₦airaland Forum

President Goodluck Jonathan

  •Presidency, PDP to consult Babangida, Ekwueme over letter

  •Falana accuses ex-president of hypocrisy

Our Correspondents

President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday met over breakfast in Kenya, a day after Obasanjo's vituperation against the president contained in a December 2 letter was made public.

Although details of what transpired between the duo during the meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes, were not revealed, it was gathered that Obasanjo made a surprise appearance at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi for the meeting with the president.

Obasanjo's scathing criticism of Jonathan elicited diverse reactions Thursday, just as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) moved to calm frayed nerves in the party with the decision to consult some of its founding fathers such as former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Second Republic Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, on how to contain the fallout of the attack on the president.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also urged party leaders to weigh in, adding that on this occasion, silence was not golden.

But Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, queried Obasanjo's moral authority to level such weighty accusations against the president, saying that he was also guilty of some of the allegations during his eight-year tenure in office.

The former president in the letter had queried Jonathan's second term quest, accused him of being tepid towards the anti-graft war, fomenting the crises in PDP and for promoting divisive tendencies in the polity, among others.

Notwithstanding the furore generated by the letter, which the presidency described as self-serving, provocative and mischievous, the former president visited Jonathan at his hotel in Nairobi where they had breakfast together.

Jonathan and Obasanjo were among dignitaries in Nairobi for the 50th independence anniversary celebration of Kenya, which held yesterday at the Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani, Nairobi.

At the venue of the event, Obasanjo sat quietly and was seen making calls on his mobile handset at intervals while the event lasted.

In his speech at the event, Jonathan called on Kenyans to unite, urging them to make unity their focal point.

He said the destiny of Kenya lay with its people and as such, the people must strive hard to take their country to greater heights.

Jonathan said he was happy that the leader of the opposition, Raila Odinga, was present at the event and was working with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Nobody can love you more than Kenyans, so you all have to jointly develop your country. All Kenyans should come together to form an inclusive society.

“Since 2007, many African countries like Kenya have been celebrating 50 years of independence and freedom, our founding fathers talked of political freedom to be followed by economic freedom.

“The present generation of African leaders must work hard on science and technology as well as industrialisation, so that there could be economic development and freedom,” he added.

Back home, PDP leaders and presidency officials met on how to manage the crisis arising from Obasanjo’s attack on the president.

Besides, PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was also said to have begun consultations with the founding fathers of the party on how to address the seeming faceoff between   Jonathan and Obasanjo that resulted in the 18-page letter to the president.

The letter also elicited reactions from civil society groups, which took different positions on the letter.

THISDAY gathered that presidency officials were concerned that Obasanjo sent a copy of the letter to Babangida and the latter might consider writing his own letter to worsen the situation.

Accordingly, they decided to meet him to seek advice on how to respond to the Obasanjo's letter.

A senior presidency source said: “We are indeed disturbed by the letter from the former president. We are aware of the letter, but are worried that it has become public knowledge. We have just finished a meeting, where it was agreed that a delegation should visit General Babangida to seek his advice on how to handle this matter.”

Another source said: “Since the letter was copied to General Babangida and other leaders like the former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, it would be wise for us to visit them and seek their opinions on how to manage this matter before it gets out of hand.”

Tukur, on his part, Thursday visited the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, and was expected to visit Ekwueme and other founding members of the party on the issue.

In his reaction, Atiku said although he was not competent to speak on the content of the letter because he was not privy to the communication, he urged those leaders consulted by the former president before the publication of the letter to intervene and reduce the tension created by Obasanjo’s weighty allegations.

The former vice-president, in a statement by his media office in Abuja, said like every other Nigerian, he was nervous about the allegations made and that those elders mentioned by Obasanjo had a moral duty to add their voices to the issue.

According to him, the allegations were too disturbing to be treated with apathy by any political stakeholder like him.

He explained that at a time the rest of the world was looking at Nigeria as a beacon of hope for stability, the content of Obasanjo’s letter should be urgently addressed by former leaders and elders.

He said: “Our priorities for Nigeria are forging lasting solutions to our chronic unemployment, providing safety and security for all, and vastly improving our failing education system. President Jonathan's government has consistently failed to address these critical concerns.

“That said, it is on record that I have firmly fought for a democracy where the voters choose their future leaders, not political party bosses. If the incumbent president insists on continuing to destroy his own party with vindictive internal wars and thinks his record of rising youth unemployment, never-ending violence, corruption and scandals are worthy of another term, then he is welcome to run.

“We are confident Nigerians will exercise their democratic right to choose a new leadership in 2015.”

However, Falana, in a statement yesterday, accused Obasanjo of hypocrisy, adding that while in office, he too committed most of the misdeeds he accused Jonathan of doing.

Nonetheless, he said instead of dismissing the contents of the letter, the presidency should respond to the allegations raised therein, especially given the allegation that the federal government was setting up a Presidential Strike Force to carry out terrorist attacks on political opponents.

He added: “Finally, instead of celebrating the hypocrisy of frustrated power mongers, the Nigerian people should take advantage of the intra-class war going on in the ruling party to get organised and take their political destiny in their own hands.

“The time has come to put an end to the opportunism of discredited rulers who are in the habit of exploiting the frustrations and disenchantment of the people to become emergency heroes.”

Unlike Falana, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties  (CNPP) asked Jonathan to resign “because Obasanjo has clearly spoken the minds of all Nigerians and it is clear that Nigerians have lost faith in this administration.”

The Benue State chairman of the CNPP, Mr. Baba Agan, according to a report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said in Makurdi that the letter was explicit enough and it had   opened the eyes of Nigerians to how the incumbent administration was under-developing Nigeria.

A civil society group, United Action for Democracy (UAD), on its part, called on Jonathan to respond to the issues raised in the letter.

The group, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, expressed apprehension over allegations on corruption, state-induced terrorism and promotion of ethnic and religious divisions in the country, which Obasanjo levelled against the president.

The National Convener of the group, Baba Aye, warned that unless the issues are addressed by Jonathan quickly, Nigerians would continue to live in fear of the unknown.

However, a PDP bigwig in the South-west, Mr. Kashamu Buruji, has threatened to sue Obasanjo over statements he considered libellous in the letter.

In the letter, Obasanjo had alleged that Buruji was a drug dealer, and had wondered why the president continued to fraternised with him and had stalled moves to extradite him to the United States to face charges.

Buruji's lawyers, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede and Mrs. Ifeoma Esom, told reporters yesterday in Lagos that they would not give Obasanjo any notice before commencing libel proceedings against him.

They also said a rejoinder to counter Obasanjo's claim had been delivered to the president.

Also speaking at the event, Buruji said Obasanjo was his political ally and that he had depended on him to fight a former Ogun State Governor, Chief Gbenga Daniel, to a standstill in the state, pointing out that during the period, he never referred to him as a drug dealer.

Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Youths Administrative Council (NDYAC) has faulted Obasanjo's letter to Jonathan, describing it as lacking in substance and a mere attempt to cause disaffection among various ethnic groups in the country.

The group's President, Mr. Marvin Yobana, at a press conference in Abuja, said Obasanjo was wrong to have attacked Jonathan, adding that the former president lacked the moral justification to castigate the incumbent president.

Adieu

Adieu

[quote [color=#770077][/color]author=obadiah777] the gospel has been preached throughout the whole world during the 1000 year reign. this ended just before the european rennaisance. that era is over. we are in the tribulations. and the end of the tribulations is signal led by armageddon. you are not measuring the times diligently sire. Shalom[/quote]guy u no dey try at all. U no dey read ur bible! Is dis wot ur bible tells u! Any word or prophesy dat contradicts d bible is noting but false & fake. U b jehoval witness?

Idol worshing is wen u make graven image & adore such image.exo 20 : 4-5a 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,
Lev 26:11 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.

http://www.lovethetruth.com/jis_images/mary_worship34.jpg. Wot is your take on this? Is this not realy idol worshiping?

Hapy married life o. Lov dis guy . I feel he is one of d uncommon men we av in d world. He appreciated d woman dat stood by him wen he had nothing, if it were 2 b some men,dey wil sharply get anoda woman dat dey feel now fit their new status & 4get d one dat stood thru thin & thick.men dis is a lesson 4 u!

JONATHAN CAN’T WIN 2015 ELECTION -ASARI DOKUBO
Posted on December 3, 2013 by naijalog — No Comments ↓


One of the biggest supporters and kinsman of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has declared that the president has lost the support of his political base, the South-south and the South-East owing to the failure of his government to deliver on its promises.
Dokubo-Asari, at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, said that it would be tough for Jonathan to win the presidential election in 2015 if he decides to run based on the poor showing of his administration.

He said that his decision to speak out was for him and others who are ardent supporters of Jonathan not to be blamed for his failure in 2015.

He said: “I want to start with an Ijaw proverb, which says: the eyes watched its seven children to death. Instead of advising them, it was just looking at them until they died, while the mouth talked its only child to life and success.

“We have continued as Ijaw people and the entire Niger Delta and South-South to support the presidency of President Goodluck Jonathan, but a time has come when silence cannot be golden.

“We mainly speak out in issues that are very critical to the survival of our people, the survival of the people of the South-South and the South-East, which happens to be the political base of Goodluck Jonathan.

“Jonathan is surrounded by very greedy people who are only in the Presidency to enrich themselves at the expense of Goodluck himself.

“This brings us to another Kalabari proverb, which says: where there are elders, a goat cannot be allowed to deliver tied to a stick.

“If we don’t talk and we continue to brush it aside, tomorrow we will be blamed and people will say: Mujahid Dokubo-Asari was around when Goodlcuk Jonathan was president and he didn’t talk.

“Them I will be an accomplice and accessory after the fact….

“It is alarming because the South-South must have its uninterrupted eight years tenure, which is constitutional.

“But with how things are going under Jonathan’s watch, we are afraid that we may not be able to have our eight years tenure because there will be no magic about it if it is going to be one man one vote.”

Dokubo-Asari said he will continue to speak out despite the fact that he had benefitted from Jonathan, adding that one of those causing trouble for the President remains the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godsday Orubebe.

He said: “I have benefited immensely from Goodluck Jonathan with my stake but benefit alone is not enough to make me to keep quiet when the period is very challenging for our people.

“So, some of us are tempted to ask this question: why are all these things happening?

“Why has the President allow some ministers like Godsday Orubebe to continue in government?

“Everyday people die on the East-West Road.

“If Orubebe is incompetent as he has shown himself to be, he should be removed.

“Nobody voted for Orubebe.

“And why is Orubebe so important to the President that he can’t remove him even in the face of his obvious incompetence and several allegation to corruption?

“We feel very ashamed and embarrassed.

“Orubebe was one of us.

“He was attending meetings with us, sleeping in the ground with us, entering night bus with us and we nominated him to be appointed a minister.

“We have gone to him and complained to him that we don’t like they way things are going in his ministry and told him that if the President leaves in 2015 without the completion of the East-West Road, we are finished.

“And the man keeps telling us there is no money.

“When IBB (former military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida) was there, there was money.

“When Abacha was there, there was money.

“When others were there, there was money.

“How come the money disappeared when Jonathan got there?

“Jonathan and orubebe will account for the death in the East-West Road.”

On the face-off between Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dokubo-Asari said there was no need for it.

He said that no matter what Jonathan feels, he still remains a beneficiary of Obasanjo’s large heartedness.

He said: “First, there was no need for Goodluck Jonathan to disagree with Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I don’t like Obasanjo.

“I don’t like his face.

“I hate him.

“But he was instrumental in bringing Goodluck Jonathan to power.

“And the greedy people around Jonathan have not managed him enough to the extent that the President and people around him will allow Jonathan to disagree with Obasanjo openly

“And if you check, all the people who supported Goodluck Jonathan and fought to bring him to power, have openly disagreed with him.

“What was the cause of these disagreements?

“These are the questions we want to put to the president.

“Some people say Obasanjo is manipulating Goodluck Jonathan, that is why Jonathan is disagreeing with him and we ask: what has Goodluck Jonathan’s government achieved to show that it is a departure from other governments that have existed since 1956?

“For us, nothing has changed.

“It is still business as usual.

“So what are the advice that Obasanjo gave to Jonathan that were so difficult for him to fulfill, that made him decide to fall out with Obasanjo?

“Obasanjo was instrumental and manipulated the process that illegally removed Diepreye Alamieyeseigha as governor of Bayelsa State and installed Jonathan as governor, made him vice president, fought for him to become acting president and also fought for him to become president of Nigeria.

“Apart from Obasanjo, there are so many people who supported Goodluck Jonathan, some have been pushed out by those who were not there to give him any support, while some others are trapped and they cannot talk.

I have a feeling that Fulani man Buhari would have done more for Niger-delta than Jonathan has done so far Jonathan has done nothing for Niger Delta actually. It is getting more and more difficult to support him, the second niger bridge is another issue. Even his allies are denouncing him. What a shame!

jmoore: Nigeria will not break up
After 2015 we will certify the fake prophets.


The unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable.

If Nigeria divides it will give birth to more than 1,000 countries with same problems that we are witnessing today.

u re very right

God hates anytin called indecent especially wen it comes 2 dressin sense.[color=#990000][/color]

BedLam: MUST EVERYTHING BE PLEASING TO GOD? OK! How do we know what pleases him? He didn't create clothes when he created man as supposed. The west introduced us to clothing, so if they are going back to the good old days without clothes then we should follow suit! Abi u want make every woman de wear ninja like Muslim fanatics?

wot do u mean by sayin God did nt create clothin wen he created us? Wen adam & eve sinned & dey discovered dey were naked,dey bcam ashamed & tried coverin demselves wt leaves. Wen God got to knw abt it, HE clothe dem wt an animal skin. God hates being unclad. Dat place is called private part & must be kept as private.wl u b apy seeing ur wife go naked?

Shut up on what u dont know. Who has made u a judge over God's church. Remember Mariam and Aaron how they suffered when they started "i too know" but for the mercy of God. Some of u dat post rubbish wen u suffer affliction wouldnt know it was from unbridled mouth, hand and thought against the pple of God.while not leave them for God to deal with them if ur claim is right.

ebamma: please i need reasonable answers

starcomms naa baba

It is well oo:@:@ It is well oo:@:@

Callotti: A very DAFT God indeed!

. Ur creator dat can sniff life out of u in a jiffery and u wl b a gonna. Respct am now