2011: NORTHERN YOUTHS BLAST LEADERS OVER MOVE AGAINST JONATHAN

President Goodluck
Plans by some northern leaders to move against President Goodluck Jonathan in the event of contesting the Presidency in 2011 suffered a setback yesterday as youths from the region kicked against them saying their elders lack political moral to gang up against the President or offer themselves for election against him.

The youths, on the platform of Arewa Youths said the coming together of the northern politicians at the end of the day would amount to exercise in futility because according to them 'they had lost their chances to make a difference in the recent past.

Coordinator of the youths, Kelvin Chrisanthus Tizhe told Daily Sun in Abuja that the group would soon embark on rallies to sensitize northern youths on the deceit of the leaders from the region, who capitalized on the ravaging poverty among the people to hoodwink them to towing a particular political line during elections.

It would be recalled that some northern political leaders including former President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma and a host of others had on June 17 met in Abuja declaring that the North would not accept any attempt by President Jonathan to contest in 2011 and would stand by the zoning arrangement in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which gives the North an opportunity to produce the President in 2011.

Meanwhile, former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari had disowned the Northern leaders saying he believes in the credibility of whoever is contesting the presidential election and not just anyone on the basis of zoning whether credible or not. The youths coordinator who was livid with anger over the position of the leaders argued that it would have been better if the leaders had met over how the North could develop and progress rather than who among them should be made President. He added that it would be a sheer waste of time for them to be plotting how President Jonathan would not be president in 2011.

Said he: It will be an effort in futility and as a matter of fact, every right thinking northerner or Nigerian should disregard their move as just the ranting of politicians who neither have the interest of the nation at heart or have anything to offer the country since they wasted their chances when they were given the opportunities to make the difference. 'The funniest part of this whole episode is the fact that the constitution of the Federal Republic does not bar any Nigerian who has not been convicted and has the requisite education from contesting. They have gone to town telling lies to whoever cared to listen about an agreement on zoning.

'The question here is: can they prove to Nigerians this supposed zoning agreement? If they claimed to had supported Chief Obasanjo to become president because of June 12, why not then support Goodluck in 2011 since his region has sustained Nigeria economically as a nation since independence? They pointed out that since the focus and motive of the leaders was just to stop President Jonathan, we the youths will counter them and campaign for Jonathan and let's see who wins,' he stated.

According to him, some of the leaders had no justification to say they wanted to be president again, because 'when they were, the North which they claimed they were fighting for did not benefit specially from their leadership, what then do they want?'

He therefore called on all Nigerians to give President Jonathan maximum support to be able to deliver on the tasks before him and make the necessary changes so that all regions could benefit from his government.