NPF DUMPS JONATHAN

The Northern Patriotic Front (NPF), one of the northern socio-political groups championing the return of President Goodluck Jonathan to Aso Rock in 2011, says it has concluded plans to shift support to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku, who is the consensus candidate of the Mailam Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) is also a top contender for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2011 general elections.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun yesterday in Abuja, NPF chairman, Alhaji Ali Abacha, accused Jonathan of betrayal and abdication of responsibilities. The group's main grouse against the President was the fact that despite advancing Jonathan's ascendancy to the office of the president even as vice president in the wake of late President Umaru Yar'Adua's incapacitation before his eventual demise, Jonathan's actions had recent times portrayed him as someone who was only interested in using the group to actualize his ambition.

His words: 'We had supported Goodluck since December last year till date, but we've not seen any element of appreciation from him.Even when he was vice president, we supported him him before Yar'Adua died and in the process, we were called names by some of our northern brothers. We were the first northern group to call for Yar'Adua's resignation when his health condition seemingly became hopeless. But soon after he became President, it did not take long before we realized that Jonathan is a betrayer.

At that point, he didn't even tell us thank you. I personally received insults from my bothers in the north. Politics is about interests. But it is evident that President Goodluck is an embodiment of deceit. He tells you I will see you tomorrow, but his tomorrow has no end. In the present circumstances, we are almost concluding arrangements to transfer our support to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. We need to protect our interest.'

Commenting on the ongoing accreditation of over 300 civil society groups for the monitoring of the forthcoming polls, Abacha, who is also a co-coordinator of the coalition of civil society groups in Nigeria, expressed satisfaction with the all-inclusive management style of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega.