SEE Jonathan’s Secret Deal With Yorubas

President Goodluck Jonathan

Nigerian President, Pressident Goodluck Jonathan has spent almost a week in Lagos, in this time he has succeeded in commissioning some federal projects in the South-west as well as naval war ships to boost the nation’s maritime security.

He has also been secretly campaigning with segments of the society for the 2015 national elections while Buhari has been out of the country.

According to Vanguard the reason the president has been in Lagos is to double his efforts at getting significant votes from the region during the presidential election.

After INEC released the number of people with permanent voter cards, PVCs, so far nationwide, the importance of South western voters increased, it became apparent that because of its high number of voters, the support of the South-west was critical to his re-election.

The postponement of the elections by six weeks by the Independent National Electoral Commission effectively crippled the momemtum of the APC.

This was a huge blessing for the PDP and offered the party some time to cover lost grounds and the make some foray into the South-west.

Jonathan met with a cross section of Yoruba political and opinion leaders beginning with the Yoruba Council of Elders at the State House, Marina, Lagos. The President also met with market women groups under the aegis of the Iyalojas, the Oodua Cooperative Alliance from the six states of the South-west, as well as representatives of other ethnic groups and tribes in Lagos.

He visited the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III; the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Ajagungbade; and about 20 traditional rulers of Egba extraction from Ogun State. The significance of the meeting with the traditional rulers from Egbaland stems from the fact that this is same area which former President Olusegun Obasanjo, one of the worst critics of Jonathan, hails from.

The traditional rulers, who attended the meeting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, were led by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo. Others at the meeting included the Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Michael Sonariwo; and the Olowu of Owu, Oba Dosunmu. The Awujale and the paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, and Olu of Ilaro and paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, were absent.

This meetings provided the president with an avenue to garner support from the groups.

Jonathan had in his visit to the palace of the Alafin of Oyo, informed the nation of his plans to implement the report of the National Conference.

This has been one of the core demands of the South West and the President could not have chosen a better place than the Alafin’s palace to give his commitment.

Jonathan’s foray into the region has provided benefitial as he has been given assurances by some prominent Yoruba leaders are anything to go bay. For instance, the founder of the Odua Peoples Congress, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, has publicly stated that Yoruba elders have decided to support Jonathan based on his promise to implement the National Conference report.

 “The promise he gave us is that if he comes back for a second term, he will ensure that the decisions of the Confab are perfected and implemented as soon as he comes in. The Yoruba want self-determination within the federation that will ensure their form of government and politics and want to be able to develop their own region”, Fasheun said while justifying their support for Jonathan.

A meeting of Yoruba leaders in Akure, under the aegis of Afenifere with the theme: ‘’National Conference, 2015 Elections and the Yoruba Nation’, also endorsed Jonathan for the 2015 elections, citing his commitment to implementing the report of the National Conference as their reason.
The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Ayo Adebanjo said: “We are supporting Jonathan because of the consistency of the Yoruba to have this country restructured so that it can develop. People are calling for change. I want a change in the Constitution of Nigeria. Only a change in the Constitution can truly bring about the change that we need.”

Also the change in tide of the war against Boko Haram is assuring that the security of the nation is secured.

The insurgency in the North east had escalated when boko haram went from attacking military formations and government offices to occupying large towns and villages across the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

These coupled with the large scale defection of members of the armed forces as well as the large number of security service being court martial send a bleak message to many Nigerians, and the increase of attacks by the group sent a bleak message to Nigerian that the government is either unable or unwilling to bring about their sufferings to an end.

However, three weeks after the postponement of the elections, the military has brought back some credibility in the army as hundreds of Boko Haram members have been killed in battle, several of their military hardware and weapons either captured or destroyed while Baga, Munguno, Diwa, Gwoza and other villages hitherto occupied by the terrorist group have been liberated.

These comes with the recent supply of new weapons and ammunition to the army and the renewed cooperation between the neighbouring countries of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic to fight the Boko Haram terrorists, the confidence of many Nigerians, displaced from their homes and villages by the terrorists, appears to be waxing stronger.

The assurance by the president of security is also one of the driving factors why Buhari has garnered popular support, more now than in 2011.

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