By Adadainfo
Enugu State governor’s special adviser, Mr Ikechukwu Jonathan, Wednesday, announced the birth of the Obi/Datti Apostles Presidential Campaign Support Group.
The aide however said he remains a member of the PDP, adding that his decision was personal.
He said his choice of Mr Peter Obi and Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed was based on the duo’s track records, equity, justice, and truth.
He claimed that APC, PDP and the New Nigeria Peoples Party violated Nigeria’s gentleman’s agreement of rotation of power among the zones of the country.
Jonathan, who is the publisher of FirstNews magazine, said not declaring his position amounted to ‘keeping silence in the face of injustice, impunity, and bad leadership is an act of conspiracy and support for the evil being meted to the poor masses’.
In his words, “Nigeria has suffered inept leadership for years leading to the exposure of many innocent Nigerians to a hellish condition. The only panacea to redress this situation is to ensure capacity and justice while making choice on those who will pilot the affairs of Nigeria in the next four years.
“Nigeria has a conventional gentleman understanding that power should be rotating across the two divides of the nation being the Southern and Northern Nigeria irrespective of political affiliations.
“This development is also expected to be capped with the consideration of candidates with capacity, sense of justice and equity in occupying the exalted seat of the presidency of Nigeria.
“It is worrisome that among the four major contending political parties, three chose to violate a peaceful cohesion that creates the much needed enabling environment for a leadership that will better the lots of Nigerians.
“They failed to appreciate the conventional gentleman’s understanding which is that power rotate to the Southern Nigeria and with a special focus to the section that is yet to occupy the seat of the president.
“The PDP failed to learn from their mistakes in 2015 when they decided to contest against the tide that made them lose the seat of the president to APC, while the APC this time around exhibited the worst of political calculation in their choice and consideration of who should fly the flag of their party as they went ahead to elect/nominate a Muslim-Muslim ticket which is an aberration to peace, considering that Nigeria is densely populated by Christians and Muslims.”
He said he supported the Peter Obi/Datti Baba-Ahmed ticket because it reflects ‘the much-needed enabling environment for a fruitful and progressive leadership that will put smiles on the faces of Nigerians’.
Quoting him, “The Obi/Datti team presents a wonderful track record of experience devoid of corruption in the past leadership positions they both held which is a major plus for them.
“The fact that the two of them have built successful different business empires that have not only created employment but have placed food on the table of many Nigerians is the major point in their favour.
“The Obi/Datti team presents the youthfulness and smartness that is currently in tune in different countries of the world and based on this consideration, the likes of Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar would do better in making useful contributions in the committee of elders’ council of our dear country Nigeria rather than exposing themselves to the stressful task of the exalted office of a president at their present respective ages.
“Both Tinubu and Atiku’s 2023 presidential ambition would rather create more divisiveness than the love which Nigeria needs at this moment of our nationhood.
“Tinubu’s presidential ambition does not also stand on justice as it is the turn of South East to produce the president of the country. Atiku’s ambition is against the understanding between the Southern and Northern Nigeria that power should rotate between the two sections of the country irrespective of political affiliations.
“I chose to speak out in favour of the Obi/Datti Labour Party presidential team for the future of our dear country. Their presidential team presents more capacity, hope and unity for our country and the fact that they made it clear that their major agenda is to turn around the economy of Nigeria for the good of all Nigerians through putting on ground a production-driven economy in addition to many other life-touching programmes.
“This is my personal opinion as a member of the PDP in Enugu State and it is devoid of any official influence as special assistant to the governor of Enugu State. I still remain a member of PDP.
“I will be heading the Obi/Datti Apostles Presidential Campaign Support Group as director general with coordinators across the six geopolitical zones and 36 states of the federation, including the FCT.”
