Wednesday, 22 May 2013

S/South rulers pledge support for Jonathan’s 2015 ambition

TRADITIONAL rulers from the South-South region of the country, under the aegis of the South-South Traditional Rulers Council (SSTRC), have announced their support for a second term in office for President Goodluck Jonathan.

Announcing this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Tuesday, at a meeting, the traditional rulers said their decision was based on the admirable performance of the president since he assumed office.

Chairman of the group, Osu Charles Ogodo, said they were following the president’s steps in office and had observed his progress so far, especially in actualising his transformation agenda, adding that the group would support the him all the way for the 2015 election.

“We call on him in view of the steady progress that he has made in his transformation agenda, which has seen to a lot of damage control within the period that he has served as the president of this country.

“It is our collective belief that he has done very well and if given more time the results will be unassailable,” he said.

They also condemned the terrorist activities of the dreaded Boko Haram sect in the Northern part of the country, calling on the group to embrace the Federal Government’s amnesty offer.

Also speaking at the event, spokesperson of the Ijaw Republican Assembly (IRA), Ms Ann-Kio Briggs, warned that the first year that Jonathan inherited after the death of the former president, Umaru Musa-Yar’Adua, should not be considered as part of his tenure.

Briggs said that PDP had no right to compel Jonathan to respect any one-term agreement claimed to have been signed between the president and some northern leaders, as alleged by the former President Olusegun Obsanjo.

“The single term agreement between Jonathan and some northern leaders has nothing to do with the people of the South-South region and the entire Nigeria,” Briggs said.

In a build up to the 2015 presidential election, traditional rulers from the South-South geopolitical zone have declared support for President Jonathan to seek re-election.

Making the declaration in Port Harcourt, the traditional rulers’ council, SSTRC, from Lagos, said the decision was necessary giving the “enormous” achievements of the president in the past few years.


The group said having followed the sequence of events in recent past and the various calls for and against Jonathan’s ambition, “the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should freely exercise his right to aspire for a second term.”


Chairman of the group, Ogodo called on President Jonathan in view of his transformation agenda, as well as expressed the intention of the group to support the president all the way for 2015 election.

“We call on him in view of the steady progress that he has made in his transformation agenda, which has seen to a lot of damage control within the period that he has served as the president of this country.

“It is our collective belief that he has done very well and if given more time, the result will be unassailable,” he said.

The Monarchs at a courtesy call to the Niger Delta activist and human rights crusader, Ann-Kio Briggs in Port Harcourt, condemned the carnage of attacks by the members of the Boko Haram sect and called on them to embrace the federal government’s offer of amnesty.

Responding, the spokes person of the Ijaw Republican Assembly, IRA, Ms. Ann-Kio Briggs warned that the first year that Jonathan inherited after the death of the former President, Shuhu Musa Yar’Adua should not be considered as part of his tenure.

Briggs said that PDP has no right to compel Jonathan to respect any one term agreement purported into between the President and some northern leaders as alleged by the former President Olusegun Obsanjo.

“The single term agreement between Jonathan and some northern leaders has nothing to do with the people of the south-south region and the entire Nigeria”, Briggs said.

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