Gov Peter Obi endorses Jonathan for 2015
- Details
- Category: GENERAL
- Published on Monday, 10 September 2012 00:26
- Written by Elombah.com
Details of what transpired at the private meeting President Goodluck Jonathan held with political stakeholders from the South-east geopolitical zone in Awka, Anambra State, during his visit to the state, have emerged. Elombah.com has also learnt the issue of Jonathan’s 2015 ambition is tearing APGA apart.
The president visited the state last week during which he commissioned some projects including Orient Refinery and SABmiller breweries Onitsha at the invitation of Governor Peter Obi.
At a private meeting, Obi and prominent businessman Arthur Eze and other stakeholders from the zone endorsed the President for a second term in office.
It was learnt that Eze was the first to commence the discussion on 2015, calling on the leaders to endorse President Jonathan for a second term in office.
He was then supported by Anambra governor, Peter Obi, who allegedly reminded the President of the zone’s support during his presidential campaign.
“Governor Obi told the President that he should not hesitate to declare for his second term in office”.
Arthur Eze said some of the programmes and projects of the President would need more time to germinate and could not be concluded within the first four years of his administration.
A source who attended the meeting quoted the business magnate as saying, “Mr. President, we know the projects in your hands.
They cannot be concluded within the period of the first four years of your administration.
“We have noted the progress your administration is making in the power sector and in infrastructural development. We know that there would be no meaningful progress in these projects within your first term, which ends in 2015. It is equally worthy of note that these projects need to be given full attention to ensure their successful completion. We are therefore proposing and hereby endorsing you for a second term in office to enable you complete the projects that you have started,” Prince Eze said.
The source, however, said when it was time for the President to respond, he tactfully refrained from acknowledging the call by the zone for him to declare for second time.
President Jonathan was said to have dwelt on the progress recorded by his administration in the various sectors of the economy to ensure that the promises he made to the people in 2011 before he was elected are fulfilled. He did not respond to the call made on him to immediately declare for re-election.
Meanwhile The APGA National Chairman Chief (Sir) Victor Umeh have said his problems with Governor Peter Obi started from a statement he made in May 2012 that APGA will field presidential candidate in 2015.
At the APGA UK general meeting held on the 1st of Sept 2012 at Prince of Wales Drive Battersea in London in support of 2015 Igbo Presidency, the APGA National Chairman addressed APGA Members present at the meeting and said the second issue is his insistence that Gov Peter Obi should conduct Local Government Elections with immediate effect so as to empower the grassroots.
Umeh said he made the declaration in May 24 2012 while receiving a delegation from the political office of the United States Consulate in Nigeria, where he said Igbos in the South East had remained the most cheated ethnic group in the country, especially in terms of the number of states and local government areas. He added that the persistent marginalization was principally caused by their involvement in the civil war.
The National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, then declared the readiness of his party to field a presidential candidate in the 2015 general elections, in line with the collective desire of Ndigbo to produce the next president of the country.
Victor Umeh said the Anambra governor, who had never hidden his affinity with Presidential Jonathan and the ruling PDP though denied he engineered the rumpus within APGA aimed at removing him as the party chairman.
Umeh said 2 days after giving the interview; some members were then used to engineer his removal adding that it was the insistence of state chairmen and members of APGA Executive Committee, with the support of Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha that kept him in office.
His words: “This time around we (APGA) are going to field a Presidential candidate. The late Dim Chukwuemeke Odumegwu-Ojukwu was our presidential candidate twice in 2003 and 2007.
“In 2011 we didn’t field a presidential candidate because things were very fluid, but by 2015, I am sure, APGA will field a Presidential candidate and we are determined to fight for an Igbo man to become president of Nigeria under any arrangement possible, be it coalition.
“We must be prepared to work with some other political parties to form a coalition. In Germany what they have is a coalition government. Angela Merkel party controls just 34 percent and through coalition arrangement they are leading the country.
“So we want to see how APGA can engage in that type of process where our presidential candidate will also be available alongside presidential candidates of other political parties and after the first round of election we see the performance of each party.
“Through negotiation we can pull our resources together , APGA, ACN, CPC and all the parties in opposition, we should be able to give PDP a run in 2015.”
