ABUJA—AHEAD of the 2015 Presidential election,
Senator Arthur Nzeribe, yesterday, asked his kinsmen, the Igbos, to
jettison the idea of producing the next president, saying it would not
be feasible because of lack of unity in the zone.
According to him, the Igbos are not just ready to produce the country’s president.
He also said if the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP must get it right and
move away from its present crises, the National Chairman, Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur, members of the National Working Committee, NWC must go,
adding that ‘’the PDP must clear the desk, including Bamanga Tukur, to
get it right.”
The Oguta-born maverick politician from Orlu, Imo
State, told his people bluntly that before they sought the exalted
position, they must first put their house in order by speaking in
unison.
Nzeribe, who based his position on previous unsuccessful
attempts by the Igbos to what he called endemic disarray amongst Igbo
politicians, said: “Until we start speaking with one voice, we cannot
get the Presidency. We should not try it now, we are not just ready for
anything like that, we must first put our house in order.”
He also
warned that ahead of 2015 elections, Nigerians must note that the
country was bigger than anybody, irrespective of status, adding that
politicians must, therefore, put their selfish interest in their
handbags to save the country.
Speaking on the presidential primaries
of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Nzeribe noted that those
advocating that President Goodluck Jonathan must not go through the
rigour of primaries to emerge as the Presidential candidate were only
raising their personal opinion on the matter, stressing that he must
present himself with others for the party’s presidential primaries.
Drumming support for President Jonathan, Nzeribe said: ‘’It is the
personal opinion of those who said President Jonathan must not go
through primary election, he must present himself for that, I can bet
that President Goodluck Jonathan will win at the People Democratic
Party, PDP, primaries”.
He, however, supported last week’s position
of the Senate during the vote on the 1999 Constitution review,
especially where the call for local government autonomy was jettisoned.
Advocates abolition of LGAs
He said local governments should be abolished as they were not
achieving their set objectives of meeting the yearnings of the people,
adding that he was in total support of decisions taken by the senators
during the debate and the voting process.
The former senator,
however, urged all those who left the party to return and embrace the
on-going reconciliatory overtures, with a view to repositioning the PDP.
Urges Jonathan to develop the South East
Senator Nzeribe called on President Jonathan to help in the development
of the Eastern part of the country as he had not really impacted on the
people in the area of roads, adding that the people wanted good roads,
Onitsha Bridge, among others. He said despite the lack of party
manifesto in the PDP, the President was using his personal initiative to
produce results.
The veteran politician, who titled his address:
“We Must Not Allow Doomsday Prediction About Nigeria To Come True,”
however, described the declaration of state of emergency in Adamawa,
Borno and Yobe states by President Jonathan as “necessary and obviously
the only reasonable option left to dissuade the doomsday prophets of
Nigeria’s disintegration from having a field day”.
He said: “What is
needed now is for stakeholders in the Nigerian project to give maximum
support to Mr. President in his effort at bringing to an end activities
of the insurgents. The critical stakeholders in the affected areas
should on their part, corporate maximally with the President to achieve
the goal of emergency rule”.
“Although, the current emergency rule
order is a sharp departure from the conventional one, but viewed from
the position of inclusiveness in finding lasting solution to the vexed
issue of insurgency, one can begin to appreciate President Jonathan’s
brand of emergency rule”.
“In effect, what is obtainable in the
affected areas right now is “Diarchy” which is a system of government
whereby the Civilian and the Military share power. It was propounded by
late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. The beauty of the current emergency rule is
that both the civilian and military authorities in the affected states
are expected to corporate to find lasting solution to the problem.”
Nzeribe who cautioned that care must be taken to avoid civilian casualty
in the execution of emergency rule, also urged the Nigerian media to be
nationalistic in their reportage and shun sensational reporting.
Source: Vanguard
