]Up Jona the action man!
Fuel yanfun yanfun!!
Electricity, highly improved!!![/size]

oyb:
more desperate lies

it was in obj's second term that he destroyed whatever good will he had previously earned.

the best achievements of his administration that directly impacted the lives of nigerians - telecoms deregulation - was in his first term

frightening, going by the fact that johnny is a wimp without any sort of backbone, what will he need, five terms? is that the agenda?


and what is new about jonathan's governmnt, pray tell, was he not part of yardua's administration? or are you implying that he was just a siddon look vp ?

If someone you call a wimp has been able to give us the following in 3+ months, then you need to redefine your understanding of the word.

Fuel yanfun yanfun!
Light is constantly improving!
Super grid has been signed and immediately kicked off! Mutallab and the terror blacklist have been forgotten!
NNPC has seen quantum changes in productivity!
There are now several positive political realignments all over the country and attempts to heal long running ethnic grievances.



Nobody has countered any of the above. You know why? Its cos you guy's can't.

[size=14pt]Up Jonathan the action man!!![/size]

oyb:
right now there is fuel scarcity in lagos as we speak -

should we expect better from desperate lying diasporans who think they can pull the wool over the eyes of nigerians

Tanker drivers are on strike, man! There is no fuel scarcity, it just hasn't been lifted. Damn!

[size=14pt]Fuel brekete!
Up Jonathan in Totality!!![/size]

redsun:
When is jonathan going to persecute the people involved in halliburton bribe scadal,16 billion dollar power generation illusion?If he can't perform as the interim president,how on earth can he perform when he has the full grasp of power as the nigerian number one thief aka president?

Every new govt needs time to settle down. Even Obj that is seen as the most forceful and influential politician on the landscape today needed a full term to be able to stamp his will on the country. Everything about Obj comes from his second term.
A democracy is different from a dictatorship, especially in a country as diverse as Nigeria.

oyb:
bizarre lies that only people outside nigeria and completely outside of the loop can peddle with a straight face.

So when you drive into a filling station. . . And there's no waiting. . . And you pay the right amount, instead of double or more as you did only a few months ago, that bizzare lies?

[size=14pt]Fuel yanfun yanfun!
Up Jonathan in Totality!!![/size]

Gbawe:
Don't you mean deceitful "sycophancy at its best " ? Anyone that can use "cool" in the same sentence with Jonathan is too far gone in bigoted worship. Resorting to deciet , since that is all they have,  is now the norm for many of Jonathan's fans on this site but  trying to palm off a dull , colourless and charismaless man as "cool" surely is a new high in shamelessly decietful sycophancy .

Bigoted, because I called Jonathan cool? Surely that sounds really funny to you too! Abi na frustration?

Jonathan is cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool!!!!
How much of a bigot does the above make me in your books?

EzeUche22:
What muscle does the South-South have?

Are we not only talking about the Ijaw who consider the South-South as theirs?

Please go to your usual tribalistic threads. What muscle does any group in the South South or South East have aside from the sort of knuckle headedness you regularly display?

^
The tribal hatred is on both sides of the fence between Ijo and Igbo. There will no doubt be some people the Ijo would rather not talk to as well, but when peace is being made, such considerations must be put away if both sides are sincere. It is the enemies that have to make up, so we will expect those Ijo's dread from the Igbo side and those Igbo's dread on the Ijo side to be present. It is important for the future political voice of both regions.
It is a deadly serious matter that is much bigger than just the Igbo and the Ijo.

It is refreshing to hear this from Graham-Douglas.

“It is a mass movement; no one has hijacked anything as far as I am concerned, I am talking to you right now from my village in Adamawa and people are coming out in their numbers to support this cause that, for the first time in 30 years, they have been able to get fuel with ease.

[size=14pt]God bless Jonathan in "Totality!"[/size]
No to charlatans, yes to the cool, quiet achiever!

Fuel yanfun yanfun!
Light is constantly improving!
Super grid has been signed and immediately kicked off! Mutallab and the terror blacklist have been forgotten!
NNPC has seen quantum changes in productivity!
There are now several positive political realignments all over the country and attempts to heal long running ethnic grievances.

All in 3 short months, up Joe!

naijaking1:
If Jonathan is a good politician, why doesn't he get somebody other than Clark to deal with Igbos. All you need to end Clark's meeting with any Igbo group is simply to copy and paste any one of his previous venomous speeches against Ndigbo.

Oh, bye the way, it's not important to remind us that he's not an easterner when he claims to be leader of Ijaws in the east too.

It wasn't a reminder, just an observation; because so many other ethnic groups outside the Igbo and the Ijo are getting caught in a battle that has only brought bloodshed and under development to both sides. I mentioned it, because there are several twists and turns, e.g. Clarke born in Ughelli and grew up speaking Urhobo and zero Ijo. His dad had to send him to Kiagbodo, his village to learn his own language.
Clarke is therefore, a very natural bridge between the Ijo, Isoko and Urhobo, who also have very strong alliances with the Anioma Igbo, the Itsekiri and Edo. The Ijo in turn share relations with the Ogoni, Ibibio, Efik etc. The relations between Igbo and Ijo is the weak point; this crisis has assumed the dimensions of a political monstrosity, we need to calm it down somehow.

The South West has always made strong overtures to us, but we see more value in balancing our relations between East and West. In fact, we share several natural kinships and borders with both the Ijo and the Igbo; so we naturally gravitate in that direction.

As I understand it, the matter between E.K. Clark and Odili is not something ethnic, in fact Clark had a powerful delegation of Anioma Igbo on his delegation when he berated Odili as not representing the South South. No the matter is much deeper and personal, it is about control of force in the ND (MEND vs Dokubo Asari's NDPVF). This following link offers essential reading (even though not accurate) http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20090313_nigerias_mend_odili_asari_and_ndpvf

^
That topic started as a result of this thread, https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-377207.0.html

EzeUche22:
Igboland is being divided on this issue!

However, no real Igbo man would want to talk to Edwin Clark. Anyone is not even worthy to be mentioned near any Igbo name!

But that is a man the Igbo have a grouse with. Every quarrell is settled by talking.
There is a bigger picture which both sides repeatedly fail to hit; they spend all their energy peeping at each other in suspicion, whereas, there is much more to be gained with cooperation. For example, both sides would gain tremendously from true federalism and real autonomy.
Only kids fight forever. I hope the meetings E.K. Clarke is brokering will bring final closure to these matters; both sides need to freely and honestly pour their grievances out, make up and move on to greater things.

As for the bolded, to the best of my knowledge, there is no fake Igbo man.

One funny issue in this whole bruhaha though, is E.K. Clarke has never been an Easterner, he is from Delta state (formerly part of MidWest state). Lol.

Apt article. This thing is busting everybody's political caps right now.
Two Southern political blocks have somehow found ingenuous and disingenuous ways to repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot. It is painful.

[size=14pt]Mending fences, really?[/size]
People & Politics Aug 23, 2010 Share | By Ochereome Nnanna

WHEN I heard that some Igbo leaders had scheduled a meeting with Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark to negotiate terms for Igbo support of the perceived Goodluck Jonathan presidential ambition, I pinched myself to see whether I was dreaming or awake.

It turned out that I was actually awake because I felt the pinch. I decided to wait to see the meeting come to pass.

Then on Thursday, August 19, news came that a group of Igbo politicians were meeting in Clark’s Asokoro residence in Abuja . The attendees were people you could not, in all honesty, describe as Igbo nonentities.

Among them were Chief Ken Nnamani; Chief S. N. Okeke; Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Professor ABC Nwosu; Chief Achike Udenwa and Senator Uche Chukwumerije. This was actually a set of Class “A” Igbo politicians, meeting with Clark, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, retired Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga and retired Brigadier General S. E. Oviawe, among others.

The meeting agreed that it had become imperative to “give attention more to the issues that unite the people of the South-South and South East geopolitical zones who live contiguously (sic) than issues that divide us because there is no ocean without debris”.

They also agreed to work together to tackle the problems both sides are facing in the system, schedule a meeting of elders and leaders of both sides in Enugu at a later date and most importantly, work together towards actualising the emergence of Jonathan as the elected president of Nigeria in 2011.

Ordinarily, nobody from that part of the country (least of all yours sincerely) should raise an eyebrow over such a historic meeting, but I am! I am raising an eyebrow, not because this was the first time the leaders of the two geopolitical zones have met since the return of democracy to Nigeria .

In fact, long before the return of democracy, retired Commodore Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe rallied leaders of the East to meet with the West and later, Middle Belt under the platform of the Council for Unity and Understanding (CUU) in the early 1990s.

CUU in May 1994 transformed into the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). The objective of this effort was, in summary, to raise a strong Southern and Middle Belt front to reduce the arrogance of sectional power and banish inequalities within the Nigerian system.

Also in 2000, Ukiwe formed the Council of Eastern States (CES) and invited Ambassador Matthew Mbu, a dependable Zikist of Southern minority extraction to lead it.

The initiative and the laudable objective of re-uniting the peoples of the old Eastern Region towards a common political objective was so well received, particularly among the minorities, that the group transformed into the Council of South East and South-South (COSESS). Meetings were held at Umuahia, Port Harcourt and Uyo.

They were well attended. Some of the leaders of the South-South that attended these meetings were the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, HRM Alfred Diete Spiff and retired Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, both of them distinguished Ijaw leaders.

Why did that effort collapse? The answer will interest you in the light of unfolding events. The single most important factor that destroyed the move to get the Igbos and their neighbours to put aside their differences and work together, as “there is no ocean without debris” was – you guessed it right – Chief Senator Dr Edwin Kiagbodo Clark!

Together with the likes of the late Marshall Harry, that section of the Ijaw elite held a counter-symposium and announced that the Ijaw were more familiar, and at home, with political alliances with the North. In an interview with me, Marshall said after the Port Harcourt meeting in 2001: “This meeting does not click to me”.

That effort was demonised by Clark’s group who said it was another ploy by the Igbo elite to use the minorities to achieve their presidential ambition, arguing, instead that they wanted a South-South president.

As if their prayers were about to be answered, former Governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili embraced the presidential race in 2006 and had almost wrapped up his nomination by the ruling party at Abuja, when President Olusegun Obasanjo suddenly decided to yield to Northern demands that the presidency must return to the North after its stay in the South for eight years.

The greatest obstacle against Odili’s presidential ambition was Chief E. K. Clark, who dubbed him an “Igbo man”. In other words, to Clark , Igbo speaking people of the South-South did not qualify to vie for president on behalf of the region! Funny enough, Clark came to this meeting with South East politicians, including Professor BIC Ijomah from Anioma in Delta State !

Clearly, the only motivation behind Clark ’s emergency “romance” with Igbo politicians is that an Ijaw man, Jonathan, is in the presidency eyeing the presidential race and needing all the support he can get. There is a difference between the Mbu/Ukiwe initiative and that of Clark .

The Mbu/Ukiwe move was visionary and based on strategy and principle. If Clark had embraced it or allowed it to grow, by now Jonathan would simply walk in and cash in. Clark’s motives are suspect to me.

I am not sure he has now purged himself of his political Igbo-phobia. I am not sure, after Jonathan’s political venture he would be there when the Igbo will need a “return visit”. The leopard does not change its spots for any reason.

The Igbo elite who wish to support President Jonathan should simply proceed to do so because it is a good idea. Those who wish to go with the North should also proceed because it is not a bad idea, provided that terms are agreed.

When the time comes the Igbo mainstream will follow the better option. Let no one allow anyone to distract them from pursuing the interests of their people and Nigeria .

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/08/23/mending-fences-really/

[size=14pt]Jonathan at Last: Await My 2011 Declaration[/size]
•S’East govs give conditions for endorsement •Opposition alliance talks continue
From Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu, 08.23.2010

For the first time since speculations began to mount on his next step, President Goodluck Jonathan has personally divulged his position on the 2011 presidential election, promising to declare his interest “on or before September 10”.

Last week, newspaper reports had quoted unnamed sources that the president would join the race early next month on a day a foreign news agency reported that he had decided against running.
But Jonathan finally spoke up on the issue at his meeting with the Northern politicians who paid him a visit at Aso Rock on Saturday.

Over 100 politicians, representing the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, said they were at the seat of power to persuade Jonathan to contest in next year’s presidential election.
“The president seemed to be comfortable with us. He spoke freely and discussed his plans with us. He promised that he will finally declare his bid next month,” one of the politicians who attended told THISDAY.
“Specifically,” he added, “the president said latest by September 10, he will make his bid open, having consulted far and wide on the issue.”

The group, led by former Ambassador to the US, Alhaji Hassan Adamu (Wakilin Adamawa), met with Jonathan late into the night.
Adamu said: “We know what we want. We have come here to call you to come out. After 50 years, Nigeria must move forward. We believe in unity and progress of the country, no matter where a person comes from. It is God that brought you and God does not make mistake. The road will be tough and rough but we will succeed.”

Other notable members of the delegation are Deputy Governor of Sokoto State Alhaji Mukthar Shagari, former minister Professor Jerry Gana, former governor of Kano State Alhaji Musa Kwakwanso, former FCT minister Alhaji Abba Gana, Senator Bala Mande, Senator Bello Gaddah, FCT minister Senator Bala Mohammed, former PDP chairman, Chief Solomon Lar, among others.
Meanwhile, governors of the five states of the South-east zone yesterday rose from their meeting in Enugu declaring that they had neither endorsed President Jonathan nor any of the presidential aspirants that have so far declared their intentions to run for the 2011 elections.

They said their position would be made public only when all the candidates have declared their intentions to run for the exalted office.
While restating their earlier resolve not to contest for the president or the vice president in the next election, the governors said they would only endorse a candidate with the best programme that would address the imbalance in the country and marginalization of the South-east zone.

Briefing newsmen at the end of their meeting which lasted for about four hours, the chairman of the South-east Governors’ Forum and Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, said the governors had discussed extensively the unfolding political scenario in the country and agreed to work together irrespective of party affiliation.

“We are not against anybody, but what we are saying that we’ll only make our support known when all the aspirants have declared. We are working for the interest of the region and not for our individual interests,” Obi stated.
He added: “This is the first time we are having this kind of unity and it is our hope to continue to work together. For now, we are not ready to support or endorse anybody, until we see somebody whose programmes are tailored to addressing the marginalisation plaguing the zone. As it is expected of us, we are committed in our support for the president in his avowed commitment to giving the country a new direction.”

Meanwhile, in view of the position by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that any political party wishing to merge should give the commission a six-month notice, the planned merger between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) is longer feasible but alliance talks are still alive.

This is the position of the DPP in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Lt. General Jeremiah Useni.
According to General Useni, “Democratic People’s Party took  resolution in an enlarged caucus meeting on August,16,2010, which resolves that due to impracticability of a merger, by legislative  requirements,  actions and common testimony of both DPP and AC, the working arrangement towards merger is not feasible.”

“We therefore, decided to achieve a working relationship not only with AC but with other political parties. If we apply for merger, the processes are too long  that we may not achieve that before the 2011 general elections, we decided to have a good relationship with AC and other registered political parties," Useni said.

THISDAY learnt that the major opposition parties with relative strengths in many areas of the country are making progress in their discussions to have a strong alliance towards general election.
The parties in discussion include ACN, DPP, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Labour Party (LP).

“The discussions have been very positive,” a senior ACN official told the newspaper last night. “To defeat PDP and send them out of power, we in the opposition have discovered that we need to work together. There is no doubt about that. So we are looking seriously at forging a coalition. We are also looking at the candidates that can make this alliance work.”

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=181261

[quote author=High_Chief link=topic=501536.msg6621220#msg6621220 date=1282522860]Am sure Jonathan will be betrayed, but on a serious note Northerners never present good candidates. IBB & Atiku? the most corrupt politicians and they want to wrestle power back to the north, from the look of things PDP is going to suffer a serious division which could be a blessing to Nigerians, cos they only care about their members and not Nigerians[/quote]The danger in a PDP split of that nature, is that the party is so big that it would be only a matter of weeks or days before the country follows suit. It might portend a great deal of bloodshed.
You might be right about it being a blessing in the long run, because it will hasten the day Nigerians sit down to discuss a contract for our fake federal structure.

Yoruba:
hahahahhahaha . . .
The most clueless governor in Nigeria, Theodore Orji, delivering Abia state for PDP. Talk about a mission dead at inception.

He isn't coming to convince you. He is delivering his states PDP chapter. It is a 100% PDP thing, so unless you are a member, at this stage, you have no say.

[size=14pt]2011: OBJ declares for Jonathan [/size]
•Says, it’s ‘Operation Totality’ •President’s footsoldiers take campaign to NBA convention •Orubebe leads Jonathan S/South mobilisation
Written by Biola Azeez, Dapo Falade, Jackson Udom and Donald Ojogo
Monday, 23 August 2010

FORMER president and chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has declared “Operation Totality” in support of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 general election.

Speaking in his Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State home, at the weekend, while paying host to Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, Chief Obasanjo enjoined all Nigerians, particularly the people of Abia State, to make the victory of President Jonathan total.

The former president, who said he had it on good authority that politicians and the people of Abia State were unanimous in giving their total support to Governor Orji in next year’s election, remarked that they should extend the same gesture to President Jonathan for better development in the state and more harmonious relationship with the Federal Government.

Obasanjo said he was glad to see the governor rejoin the PDP and advised him to be accommodating in his administration, stressing that he should not embark on winner takes all for the purpose of peace and unity in the state.

The former president, who said he rarely showed emotions, expressed joy with Governor Orji and his entourage at the event, stressing that he had taken a right decision to return to the PDP.

He commended the leadership qualities of the governor, saying that the decision to lead the people to the mainstream of Nigeria’s politics was in the best interest of the state, in terms of socio-economic development.

He also commended the governor for putting people first in his decision by asking them the way forward in his political endeavours, adding that it was better to be an ordinary being in heaven than to be a king in hell.

He also expressed joy that many people were joining and returning to the PDP while he was still the BoT chairman of the party, and advised Governor Orji to work towards achieving unity among the people, saying that more resources and development were easy with unity and peace.

Also speaking, Governor Orji informed the former president that he now had good and cordial relationship with all his brothers who were in the political opposition.

The governor also said that the former president should judge him as a person and help him with useful advice, adding that he should not judge him by what people might tell him.

He also prayed for long life and good health for the PDP’s BoT chairman.

The meeting, which was held in a hall located in Obasanjo’s home, was preceded by a one-on-one talk between the governor and the former president.

Meanwhile, in the bid to gather more support for the realisation of the presidential ambition of Dr Jonathan in 2011, many of his footsoldiers will, today, witness the national convention of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), holding in Kaduna.

Nigerian Tribune reliably gathered on Sunday that the move was part of the strategies adopted by the pro-Jonathan group to woo and win the support of many of the professional bodies ahead of the next general election.

The source further disclosed that Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, who is also a lawyer, would lead other pro-Jonathan lawyers to the venue of the NBA convention.

“Chief Clark, a leading light among the Ijaws, and a prominent leader in the South-South, who is also a lawyer, will be leading some other President Jonathan’s foot soldiers to the convention to mobilise support for him.

“Apart from the NBA, it is expected that some of the footsoldiers, who are spread and can be found in many other professional bodies in the country, would be moving into such bodies, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), among others, for the same purpose,” the source said.

Besides the quest to drum up support for a Jonathan presidency in 2011, the source further disclosed that the president was not looking back in his quest for credibility as the incumbent, adding that this informed his choice of federal appointments in recent times.

“The recent appointment of Professor (Mrs.) Kassey Garba of the University of Ibadan as the president’s Chief Economic Adviser is an indication that President Jonathan wants to have a credible government in the country.

“Also, the appointment of Professor Attahiru Jega, a leading light in the academic community, as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is an indication that the president is trying to curry favour with ASUU, a professional body which he belonged to before becoming a politician,” the source said.

He also told the Nigerian Tribune that the race towards the 2011 presidential election should not be left to politicians alone, adding that the various professional bodies across the country must come out of their cocoons in the quest to have credible, free and fair elections which he said the president was championing.

“Unlike what obtained in the past, when elections and the democratic process were left to the politicians, President Jonathan is irrevocably committed to drawing out experts in various fields of endeavour to support the enthronement of the culture of free and fair elections.

“The president would like to draw the support of bodies such as NBA, NMA, ASUU, the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and several others, not only for his government, but also for the sustenance of democratic ethos which he is championing,” he added.

In a related development, there are strong indications that political leaders in President Jonathan’s geopolitical zone, the South-South, may close ranks and cast a solidarity vote him.

To achieve this objective, foot soldiers of the president are perfecting plans to reach out to all other political parties in the zone, with a view to checkmating whatever block vote the North intended to deliver against Jonathan should he win the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Political leaders of northern extraction, particularly those in the PDP, had threatened to vote for any northern candidate who emerged as the presidential standard-bearer of his party other than the PDP.

But in order to checkmate this development, the presidency was said to have dispatched prominent politicians of South-South extraction to drum up support for Jonathan in anticipation of his victory at the presidential primaries later in the year.

Although the names of those in the team were kept under close wraps, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, was said to be leading the pack which included senators, former ministers, as well as lawmakers, both former and present ones.

It could not be confirmed if the visit of the minister to the Edo State capital, Benin City, at the weekend, was in line with the vision, however, impeccable sources said he held closed-door sessions with some politicians in Benin before attending the 62nd birthday thanksgiving ceremony of Senator Patrick Osakwe.

Details of the meeting were sketchy at press time, but a source told the Nigerian Tribune that the meeting was “a proactive one, to get all parties set for Jonathan in 2011.”

Although Orubebe was guarded in his speech at the ceremony, his presentation was an indication that the PDP was reaching out to other parties in the South-South.

“All South-South, irrespective of their political lineage, should mobilise support for Jonathan. They should also reach out to their friends in other geopolitical zones to ensure that Jonathan presidency is enthroned in 2011.

“We must get the presidency in the South-South; what we have we must sustain and we have to sustain the presidency through the cooperation of all stakeholders in the region, regardless of political beliefs or affiliations.

“We are appealing to our brothers and sisters to sheathe their swords so that the zone will not be divided and, thereby, denying ourselves of the divine rights to sustain and preserve Jonathan presidency in 2011.

“We must extend the message to other zones, so that what is ours remains and we seek the understanding and cooperation of our brother from across the country so that they support us in achieving a Jonathan presidency.

“We must work hard and join hands to achieve this legitimate goal so that the opportunity will not slip off,” the minister said.

Orubebe’s position was reinforced by both Senator Osakwe (Delta North) and Senator Adego Efekereyar (Delta Central).

According to Osakwe, it was unthinkable for anybody to say that Jonathan should not run, adding that “if two pilots are on a journey and the head pilot dies or drowns, what do we expect the assistant pilot to do? He has no choice but to pilot the ship to its destination; and that is what Jonathan presidency in 2011 stands for; we must all support him to achieve this.”

However, there appears to be a crisis of confidence, clash of interests of sorts within the ranks of President Jonathan.

The president was yet to formally declare his intention to contest 2011 presidential election, yet, hundreds of political groups had emerged to ‘mount pressure’ on him to take a shot at the presidency amid the ambivalent decision of the national leadership of the PDP, which cleared him to contest.

This is just as the party has upheld the principle of zoning.

Buoyed by the decision, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had both declared their presidential interest on the ticket of the ruling party.

The development, however, was said to have propelled strategists in Jonathan’s camp to return to the drawing board, with the intention of injecting fresh blood into the think tank of the president ahead of the presidential primaries.

Although the extent of the restructuring of the incumbent’s core team was still sketchy, even as it was hazy, an impeccable source close to the seat of power told the Nigerian Tribune that all was not well in the fold of the president.

The source, who spoke strictly on condition of anonymity, said the president allowed himself to be “mismanaged ahead of the last PDP NEC meeting,” alleging further that opportunists had hijacked the campaign to return Jonathan in 2011.

This revelation notwithstanding, the national coordinator of Goodluck Support Group (GSG), Alhaji Ali Gulak, said nobody had hijacked the campaign to make Jonathan president in 2011.

[size=14pt]“It is a mass movement; no one has hijacked anything as far as I am concerned, I am talking to you right now from my village in Adamawa and people are coming out in their numbers to support this cause that, for the first time in 30 years, they have been able to get fuel with ease.[/size]

“That for the first time in the same period, citizens of this country are beginning to see a reflection of power stability because of the seriousness of the president in this direction, so it could not have been orchestrated like the Abacha days,” Gulak, who was Jonathan Special Adviser on Legal Matters, said on the telephone.

But the source disclosed that the president’s camp had been having sleepless nights since the PDP NEC declared that zoning remained part of the means of harmony of the party.

“It was really a very disturbing scenario to see the party state clearly that zoning remained but that Jonathan could contest; what that means was that they were telling him, contest if you like, but power belongs to North in 2011.

“For those of us who have been in this game for long, that declaration has far-reaching implications for the president. Does it mean that people did not do their homework very well or what went wrong?

“Surprisingly, the party did not stop there, it went ahead to overrule the e-registration the president had flagged off days before the NEC; that means some persons are mismanaging the president to our detriment; honestly speaking, unless people go back to the drawing board, some of us foresee very serious challenges ahead of the presidential primaries,” the source added.

Although he was not forthcoming with the identity, the source alleged that a particular security aide of the president from Bayelsa State had mismanaged the president for some time.

This is even as he warned that unless something was done in the president’s media reach, more serious challenges were on the way.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/10061-2011-obj-declares-for-jonathan-says-its-operation-totality-presidents-footsoldiers-take-campaign-to-nba-convention-orubebe-leads-jonathan-ssouth-mobilisation

chyz:
I know your position on this and they tend not to be tribalistic.however, for you to say that Igbos say that theyll wipe out the niger deltans, which include themselves, Ibibio( who the Igbos consider brothers),ijo( who we share blood with) you are a damn liar and i want you to post a time we that was said by the Igbos. And by your words it is clear that you are one of those who cause disunity in the niger delta that say igbos arent really deltans. its sad. "Deltan" or no "delta" our land is our land and we are who we are.

It is good you said the bolded, because the self contradiction in rest of your post makes you look quite foolish.

As for pointing out the liar, how about this?

Chyz: If mend pops up. who or where will they start attacking? lol. the only reason why they lasted this long is becuz yaradua didnt call for full military action against them out of the respect of a "new democracy". I know u saw how quick they turned in them weapons when that term was almost up. lol

That was in the article titled "The True Extent Of Alaigbo (Igboland) " and it was just a couple of days ago.

udezue:
Beaf, I see how u conveniently avoided mentioning the Igbo, and Efik-Ibibio. Who told you those people don't have oil in their land? I suspect Chyz is Igbo hence to you he is not really Niger-deltan. Abi? Ridiculous

Chyz is Igbo.

In every discuss we have had on NL, Igbo's have cut themselves away from Niger Delta people and it is a hard battle to keep pointing out that our interests are the same. Infact, it is quite common to hear Igbo's say they will open the gates to wipe out Niger Deltans if they rise up. Or that they have the numbers to be kingmakers. All these, because of so much hatred for Ijo people, even more than that for those who have oppressed them; to the extent that anti-Ijo sentiments arise when Jonathans name is mentioned, even though he most likely speaks Igbo and definitely has Igbo blood in his veins.

Maybe, its time for Niger Deltans to begin taking a second look at the landscape. We generate the money in the country and should looking at ourselves as kingmakers too.

Udezue, I'm sure you know my natural position in these things, but it is getting increasingly difficult to sustain.

chyz:
Its funny how you think your urge sums up what ever Niger Deltan wants. I am Niger Deltan and I say GJ is not representing me so your write up is wrong so whether you like it or not go sit down.

And as far as him representing the Niger Delta, just because he's "representing" the niger delta doesnt mean hes representing niger delta in a good way genius. Did Abacha represent the North in a good way? No. Did Obasanjo represent the West in a good way? No. Did Orji Kalu represent the East in a good way? No.

Go Sit Down

You might have a technical claim to be Niger Deltan, but you clearly are not from any of the oil producing ethnic groups you mentioned.
The Niger Delta ethnic groups sit on the land that provides 90% of the nation’s wealth; believe me, your personal interests do not coincide with the group interests of Niger Deltans.

Urhobo, Itsekiri, Isoko, Ogoni etc interests coincide 100% with those of the Ijo and that has formed the region into a single political block with a single voice. Any "Niger Deltan" would know that.
The interests of Niger Delta block also coincide with the interest of the South East block, it is for both to explore a common voice (by far the preferable option) or continue their separate ways.
2011 is not just an issue of Jonathan, it is an issue of the future of the country, if it will exist as one past April next year or if every region has to begin to look for alternate ways to feed. The Niger Delta is not good only as a free for all pot of gold, it is good enough to have a stake in the country that was built off its back. We have everything it takes to exist autonomously from the rest of the country.

Take away the Niger Delta and the rest of the country has zero sustenance. The Niger Delta is Nigeria, and it is high time people began to realise that fact.