Date Published: 07/19/10
Supporters dump IBB for Jonathan
Sections of the former military president, Ibrahim Babangida’s campaign
organisation collapsed at the weekend as state coordinators of his campaign in
the 2007 general election, at the weekend, dumped him for President Goodluck
Jonathan’s campaign team.
The former Babangida state campaign coordinators, led by Ernest Khuemen Okojie,
described Mr Jonathan as the “Joshua of this time whom God has ordained to lead
the Nigeria to the promise land.” “We were formally working for IBB, but few
hours ago we are now wearing Jonathan,” he said. Mr. Okojie, who spoke in Abuja
at a meeting with leader of the Niger Delta, Edwin Clark and other leaders of
the Ijaw nation, said Mr Jonathan would “free this country from bad rulers to
good governance where everyone will feel a sense of inclusiveness, be happy and
proud.” “I, E.K. Okojie, the Chairman and National Coordinator of the defunct
IBB Presidential Campaign Organisation is here with 35 out of the 37 state
coordinators to join hands with all the all the progressives and, the hitherto
marginalized people of this country, both north and south to work hard to ensure
President Goodluck Jonathan becomes President in 2011,” he said. Mr. Okojie said
some of the northerners agitating that Mr Jonathan cannot contest are“unreasonable, greedy and unpatriotic. That Jonathan will be the President of
the great country Nigeria come 2010 is God’s decision.”
Momentum behind Jonathan
Mr. Clark said the switch indicates that momentum has now swung behind Jonathan.“Today is one of the happiest days in my life,” he said. “The IBB campaign
groups have resolved to work for Jonathan. No section of this country is against
Jonathan contesting the election.” Some Northern elders had, during the Northern
Political Summit on the Roadmap to 2011 in Kaduna, recently thrown their weight
behind a Goodluck Jonathan presidency. They argued that the zoning policy that
produced the presidency of Umaru Yar’Adua, and the then Vice-President Goodluck
Jonathan was an inseparable ticket and, therefore, the demise of one did not
invalidate the privileges of the remaining beneficiary of that agreement.
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