By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa—Chairman, Bayelsa State House of Assembly Committees on Education and Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr Jonathan Obuebite,  yesterday described the inauguration of Prof Attahiru Jega as Independent National Electoral Commission,  INEC,  boss,  as an indication of President Goodluck Jonathan preparedness to conduct credible polls in the country.
Obuebite, who spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, commended President  Jonathan’s decision to continue with the policies and programmes of his predecessor, especially in addressing the intractable Niger Delta issue and for appointing a “no-nonsense” scholar as the chairman of INEC.

“In view of Prof Jega’s antecedents, his appointment confirms President Jonathan’s commitment towards conducting credible elections in 2011, where one man one vote will count.”

According to the lawmaker, it was God’s design that Dr. Jonathan should be president at this crucial time of the country’s political, social and infrastructural development.

Obuebite recalled that in the history of Nigeria, nobody from the South South geo-political zone had ever emerged as the nation’s number one citizen  in spite of the fact the zone had borne the economic burden of the country over the years.
“It was God’s desire to redress the political injustice meted out to the people of the Niger Delta. If President Jonathan decides to run for next year’s presidential election, for which he has no option but to run not to face the wrath of the people, it will rather strengthen the zoning principle since he is serving after a Northern President.”

The lawmaker, representing Nembe constituency I, described as a betrayal of the South_South and the Niger Delta people, threat by some Northern leaders to go to court over the issue,  saying it is on record that in 1959, it was the victory of late Senator Melford Okilo, a son of the Niger Delta that enabled the North to form a National Government,  which help unified the country.

Obuebite explained that the issue for discussion should rather be the terms that President Jonathan would run, which according to him, should only arise after his first term in office and his performance for the people of Nigeria to decide.