By SIMON EBEGBULEM

BENIN – FORMER  Director-General of the Center for Democratic Studies, CDS, Prof. Omo Omoruyi, weekend, advised Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State to back the
presidential ambition of Dr Goodluck Jonathan for Edo people to survive in the federation.

He stressed that it would be suicidal for the governor who he described as a “very nice man,” to drag the people of the state into the politics of the South West.

Omoruyi noted that Edo State was not part of the South West peopled by the Yoruba, adding that there was nothing the Yoruba could not get in the country, no matter the party they belonged to.

He said:  “They dominate the banks, they dominate the judiciary, where do we stand, no where.  I believe that Jonathan’s coming is an opportunity for us to demonstrate that we will get out our votes for him and that we are not following the ACN South West strategy of stalemate.

“Therefore, our governor, a nice man, should try to distance himself from that stalemate strategy because it will not do us any good. So we cannot afford to be outside, whatever Abuja said is the direction we are going.

“We don’t have a force. Look at how we lost our oil wells to Ondo because those who ran the government at that time were Yorubas.

“Therefore, we have to be careful. From Onitsha to Abia is one force, under Ohanaeze, but we are no where. Jonathan has done so well in going round the country. I am a political scientist for many years and a planner of campaign, I saw element of seriousness and I said give this young man a try.

“There is no presidential ticket in Nigerian history that is as endowed as  Jonathan/Sambo ticket.”