Northern leaders have reacted to a statement by former President Goodluck Jonathan blaming the leaders for his defeat in 2015.
Jonathan had on Tuesday claimed that former Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who defected to the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), and northern leaders worked against him in 2015.
He made the claim in a book about his tenure in office titled: “My Transition Hours” which was launched on Tuesday.
However, ACF, reacting, said the former leader should rather be held responsible for his defeat.
The group in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, titled ‘Reactions to Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s statement in his book, “My Transition Hours”, noted that the former president’s habit of not keeping to his words caused his defeat.
The statement read: “Northern leaders and the socio-political group worked against him in the 2011 & 2015 elections noted that the former leader didn’t keep to his words and that was responsible for his defeat.
“Even, though ACF was yet to get hold of the book, the link quoting the statement credited to Jonathan’s in the book, “My Transition Hours”, it became necessary for the forum to comment on the said statement.
“According to the statement, it was on record that Jonathan contested the 2011 and 2015 against the zoning arrangement of his party that zoned the presidential slot to the North.
“Therefore, his assertions that Northern leaders and Sociopolitical groups in the North worked against his presidency is rather odd, considering the circumstances at that time.
“Yet he won the Presidency in 2011 and the ruling party also secured 25% in some states of the North in the 2015 presidential elections. It may interest you to know that his party has since admitted the oversight in the party’s 2015 winning game plan.
“This clearly means that leaders should always honour their words with deeds if they want to earn the respect of their followers, the statement maintained.”
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