Northern Elders To Jonathan : We Won’t Support You In 2015
Members of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, have said they will not support the President Goodluck Jonathan’s reelection bid in 2015 . They said his presidency has is characterized with “division, heightened religious tendencies, hatred, ethnic militancy and a high rate of impunity.”
The Deputy Chairman of the NEF, Dr. Paul Unongo and spokesperson of the forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, revealed that the members of the forum believed the PDP made a mistake in declaring Jonathan as their sole candidate and that any presidential candidate presented by the All Progressives Congress, APC, would have their votes.
“Our position has not changed. We don’t mind him contesting, but we are not going to work for him to become president of this country again because we don’t believe that we have had any president that has been so divisive; that has heightened religious tendencies, hatred, ethnic militancy, high rate of impunity and a tremendous amount of insensitivity.
“The majority of northerners and the majority of Nigerians will decide for us and for the APC. We are not into party politics, but the APC has shown respect and deference to the North by allowing the North to produce its (presidential) candidate. But the PDP shut the door, saying there is nobody else but Jonathan; that he is the best for Nigeria. That is a lie.”
Abdullahi, in his statement, said: “We did not even put ‘if.’ He should just forget about 2015. We cannot support him for 2015 for whatever reason. What we said would only confuse those who doubt; we have never doubted his failure. We have always believed that the man is incapable of running this country.”
