Anenih: Let us strengthen south-south/north alliance for Jonathan's re-election

With the presidential election just some 13 days away, Chairman of the

Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih

yesterday called on the north and the south-south to strengthen their

age-long political alliance by voting overwhelmingly for President

Goodluck Jonathan.
Anenih, in a statement that came less than a week after the one in which

he appealed to Nigerians to ensure the unity of the country during and

after the election, urged the north to consider the decades of cooperation

given by the people of the south-south to candidates of the north and

reciprocate the gesture with a renewed mandate for Jonathan.

The statement reads: “Last week, I made a passionate appeal to Nigerians

on the need for us to ensure, during the forthcoming elections, that the

nation remains unified and keeps moving forward in unity. With a few days

to commencement of the 2015 Presidential election, I find it expedient to

send this appeal specifically to our brothers and sisters in the Northern

States.
“The election is the most important as it is the precursor to the

elections at the state level, which come up on February 28. For me,

however, the critical issue in the February 14 Presidential election is

justice. While I do not intend to wish away your legitimate right to be

President, I urge you to consider the decades of cooperation given by the

people of the South-South to candidates of the North.

“In all the democratic elections in Nigerian history in which a Northerner

had contested, statistics show that the South-South often voted

overwhelmingly for such a candidate.
“In the First Republic, political parties in the South-South were in

alliance with the Northern Peoples Congress while in 1979, the South-South

people voted massively for Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the National Party of

Nigeria (NPN). Most recently, the Zone also voted massively for Alhaji

Umaru Musa Yar' Adua who got over 80% of the votes in all the States of

the South-South.
“What I ask of you is to reciprocate this show of solidarity and vote

massively for our son, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, on February 14,

2015. This will only be a fair reward for the consistency of our

friendship.
“I need to emphasize that this is the first time that the South-South has

had the opportunity to produce the President of Nigeria. It is an

opportunity for which we have been grateful since 2011. However, the

people of the Zone would feel short-changed, if they were to be denied the

opportunity to have a full complement of tenure. A second term for

President Jonathan, who remains the best candidate for the presidency,

will be the only just arrangement that the people of the Zone would

cherish.
“May I say that the choice of voting for President Jonathan has been made

easy for us all by his commendable performance in all the sectors of our

national life during his first tenure. In agriculture, the economy,

infrastructure, education, women and youth empowerment, the Jonathan

administration has touched the lives of all Nigerians.

“I seek your massive support for President Goodluck Jonathan at the

Presidential election on February 14, 2015. We need to continue to

strengthen the bridge of unity and understanding among all the peoples of

this great nation. It is only by making concessions and compromises that

we can transform our diversity into great strength. There is no greater

time for concessions and compromises than now.
“May I take this opportunity to call for moderation in our electioneering

and politicking. The threat of violence right from the time the

presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, changed his

mind that he would contest is unfortunate. We would reasonably refuse to

accept a situation where a Nigerian, whether from the North or the South,

would start his political journey with a threat that the baboon and the

dog would be soaked in their own blood if what happened in 2011 happens in

2015; whereas 2011 election was adjudged by international and domestic

observers as the best election that we ever had in the nation's poll

history.
“I know the antecedents of each of the presidential candidates on parade

for the 2015 election. I also know that the threat of violence or

rejection of anticipated election victory will not change the will of God.

“And on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission, I

expect the election body to up its ante. In any human endeavour, there is

always room for improvement. There is no doubt in my mind that in the

2015 presidential election, INEC will improve on its preparations and the

conduct of the election.
“I appeal to all of us to come together to help in the effort to move

Nigeria forward in unity and harmony. God bless President Jonathan; God

bless the PDP; God bless Nigeria.”
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