Governor Godswill Akpabio of AkwaIbom State, has moved  the battle on the need for Nigerians to support and  vote for the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan,  if he decides to contest in 2011 to London, describing it as  part of the on-going amnesty granted the region by late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Governor Akpabio, who spoke at the Grovesnor House after his  conferment with an Award of Excellence by Akwa Ibomites in the United Kingdom and Ireland, said, “I think it is very natural and moral that the incumbent president, who had a joint ticket on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, be allowed to complete the two terms of eight years, that he started with his late boss in  2007, because if not for the untimely demise of our former President, they would have run together in 2011.”

According to Akpabio, “let us not forget so soon that the President had before his nomination won the governorship primary of his state and if not for the national call, he would have contested and won the governorship, which would  have guaranteed him a return bid in 2011.

“Should we now say because of zoning,  we should terminate so abruptly the  political career of a promising son of the Niger Delta?”, he queried.

He also appealed to Nigerians, especially the North to see the emergence and call for Jonathan Presidency in 2011 as a continuation of the amnesty programme,  which the late President declared for the region, saying “ I will appeal to our brothers in the North to see the development as party of  amnesty.

The amnesty project was put in place to address the  neglect of the region by the late President and let us not forget the fact that since the amnesty declaration was intended to address the criminal neglect of the zone, the issue of the Jonathan presidency should be seen from that light.”

“Let us not forget the fact since this country came to being, no body from the Niger Delta  zone has been opportune to seat on that seat but due to  divine providence, this has happened, it behoves on all to  rally round the zone as it has been rallying round the North  to ensure that the age long neglect is finally redressed by  supporting the incumbent President to continue and complete the tenure he jointly started in 2007,” he added.