Obasanjo - Why I Attended Jonathan Endorsement

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said he was part of the Southwest PDP endorsement for President Goodluck Jonathan's presidential bid because as a party leader he could not disagree with that decision.

Obasanjo, who spoke on Wednesday in New York in the margins of the UN Millennium Development Goals Summit, said, "I am the chairman of the PDP board of trustees, whatever is being done by my zone, I cannot disagree with it."

He said media reports to the effect that he abandoned Jonathan's camp were mischievous.

Obasanjo said Jonathan will do his best in the PDP presidential primaries but did not explain what that means. "I believe he will do his best and if he does his best and the PDP does its best, we will be satisfied with the result," he said.

He said he was not at the president's declaration in Abuja on Saturday because of a burial of a friend's father he had to attend in the United States.

"Carl Masters lost his father when he and I were together in China," he said. "I promised to honour his invitation to attend his father's burial."

On 2011 elections, Obasanjo urged Nigerians to be optimistic and to stop "condemning ourselves by the standard other people draw for us."

He said, "We have many things that we need to correct, one of them is the act of criticising ourselves. We must decide the best standard for us and use that standard truly."

2011: Jonathan’s presidency, panacea for N/Delta problems –Utuama

THE deputy governor of Delta State, Professor Amos Utuama, on Saturday, centred the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2011 polls within the context of providing solutions to the problems of underdevelopment and agitation for resource control by the Niger Delta.
Utuama, a professor of law, speaking at the launch of a book, “Agonies to Triumph of the Minorities,”  written in honour of Chief Fred Brume, in Effurun, Delta State, said Jonathan’s presidency beyond 2011 was the sure path to the realisation of the agitation of the people of the Niger Delta to control their resource.
According to him, Jonathan’s presidential aspiration in the 2011 polls represented the political solution that the Niger Delta and even the larger Nigerian nation required to address the yearnings and aspirations of the oil producing communities.
“So the political solution is around and we should not shy away from it… This is hope rising for the Niger Delta people. If we miss it, we are missing opportunity for life. Our children and generations to come will not forgive us,” he said.
The deputy governor, however, said “I do not believe that we should use the resources to the exclusion of Nigerians. I believe in the Nigeria project. This is the era of globalisation… For those of us to whom God has made possible to have a large nation in Africa…we must not dismember it.”
He said President Jonathan had a constitutional right to aspire to become president in 2011, adding that it was in the recognition of this that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made it clear that he was free to run.
Utuama added that other aspirants for the presidential race from other parts of the country enjoyed similar constitutional rights, adding that rather than excluding a particular aspirants, the electorate and party delegates, as the case may be, should be allowed to determine their choice.

Former Vice-President of Nigeria Joins Jonathan Campaign

Former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme has accepted to serve in President Goodluck Jonathan's Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).

The council is made up of eminent Nigerians who are expected to provide operational guidelines for the president's main campaign team, as well as coordinate all activities relating to the campaign ahead of 2011.

A full list of the members of the PCC, obtained exclusively by THISDAY, shows that it is a blend of old and new politicians drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country.

Many of the council members had been involved in moves to draft Jonathan into the race before his declaration in Abuja last Saturday.

The full list of the members, according to geo-political zones are: North-central: Governor Gabriel Suswam, Alhaji Shaaba Lafiaji, Chief Solomon Lar, Barnabas Gemade, Ahmadu Ali, Jerry Gana, Major-General Gado Nasko and Senator Tunde Ogbeha.

North-east: Governor Isa Yuguda, Alhaji Kaulaha Aliyu, Adamu Maina Waziri, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Hajiya Zainab Maina, Ibrahim Bunu, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, Senator Idris Umar, Senator Bala Muhammed, Mrs. Christy Silas, Muhammed Lawal, Barrister Ahmed Gulak and Alhaji Abubakar Muazu.

 Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

North-west: Governor Ibrahim Shema, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Prof M.K Abubakar, Kabiru Tanimu SAN, Senator Isaiah Balat, Hon. Azumi Bebeji, Ambassador Dalhatu Sarki Tafida.

South-east: Governor Martin Elechi, Ojo Madueke, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, Princess Stella Ogiemwonyi, Chidinma Nwajumogu, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Chief John Nwodo.

South-south: Governor Liyel Imoke, Chibudom Nwuche, Godswill Orubebe, Chief Tony Anenih, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, Dr. Bolero Ketebu, Senator Aniete Okon, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, Johnnie Amalate Turner, Sully Abu, Gen Owoye Azazi.

South-west: Governor Gbenga Daniel, Olusegun Agagu, Shuaibu Oyedokun, Tunde Adeniran, Raji Rasaki, Mr. Ayoka Lawani, Wahab Dosunmu, Senator Ogunseye Ogunlewe, Sen. Olayinka Omilani, Chief Funsho Lawal, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi.

Nigeria @ 50 Years & Jonathan for President 2011

NEXT week, Nigeria will clock 50 as sovereign state. In other words, the country will be officially old. If it were a human being, it would have been expected to have had substantially achieve its goals in life and preparing lasting legacies to bequeath to its offspring. In the case of a nation, political stability, socio-economic advancement, efficient infrastructure and vibrant human capital are some of the necessities that should be solidly etched in the national psyche. But it is debatable whether Nigeria has come of age and is anywhere close to the goals it set for itself at independence in 1960.

The nation’s founding fathers did well to seek and obtain independence and opened up the citizens’ eyes to the enormous potentials of a country blessed with abundant human and natural resources. Beyond that, it is doubtful if there was enough effort on their part to mould Nigeria into a solid unit whose strength should lie in its diversity. Rather than engendering the realisation of its immense potentials, Nigeria’s vast endowments have more or less become divisive factors. This was accentuated in the beginning by the ethnic-leaning leaders who were motivated by less than altruistic intentions. It is hardly surprising because Nigeria is a country of different nationalities brought together by the colonialists without their consent and  consideration for their apparent differences and established ways of life.  It was with the understanding of these marked differences that the colonial powers employed the policy of divide and rule to facilitate the administration of the territory.

These differences may have been blurred in the last 50 years, but they are far from being erased and the corollary of this is the lack of substantial socio-economic progress up till this moment in the nation’s history.

Things can be different if the country taps in on the promises of an unbroken democracy that this dispensation offers to finally melt away all inhibitions posed to unity by ethnic, regional and religious cleavages.  From 1999, it looked like the country was heading in that direction because of the increased opportunities for all Nigerians to participate at the highest level in the democratic governance irrespective of his ethnic or regional background.

Olusegun Obasanjo became president through the votes of Nigerians from all around the country. Voters who were not members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cast their votes for him because of their conviction that he was the most appropriate person, at that point in time, to lead the country. In fact, those who were behind his emergence as the flag bearer of the party thought less about his ethnic background or creed and more about his potential to cement the country. When he was leaving office, eight years after, he handed over to the late Umaru Yar’Adua who hailed from another section of the country. Even though the process of the emergence of Yar’Adua was flawed, the majority of the people of the country were comfortable with his leadership and, with his assumption of office, the country had made progress in the orderly transition from one civilian administration to another.

President Goodluck Jonathan was confirmed by the grace of Nigerians –Christians, Muslims and atheists of all tribes-working together to invoke the constitutional prescription for succession in the circumstances following the death of Yar’Adua.  With his general acceptability, though he is of a minority stock, you would think that the country had finally crossed the Rubicon and trudging on with less emphasis on region, religion or tribe.

It does not look as if this is the case with the ongoing battle for the PDP presidential ticket.  Ahead of the 2011 elections, it appears ethnic bigotry is rearing its head. This could have been ignored as one of those things that can occur in a large democracy but for the involvement of national leaders such as Ibrahim Babangda and Atiku Abubakar in the scheme to fish out a regional consensus candidate since the declaration of Jonathan.

Their effort smacks of a descent from Olympian indifference to pettiness into the abyss of political desperation.  They both have nationalistic credentials. These are what they should project to the voters, rather than relying on the all too worn out phrase, power rotation, to seek a return to Aso Rock.

How Jonathan’s declaration changed the face of Abuja and The factors that turned the ceremony into a bang

Situation in Abuja prior the declaration day
DAYS preceding that of the declaration, the tempo of activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) climaxed, as consultations, preparations and advance plans heightened. It was noticeable that the city was going to be overtaken by human and vehicular traffic in a matter of days.

It was observed that many who attended the event kept calling their contacts in Abuja, asking for assistance to secure hotel reservations to avoid a last-minute rush and possible disappointment. On the eve of the declaration day, when Sunday Tribune went round prominent hotels in Abuja, it was gathered that all the available hotel rooms had been booked. Some of the hotels visited included Transcorp Hotel, Bolingo Hotels and Towers, 1st Forty, Sheraton, Agura Hotel, Bayelsa State Guest House and Sigma Apartment.

One of the visitors who spoke with Sunday Tribune at Sigma Apartment, Wuse, lamented that she had already wasted a lot of money on taxi, moving round hotels to secure accommodation, to no avail. She said that due to the high-level of mobilisation of the people from Bayelsa State and other states in the South South, it was apparent that many people from the state and the zone were going to attend the event.

As situation stood regarding the shortage of hotel rooms, they were to face some level of frustration. Also on the eve of the declaration day, a number of President Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists who thronged Abuja had to sleep at the Eagle Square venue; in the open and under cold weather.

An emergency security meeting was equally held between the heads of the Army, Navy, State Security Services, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed to assess the state of security ahead the declaration and fine-tune other strategies to ensure that there was no security breach.

State of Affairs On The Declaration Day
The venue was already overtaken by people and activities as early as 8:30 a.m. Part of the early callers included traders, comprising sellers of Jonathan’s branded shirts and caps. They literary invaded the venue to make brisk business. Nature also smiled on the event with a very clement weather. Of course, the Eagle Square was filled beyond capacity with an overflow.

Traffic officers had a herculean task maintaining flow of traffic and introduced various diversions to aid easy movement, prompting many people to trek kilometres to the venue. As expected, posters of the president sponsored by politicians, including governors interested in contesting various offices in 2011, flooded the venue and adorned strategic positions in the nation’s capital.

Many taxis and other private vehicles were conspicuously painted with “Breath of Fresh Air”, with the picture of the president strategically inserted. To maintain adequate security around the venue, combined team of the army, police, civil defence with the police dogs were at hand. Police also added boost to the security as it deployed surveillance helicopter which continuously hovered around the venue to monitor the situation.

There was an unusual site around the venue of a man without clothes on, but wrapped in black leather and lying face down while the event lasted, showing that there could be more to the event than the physical. In all, the human tsunami that hit the venue, no doubt, presented a precursor to what to expect in coming weeks when the primaries of the PDP and the actual campaigns would eventually kick-off. Be that as it may, many factors contributed to the success recorded by the declaration.

The Governors’ Connection
One of the factors that contributed to the success of the declaration of President Jonathan included the desire by some of the PDP governors to vie for second term. The affected governors, apart from those of Niger, Dr. Aliyu Babangida; Zamfara, Alhaji Mamudu Shinkafi and Adamawa, Alhaji Murtala Nyako, had shunned the previous declarations by the former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida and the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar.

The states’ helmsmen wanted to be noticed at all cost so as not to put their loyalty to the ambition of the president in doubt. That also informed why they heavily mobilised their supporters to Abuja.
The Zonal Contribution
The fact that the declaration by President Jonathan was the very first time that a serving president from the South South extraction was seeking election contributed to the huge mobilisation of people of the zone to attend the event. The presence of most of the repentant militants was noticeable.

The staunch support of political leaders of the zone, to Jonathan’s ambition added to the success greatly. Apart from that, the South-South zone had taken a bold decision earlier to demonstrate unprecedented support to the president through their attendance so as not to give the impression which could be capitalised upon by the northern elements unfavourably disposed to the candidature of Jothanan, following the retention of the zonal arrangement of the PDP.

Jonathan’s qualities
There is no gainsaying the fact that the qualities of Jonathan added colour to the event. His mobilisation skills, especially during the days when he campaigned for the office of governor of Bayelsa State before he was picked by the late President Musa Yar’Adua also played great role.

From the humble service as deputy governor, governor, vice president and presently president of the country, Jonathan has, no doubt, endeared himself to many. His wife, Patience who is seen in various quarters as a great mobiliser, on her own, must have added some support that resulted in the large crowd pulled by the declaration ceremony. As it stands, the goodwill which Jonathan wielded prior to his emergence as president was yet to wane despite the efforts in the recent time to discredit his ability to unite the country and move it forward.

Age factor
Jonathan is seen in many quarters as a symbol of change and an aspirant that could represent the interest of the youths of the nation. Ranging from IBB to Atiku, Jonathan remains a paradigm shift from the old order where retired military leaders and old-same politicians were recycled, in the eyes of his loyalists. That factor must have pulled the youths who decided to stage an open solidarity.

PDP’s character
Historically, PDP is known for displaying unflinching support for the leader of the party who has an interest to continue in office, especially if the coast is clear. It is obvious that the executive of the party would do everything possible to ensure a successful outing for the leader in the declaration and campaigns. No officer would prefer to be seen as disloyal. In such ceremonies, the party had siezed every opportunity to further showcase it as the leading political party in the continent.

The International Community Connection
It is a known fact that the international community was watching to see whether Jonathan would be able to conduct a free and fair poll in 2011. Ability to do so with his joining the race is also being monitored. However, the success or otherwise of his declaration was viewed as a step in assessing what would be the turn of the event in coming weeks as the build-up to the polls approaches. This, the president and his foot soldiers have kept sacrosanct and do not want to stage a first flop.

The Pre-Declaration Prayer Session
Jonathan remains the first aspirant to the presidency in 2011 who organised an open prayer session to seek God’s approval, prior to his declaration day. The desire to seek divine direction must have provided some level of result and contributed greatly to the eventual success of the day.

With the eventual declaration, all is now set for the president to participate in the forthcoming primaries and possibly in the 2011 presidential poll. How far Jonathan can go, however, remains a matter which time will definitely tell.

Support for president Goodluck comes 2011

Women hold a banner in support of President Goodluck Jonathan during a presidential rally...

Biography of President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (b. Novembre 20, 1957),is currently the President of Nigeria. A former zoologist who became vice-president in 2007. He was the Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. 

He became officially the President of Nigeria May 6, 2010,This comes as the country prepares to bury its former leader Umaru Yar’Adua who died yesterday the 5th of May 2010, after a prolonged illness that saw his Vice-President stepped in to his shoes as Acting President. There had been tension in the country as rival political factions struggle to assert authority in what was seen as a power vacuum during the period of illness of Yar’Adua.


Family: He is married to Patience and has two children.


Jonathan, of the Ijo (Ijaw) ethnic group and a Christian, was born and raised in the region of the Niger delta in what is now Bayelsa state. He attended Christian primary and secondary schools in the area and later attended the University of Port Harcourt, earning a B.S. in zoology (1981), an M.S. in hydrobiology and fisheries biology (1985), and a Ph.D. in zoology (1995). During his university education, he also taught at Rivers State College of Education from 1983 until 1993. He then served as an assistant director at the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, a now defunct government agency, from 1993 until 1998.


Jonathan’s political career began when he became involved with the nascent People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the late 1990s. He was elected deputy governor of Bayelsa state in 1999 under the party’s banner. He served in that position until 2005, when he was elevated to the governorship after the incumbent was charged with corruption and impeached. In 2007 he was selected to be the vice presidential running mate of the PDP’s presidential candidate, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He and Yar’Adua were elected in April and inaugurated in May. zoologist he became vice -president of Nigeria in 2007.