Why President Jonathan Was Stoned in the North
On many occasions, the campaign train of GEJ was stoned by 'Sai Buhari' chanting thugs in the north during the just concluded PDP presidential campaigns. One unique feature of these unprovoked violent acts is that the stoning took place only in towns dominated by the Hausa Fulani Muslims [HFM] and Kanuri Muslims [KM] and some of these dark spots are Bauchi, Katsina and Gombe. The stoning of the president by the thugs assumes a worrisome dimension considering the fact that GMB was neither stoned nor jeered at by the good people of southern Nigeria during the APC's presidential campaigns in the South. While the president's campaign train was pelted with stones in GMB's home state, Katsina State, GMB was well received by the peace loving people of Bayelsa State, and even the Bayelsa State Governor who belongs to the PDP was not left out. Since the thugs always chanted 'Sai Buhari', whenever they stoned the president's campaign train, it is pertinent to x-ray GMB's supporters with a view to ascertaining whether or not they were responsible for these terrorist acts. Consequently, GMB's supporters are hereby divided into four distinct groups, the Mallam El–Rufais' Group [MEG], the Senator Tinubu's Group [STG], the Almajiris' Group [AG]and the Others Group [OG].
The MEG consists of HFM and KM politicians who want to ride on his popularity amongst northern Muslims to electoral victory. Members of this group have very little or no electoral value while some of them, such as Mallam El-Rufai had been very critical of GMB. To underscore his disrespect for GMB, Mallam El-Rufai once said 'Pa Buhari is perpetually unelectable. He is the only senior military officer that failed all the senior military examinations in the history of the Nigerian military. If you check the official names of officers like IBB, IDIAGBON, DIYA, DANJUMA, ……etc, you will see a suffix FSS, Psc, mni. Pa Buhari has none. He failed the Command and Staff examination and all other military examinations'. But now, just like the rest pretenders in the MEG, he desperately needs GMB to achieve his political ambition in Kaduna State. Unfortunately, the MEG constitute GMB's 'think tank' but as expected, these pretenders will definitely dump him the moment they achieve their political ambitions.
Initially, the STG consists only of prominent members of the APC from South West Geopolitical Zone [SWGZ] but due to surreptitious campaigns by the STG, some Media Organizations [MO], Civil Society Groups [CSO], clergymen and Social Commentators [SC] based in SWGZ have keyed into STG's treacherous plan. Their primary objective is to reclaim power from HFM provided the APC emerges victorious in the forthcoming presidential election with GMB as its presidential candidate. They believe that either the pending disqualification cases against GMB or his assumed ill health will cause him to vacate office prematurely thereby facilitating his replacement by the Vice President, an individual of Yoruba extraction. In furtherance of this, about 25,000 clergymen of Yoruba extraction had been mobilized to pray for GMB's victory in the forthcoming presidential election. According to Bishop Kayode Williams, the 25,000-strong 'prayer warriors' will congregate at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos for the exercise.
The OG consists of Nigerians who really want something different from the PDP. While a good percentage of members of OG want a government that will perform better than the PDP government, some of them do not care, as long as PDP government is replaced with another one. At a campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Governor Rotimi Amaechi said 'Nigerians want change, it can be for better or worse, we do not mind, Nigerians just want change'. Again, in response to a documentary on Senator Tinubu's alleged corrupt activities in Lagos State by the AIT, some APC supporters said 'even if the PDP shows a video of Tinubu and Buhari robbing Central Bank of Nigeria, we will still vote for the APC'. In response to GMB's inability to attach genuine academic qualifications to INEC Form 001 as required by Law, some APC supporters said that they would accept a stark illiterate as their president provided the individual is GMB.
The AG consists of HFM and KM who are former and current students of Almajiri education. They are found mostly in North West Geopolitical Zone [NWGZ] and North East Geopolitical Zone [NEGZ] and they are the real supporters of GMB. Though GMB has done very little or nothing to improve the standard of living of these people, he has been very consistent, more than any other HFM or KM politicians in promoting the spread of Sharia Laws throughout Nigeria.
At a workshop organized in Kaduna by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in 2001, GMB was quoted to have said 'I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God's willing, we will not stop the agitation for total implementation of the Sharia in the country. It is a legal responsibility which Allah has given us within the context of one Nigeria, to continue to uphold the practice of Sharia wholeheartedly and to educate non-Muslims that they have nothing to fear. What remains for Muslims is for them to redouble their efforts, educate Muslims on the need to promote the full implementation of Sharia law'. He further advised Muslims to vote only for politicians who will promote Islam. Encouraged by this hate speech eloquently delivered by GMB, an Islamic fundamentalist group named Muslims League[ML] sent out this text message to voters during 2011 governorship election in Kaduna state, 'Muslim brothers, vote for Shaaban of ACN for governor bcos CPC candidate Haruna is not a Hausa Muslim. Him and his running mate JD Ephraim are from southern Kaduna.' Here even a northern Muslim contesting election on the platform of CPC, a HFM political party, was rejected by the ML because Alhaji Haruna was not a Hausa Muslim.
When the Federal Government imposed emergency rule on the three North Eastern states to combat Boko Haram terrorists, he condemned it and said that any attack by the security forces on the Boko Haram terrorists was an attack on the north. He said that Boko Haram terrorists were also fighting for their rights the same way Niger Delta militants did, hence, the Federal Government should treat them the way the Niger Delta militants were being catered for. In recognition of his support, Boko Haram terrorists nominated him to lead their delegation to talks with the Federal Government, an offer he reluctantly turned down because of pressure from the MEG.
It is suicidal for anyone to be seen in Jonathan/Sambo campaign vehicle in HFM and KM dominated towns and villages in NWGZ and NEGZ. Because of the AG penchant to generate violence with or without any provocation, many southerners had left the north in droves and more are still leaving as the 28 March 2015 approaches. However, the AG view the exodus of southerners from the north as a welcome development because those southerners, whom they believe are pro-Jonathan will not be able to vote during the presidential election.
His penchant to use religion as a campaign tool has heightened tension considerably in the north, especially in NWGZ and NEGZ. The situation is so pregnant with violence that the Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido had to complain openly. According to the Governor, when GMB talks to electorate in the north he usually plays up the religious card, but when he is in the south, he plays it down by harping on national unity. He wondered why GMB should 'chose a Christian as his running mate and shunned the Muslim community then turn round to tell people in the north that his contest is anchored on promoting and guiding Islam'. The Governor further stated that because of GMB's divisive campaigns, even HFM politicians are vilified and maligned because they refuse to vote for a Muslim as their president and opted to vote for a Christian.
Because of GMB's support for the implementation of Sharia Laws throughout Nigeria, members of the AG regard him as the only politician that will usher in a 'paradise' in Nigeria if voted into office as the president of Nigeria. They believe that he will ensure strict interpretation and implementation of the Sharia Laws throughout the Federation. Members of the AG stoned the president because they consider the forthcoming presidential election as a religious war between infidels led by president Jonathan and Muslims led by GMB. They see themselves as Mujahedeen [Allah's soldiers] and they are prepared to either kill anyone or even lay down their lives in order to install GMB as the next president of Nigeria. They are the foot soldiers GMB hopes to unleash on the nation again to 'soak dogs and baboons in blood' if he loses the presidential election. God bless Nigeria.
Dr Deborah Nelson
Ilorin, Kwara State