A group that calls itself the Congress for Equality and
Change on Monday endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term
in office.
The group which is made up of elders from the South-South and the Middle
Belt zones of the Nigeria is led by Ijaw leader and former Information
Minister, Edwin Clark.
Briefing state house correspondents after a secret meeting of the
group, Mr. Clark said that anyone who is qualified to be the president
of the country, be it from the minority or majority, must be given the
opportunity.
Citing the administrations of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and
Shehu Shagari as examples, Mr. Clerk said that the constitution allows
the President for a second term in office, calling on Nigerians not to
be distracted by any group that wants to distract them from supporting
President Jonathan whose administration he said has performed better
than any other one in the country so far.
According to him, “Shehu Shagari did it in 1979 and 1983. Obasanjo
did it in 1999 and 2003. In 2007, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memory
did it and if he had remained alive, he would have done it again in
2011.
“So Jonathan is not a different person; he is a Nigerian. As the
President of Nigeria, therefore, he too has the right to contest again.
Nothing new about it because the constitution says you must contest for
two elections and rule for eight years; it is only then you are
disqualified.”
The Ijaw leader then asked: “Who owns the country more than anybody?
Nigeria belongs to all of us and there is nobody who is superior to
another. If you are talking about peace, peace for who? So if a
northerner does not rule this country, won’t there be peace?”
0 comments:
Post a Comment