2011: THE FLOPS RECORDED IN THE PH, UYO AND LAFIA PRO-JONATHAN RALLIES ARE ENOUGH OMINOUS SIGNS TO ENLIGHTEN JONATHAN OF THE DANGER AHEAD OF HIM IF HE DECIDES TO FORGE AHEAD WITH HIS ASPIRATION – TURAKI VANGUARD.

We have watched with utter shock the uncoordinated rallies organised so far to lure President Jonathan into contesting the 2011 presidential election and other ulterior steps adopted to checkmate opponents to the President's aspiration and come to the conclusion that the President need to be saved from the embarrassment that awaits him at the PDP primaries if he allows the plots of some disgruntled, mischievous and hungry politicians who are hell-bent to drag him into the 2011 election. The three pro-Jonathan rallies organised so far can only be described as dismal and embarrassing. If that of Lafia the state capital of Nasarawa is dismal that of Uyo in Akwa Ibom can be described as embarrassing for bringing the exalted stools of our traditional rulers into disrupt by mobilising them to fill empty spaces of the rally knowing very well that these fathers are not politicians and to cow them to such a rally is uncalled for. Vice President Sambo will be in better position to explain the shock he encountered in the scanty venue of the Uyo rally. The Port Harcourt the State Capital of Rivers State rally was the worst of all where school children have to be mobilised to march past an empty pavilion with few traders in attendance that were attracted to the venue by some comedians that were hired to perform instead of the heavy weight politicians invited to attend that were conspicuously absent. The absence of all the Governors in some of the rallies should have served as a lesson to Mr. President to retreat and wait for 2015 when it will be the turn of the Southern part of the country to produce the next president after the North should have exhausted their tenure of eight years.

With the Governors playing hide and seek game with Mr President knowing very well that he is the least person they will support ought to demonstrate to Mr. President that he need not to enter a race that will bring the exalted office the President of the Federal Republic into disrupt. With the Governors Forum (NGF) influencing the reversal of the schedules of the PDP primaries by ensuring that the gubernatorial primaries comes first before that of the President couple with the strategy of unleashing the EFCC on political opponents becoming unfashionable, we wish to once again appeal to our brother and President, Dr Jonathan Goodluck to be bold enough and disregard the mischievous and hungry politicians clustering around him urging him to contest an election that all signs points to an awful outing and save the integrity and prestige of the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We urge Mr. President for the good of our country to read Ambassador Campbell John one time Ambassador of USA to Nigeria from 2004-2007 in his well researched article on the danger of his candidature titled, “Nigeria on the brink – what happens if the 2011 Election Fail?” and allow good reasoning to prevail for the stability of our country and allow a gentleman agreement that brought him to power to prevail. To God be the glory for all that He has done in the life of Mr. President and considering the fact that he is still a young man, 2015 is still there for him to present himself for election if he is so desperate of contesting election in Nigeria. This is our plea and appeal for the future of our country. Nigeria On The Brink-What Happens If The 2011 Elections Fail?

Finally, let us use this opportunity also to reiterate that we find it distasteful and unacceptable the call by a group that call themselves Coalition of South-South Youth Organisations threatening that if High Chief Raymond Dokepsi the Director General of IBB Campaign Organisation, Mr. Chris Maman the Director General of Atiku Campaign Organisation and Mr. Timi Frank the Director of Youths in the AtIku Campaign Organisation who are from the South –south region of the country to disengage from their various positions in support of Presidential candidates from the North or else they will be banished from the region as a call if not checked may plunge this country into an unprecedented unrest which outcome will be difficult to fathom. According to this group, “it is morally unfair to abandon their own zone which had suffered serious neglect in the hands of the North, now that God is about wiping their tears through Jonathan”. We find this statement and act both inciting and unfortunate as the North as a region or any part of this country has not planned to short change or cause any part of the country to be suffered or neglected as the stand of the South Coalition intends to portray.

We should bear in mind that most of the people supporting the candidature of President Jonathan are mostly from the North and what happens if the Northerners emulate the example of this group and threaten to banish their own sons and daughters projecting the futile candidature of President Jonathan – are we not going to witness a sad development in Nigeria? , Beside no section or group can claim to be monopoly of violence but as much as we will urge and support any Nigerian to feel free to join any association as approved by the Nigerian Constitution, we wish to reiterate that any statement capable to set this country on fire should be discouraged as we should try to be united in our efforts to building a virile, united and egalitarian society that tallies with the resources God in his love bequeathed to us as a nation.

Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
National Director,
Directorate of Media & Public Affairs of Turaki Vanguard