By EMMA AMAIZE
WARRI—A leader of the Nigerian community in The Netherlands, Chief Lambert Igboanugo has said northern leaders who are trying to rattle President Goodluck Jonathan from gunning for a second term in 2015 should forget the presidency until the South-East has produced the President in 2019.
Reacting to a statement credited to Coalition of Northern Leaders, CNL, that they do not trust President Jonathan and should caution leader of the Niger-Delta People Volunteers Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, who disclosed that Jonathan would run for a second term, he said, "Look, not only 2015 but after 2015. They should not think of producing the president until the South-East has produced the president in 2019".
Igboanugo , who is the leader of the GEJ/Sambo 2011 Diaspora Support Group in Europe and America, stated, "the South-South produces the oil for God's sake. So, I am strongly advocating that for peace to reign in Nigeria, South-South must be given another term of four years in 2015. It must not necessarily be Dr. Jonathan, it can be anybody, but the Presidency must remain in the South-South by 2015.
"The one year Jonathan spent before the 2011 election is part of the former President, Late Umaru Yar'Adua's tenure, so this is just the first term of the South-South. The region should be given another term of four years after Jonathan's first term.
"After that, the South-East should also be given another four years after South-South's second term. It is after that that the North can now have it. And even in the North, it should go to the North-East, because the North-West has produced Nigeria's president on too many occasions. I am talking of both military and civilian", he asserted.
Chief Igboanugo continued, "After North-East, it should go to the South-West, for another four years, from where it should come back to the North-Central, for another four years, and from there, it should go back to the South-East for another four years, before returning to the North-West".
"This is my own recipe for a lasting peace and unity in the country. Since we are talking about constitution review now, they should find a way of inserting it in the constitution, so that the presidency would go round and every section or region will have a sense of belonging" , he added.
He said it was unfortunate that northern elements were doing everything, including mixing religion with politics to undermine Jonathan administration, adding, the irony, however, was since the Boko Haram menace escalated, "no foreign or local investor would dare risk going to the Northern Nigeria, particularly the flash point areas of North East and North West to put his money where his mouth isn't".
Vanguard Nigeria