Norther Elders Forum Blame Jonathan, Wife For Rivers Political Crisis

The northern elders forum have accused President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience Jonathan of being the masterminds behind the political crisis in the state and using unconstitutional means to settle his political disputes due to his desperate ambition to stay in power beyond 2015.

In a press briefing that was billed to address the fallout of last Thursday’s Abuja meeting of representatives of the six socio-cultural political northern groups including the northern elders forum, Arewa consultative forum and the northern union, Amaechi’s rumoured vice presidential ambition with a northern presidential candidate was one of the issues raised, a move which has pitched him against some of his kinsmen and the presidency, which the northern elders reminded the president that the governor and his supporters deserve the full protection of the law and right to belong or seek for any political position of his choice without molestation.

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, the spokesman of the forum, Professor Ango Abdullahi, noted that President Jonathan is using police and federal authorities to fight the Rivers state governor, Chibuike Amaechi and his supporters and called on the president to order an immediate cessation of hostilities in Rivers and to stop further harassment of Amaechi or his supporters.

The northern elders however expressed worry that the current political crisis in Rivers state is an indication of politics of intolerance which has remained the hallmark of Nigeria’s political experience since the advent of democracy in 1999, adding that the alarming desperation of president Jonathan to manoeuvre himself for a second term in office in 2015, will pose a major threat to the elections and ultimately, the democratic process.

The forum vowed to use every conventional means including its large population strength to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from getting re-elected, insisting that the presidency must be zoned to the north in the next election.

While pointing out that president Jonathan betrayed the confidence reposed in him as a sincere leader after he declared not to seek for another term in office in an agreement he reached with the northern governors, Professor Abdullahi insisted that the president must quit in 2015.