2015: Jonathan, Amaechi must reconcile now------ Group

Following the political altercation between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, a group of non- partisan but social- cultural group has called on the two warring brothers to sheath their swords for the interest of the country.

Speaking on the current issue, rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigerian Governors’ Form (NGF) and the Niger-Delta People’s Congress, Eastern Union (EU), says the bickering would not pay any one any good, adding that the earlier the problem is resolved the better for the nation and the South-south.

The President General of the organization, Charles Anike said there is need for both brothers to reconcile their differences for the good of the nation, their party and their zone. According to Anike, it’s high time, the elders of South-South and South- East counselled governor Amaechi on his fight against his brother saying nobody fights his brother and succeed.

Anike, during the organization’s State of the Nation’s assessment said, politicians should be mindful of what happened during the June 12 election in 1993 where political interest of few elements caused the nation a protracted political impasse until it was resolved after souls have been lost.

  “It is really a time we the Eastern Union try to broker peace between our brothers before things get out of hand. We therefore call on all the elder statesmen from South –South and South East to wield into the matter because silence at this time will be a heinous crime and a dreadful transgression”. Anike stated, adding that, “It’s no longer a matter of who is right or wrong but must come to a compromise for the progress of our nation and so that some people do not take undue advantage to heat up the polity, and compound our present security challenges which will cost the nation”

 Anike said what Rivers State Governor need now is to close rank with his brother rather than fighting him. He said the governor should apply wisdom, maturity and great sacrifice is expected from him.

“Let’s think and recall our history”, he stated. Those who were used in the past to fight their brothers were later disappointed and even killed by those who used them; I don’t want to mention names but we know what happened.  President Jonathan needs our support and corporation”, Anike advised.

He said Amaechi’s Pyrrhic victory at the just concluded Governor’s Forum election was a warning to Jonathan’s camp and for the people of South-South and South-Eastern people, as it could cause the zone to lose power to other zones in the 2015 election.

According to him, Politics is a serious business and very dynamic, so Jonathan must reach out and not rely on the assurances of those who have opportunity to work with him. Power of incumbency and all that may not stand this time around, what the Presidency need is to re-strategise his plan of action.  

On the crises bleeding in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and other sundry criticism against the present government, the EU co-ordinator stated that it wasn’t the first time such things are coming up in Nigeria but believed that the crises would fizzle away soon. “Look, let me tell you something. Crises have always being part of election everywhere in the world. Even when the military wanted to handover, we saw all these things”, he added,

“We had so many agitations, infighting, tribal abuses, party crises and what have you; but at the end of it, we were able to overcome it. So also this present crisis, it will surely fizzle out. We will resolve the crises; we will move out of it, we will overcome it, the President will over come out of it. The aggrieved ones will at a point realize the need to resolve the problem”. 

The Group believed in dialogue as only means of resolving the crises either in PDP, or in any other party. He said Nigerian politicians should discuss and embrace peace rather than throwing stones at each other and making things worse for the President.

According to the group, all the political mudslinging, the letters, criticisms and inter and intra party crises are all because of the 2015 election which is still far away from now.  “We agree and I will tell you that it’s very unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this mess. This is because; we just finished election in 2011 and this is 2014, and the governors are moving from one state to another and abandoned their duties and responsibilities and be junketing from one zone to another. If you visit the states of these governors, their states are nothing to write home about”, he said that it’s very unfortunate that the 2015 election has started causing problem since 2013. According to Anike, the issue will rest itself amicably without the aggrieved ones knowing it.

On the Union’s interest in supporting an Igbo president in 2015, Anike said the Igbos have right to aspire to rule Nigeria but believes that even if it cannot realised now that it could be realized one day. “For us, the Igbo have every right to present candidates of their choice in 2015 if they have good ones in any political party, good and well. We will give our support to them but one thing i want to let you know is the present government to us has not done very badly and even if Igbo is not willing to contest in 2015, there are 2019. We still have every ample time to do so”.

The Group also said that the corruption index in Nigeria has remained all time high not because President Jonathan is in power. According to him, the issue of corruption is an endemic one defying all known anti-corruption strategy. He said Jonathan inherited corruption from the past leaders before him. He however tasked the President to be decisive on the issue and stop forming committees to fight corruption.

“It will continue to increase and the reason is not because Jonathan is not fighting corrupt persons so to speak. This is one country where people just want to be corrupt. They are devising several means every day as if corruption is part of our culture”, Anike stated. “So, it needs serious approach to tackle it. Like I want to say, that one thing the president has not done well is in the area of corruption. You don’t need to set-up committees to fight corruption. There are certain things you must be decisive on and take action as the president. It is not everything you set-up committee,” he continued.

“The President must be decisive, take decision and execute it without setting up committee of this and that. Such committees kill and delay execution. They said when snake comes into your house you don’t need to set up committee to kill it. There are lots of issues Jonathan sets up committees that are not necessary. So the corruption issue in Nigeria needs to be tackled without kid-glove. In any society where corruption is high as it is in Nigeria will find it to develop”