By Tordue Salem
ABUJA — Former Senate President, Chief Ameh Ebute and one-time Federal Commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, have started mobilising minority ethnic groups in Nigeria to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011.

Besides, FCT Minister, Bala Muhammed, who described Jonathan as a product of divinity, also cautioned groups of ‘sycophancy and opportunism’.

The duo of Ebute and Clark are canvassing minority’s support on the platform of a political pressure group, called Congress for Equality and Change. Ebute is the Chairman of the group, while Chief Clark is Chairman of the group’s National Executive Council of Elders.

Other political heavy weights in tow for the agenda are Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd);  former Deputy Speakers of the House, Messrs Chibudom Nwuche and Austin Opara; Head of Publicity for the organisation, Senator Silas Zwingina, Silas Janfa; former All Nigeria Peoples Party National Chairman, Chief Don Etiebet; former Women Affairs Minister, Mrs. Joy Ketebu, Special Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere; former Transport Minister, Abiye Sekibo.

Others are former Military Administrators, Fidelis Tapgun, Gen. Dauda Kumo; former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Lucky Imasuen; Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, Timi Alaibe, former Inspector-General of Police, Chief Mike Okiro; royal fathers, Edmund Daukoru and Diette Spiff; former Chief of Army Staff, Andrew Azazi, Alex Ogomudia and  other political lights.

Ebute regrets marginalisation of minority
Launching the platform in Abuja yesterday, National Chairman of the pressure group, Chief Ebute, regretted that despite the excruciating efforts made by the minorities in the country, they continued to be treated as second class citizens in the country, hence the need to rally them round for  Jonathan, who also happens to be from the minority.

“For the past 50 years of our existence in this country, power has advertently or inadvertently been in the realm of a few power blocs, who have held us for too long in ransom. We are here today on the platform of the Congress for Equality and Change to say no to political dynasties. There should be no political dynasties to the exclusion of other political zones in this country.

“Any Nigerian, wherever he is from, whether in the South-East or the South-West, North-West, or other areas I have not specifically mentioned, can join us to address this injustice in 2011, so that nobody go out there and say we are mobilising to divide this country.

Clark goes memory lane
In his contribution, Niger Delta Leader, Chief E.K. Clark, went down memory lane to justify the reason why Jonathan must be voted for Presidency in 2011.

According to him, the South-South region had in the 80s tagged: “The Sokoto in the South,” because of its continuous support of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, that was then predominantly North.

“When the 1gbo voted for NPP, the Yoruba for UPN, the minorities in the South-South and in the North, continued to vote for the NPN. The minorities elected the President of this country in 1979. The only people who voted directly for President Shehu Shagari, were the people of the South-South.

“The campaign slogans in the 80s were ‘we are one people’, but when offices were shared, we were no longer recognised as part of the country,” he said.