Front-line Northern leader and a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mohammed Abba-Gana, has said that it would be difficult for the north to take over from president Jonathan in 2015.
According to him, the region needs not less than four years to groom someone that would succeed Jonathan.
He said, allowing Jonathan to rule for another four years will not take anything away from the North.
Abba-Gana said, Prof. Ango Abdullahi and the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, were not speaking on behalf of all northern elders.
He said, “The North is not against Jonathan because there are several well respected northern leaders who are supporting him. “The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, is just an interest group which is pursuing what I see as their own view of Northern interest. But there are other groups which are against them in the same region.”
“Some people in the North want the presidency to come back to the region in 2015, but at the same time, others are saying that there is nothing wrong in allowing Jonathan to complete his eight years for fairness.
“Allowing Jonathan another four years will not take anything away from the North. “Mind you, the region has produced about eight or nine former heads of state of this country and it did not take away the poverty from the North.” “Political parties are the only recognised institution through which one can present oneself for an election and not through non-governmental organisations like NEF or Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF. So, Ango Abdullahi and his group cannot organize any primary to nominate a candidate for the polls.”
Speaking further, the party chieftain said, “This is a democracy, so the PDP as a party will not suppress the aspiration of anyone. But we should realise that the PDP has a sitting president and if Jonathan says that he wants to seek for a second term, there is no way the party will say no. “If the President says he will like to seek another term, most of us will support him, because it would be very unwise even for the PDP itself to bring out another person while Jonathan is still sitting in the Aso Villa. How will you force him to support the new candidate?”
“I am a very loyal and committed member of the PDP and I am also a member of the Board of Trustees and Chief Tony Anenih is my chairman and I wouldn’t want to contradict my chairman in any way,” he added.
He added that the North needs another four years to search for Jonathan’s successor, “If you ask me, I will say that the North needs another four years to plan; relate better and work hard to resolve the Boko Haram and Jos crises. We also need to search for, and groom a leader who will unite the North and at the same time give Nigerians good leadership. We can’t do this in a crash programme,” he said.
He hailed Jonathan’s administration which he said, had achieved so much despite distractions.
He said, “Some of the crises that we have now were not created by President Jonathan. For example, the Boko Haram insurrection has been there before Jonathan came in and I must say that it is worse than the Nigeria/Biafran war. “The crisis is a misfortune but in spite of it, Jonathan is doing a lot of work, so we should commend him because no nation can face such level of insurrection and still carry on with governance and infrastructural development,” he added.
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