Doyin Okupe
Senior Special Assistant to President Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has insisted that some developments in the country’s polity were geared towards destablising the purported re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to him, events such as the political crisis in Rivers state and the tour of the country by some northern governors, were part of the plot to cause confusion in the build-up to the 2015 general election.
Speaking on a Liberty Radio programme, Guest of the Week in Kaduna, Okupe described the claim that the five governors’ mission was motivated by the crisis in Rivers as a “national joke”, wondering why they failed to do same when the Boko Haram insurgents were bombing innocent Nigerians.
The same programme featured the former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, last Saturday.
El-rufai had accused Jonathan of playing ethnic and religious politics, as well as shielding oil thieves who are ready to fund his re-election campaign.
But the aide said that President Jonathan had not told him that he intends to contest the 2015 elections, and that if he eventually decides to contest, such decision should not be allowed to overheat the system.
“If Jonathan wants to contest and you are not happy about it, go to the poll and defeat him. Nigerians must wake up. What is four years in the life of a country that is worth burning a country? Is it worth destroying our democracy? he asked
“You heard about five governors who said they were motivated to go round the whole country because of Rivers crisis. Is that not a national joke? It is like watching African Magic.
Okupe further quipped that “What is the crisis in Rivers? Who is Amaechi and what is the issue that the whole country is being disturbed because of something that happened at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF)?
“What is Nigerian Governors Forum to the destiny of this country? What has it got to do with us? The Rivers crisis is something that people just latch unto to fane the embers of this anti-Jonathan emotion and to continue to promote hatred against Goodluck Jonathan.
“And of course, Amaechi is a willing tool, very rich and is very useful to the opposition. What you are seeing is an over dramatisation of the preparations for 2015 period.
Continuing “These governors that were so motivated, so passionately concern about the ultimate destiny of Nigeria, were not motivated when the Boko Haram crises were raging in the north to go round the north and plead on how to solve the problem.
“They were not concern enough for the thousands of people that were being bombed, killed in their mosques and churches in their domains under their eyes. I feel like crying, people are opening their doors to hypocrites.
“Let them leave the Rivers state police Commissioner alone. I don’t know how people got my number. I have text messages from ordinary people who are not politicians, people whose families have suffered grave injustice in the hands of Amaechi in Rivers state. I am telling you this. God Almighty is my witness. I will show you these text messages so that you can confirm it.
“Amaechi used police and power to harass, intimidate and punish people unjustly. Mbu has refused to be a tool in the hands of Amaechi and has refused to bend to his unjustified high handedness. However, because he is supported by the opposition, he now presents Mbu as a villain. It is not true. He is a professional man, he is a man of dignity who has remained steadfast.
“People must find the truth. The Holy book said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Nigerians are becoming too gullible, they swallow anything; hook line and sinker. I am glad that Chief Obasanjo as an elder statesman is trying to mediate. He has mediated in many international conflicts and has recorded successes, but in his own country, people cannot listen because the stakes are higher than Obasanjo’s intervention. People are looking for power in 2015.
“So I’m not surprised that there is no result. How will these five governors be at a meeting and they will not rally round Obasanjo and solve the problem? The elites in this country are only after their own interest”, he said.
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