ONATHAN’S ZONAL PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: Taking the message to the people

By JIDE AJANI,Editor (Northern Operations)
This is a report of President Goodluck Jonathan’s launch of his zonal presidential campaign launch.  Going round the entire six zones of the country in just one week presented its own challenges.  However, apart from the seeming mis-speak in Ibadan where the word rascal generated its own controversy, President Jonathan appears to be on the march.

It was an apparently excited Jonathan who went round the zones of the country last week seeking the votes of Nigerians and thanking PDP delegates for giving him the presidential ticket of the party.

Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) South East zone presidential campaign rally yesterday in Enugu. President Goodluck Jonathan (middle); Vice President Namadi Sambo (right), Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu (left) and others. Photo: State House.

At virtually every stop, it was a President who exuded confidence, radiated joy and tried to present a display of oratorical flamboyance. For a President whose demure demeanour sends the wrong message, Jonathan is coming out of his shell and talking more and demonstrating that his genteel nature should not be mistaken for lack of guts.

Kicking off in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, Jonathan in the company of his deputy, Namadi Sambo, Chief Tony Anenih, former Board of Trustees, BoT, chairman, and some state governors, took the crowd by storm on both a note of good tidings and one of warning, declaring that better days were ahead for Nigerians just as he warned all enemies of progress and violators of the law that his administration would not spare any, threatening to pursue law-breakers to the ends of the earth.

President Jonathan also opened a bag of gifts for the people of the North-Central geo-political zone, promising them almost everything from universities, to proper care for communities along the water ways, to the construction of a refinery in the zone. It was a day reminiscent of Jonathan’s presidential declaration at the Eagle Square.

It was also a day when the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Haliru Bello, handed over the party’s flag to Senate President David Mark and the seven gubernatorial candidates of the party in the geo-political zone.

The seven gubernatorial candidates were in attendance and they were made up of incumbents from Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger and two new candidates from Kogi and Kwara states.

Jonathan admitted that: “We know we have our security challenges now and the trend in the world would go.  For anybody involved in terrorism or bombings, we would pursue you and catch you.  This administration will not sweep any crime under the carpet, no matter how big or small.  There will be no sacred cows.  We will not stop investigation until we get you.  We are also looking for more superior methods of detecting crime.  I am promising you that we would soon put all these behind us.”

Before Jonathan’s address, Sambo had also spoken.  The Vice-President said: “Come April 2011, we shall vote for our dear President, Goodluck Mainasara Ebele Jonathan.  I will mention but a few of the things we have done within the very short period our President has been in office for the North-Central.  Education has been put forward by our President to address poverty and he has ensured that every state has a university.

Today, Nasarawa has a new university, Kogi has one.  There will be refineries and power plants in Kogi and Benue; we are building railway lines and new educational facilities.  Why are all these happening, this is because when you look at all the other presidential candidates, Jonathan stands tall because he was a former deputy governor, vice-president, acting president and he is going to be our next president.

In addition, he has a Ph.D, he is a scientist and he has me, an architect as deputy who has been designing with him good things for Nigeria. My people in this zone, I can see from your faces that you have decided to vote for us”.

Meanwhile, Shittu Mohamed, of Nigeria Republican Party announced that 26 political parties under a grand alliance have endorsed President Jonathan.

Among the 26 parties in the grand alliance are:

Nigeria Republican PartyNigerian

Peoples Congress Democratic

Peoples Alliance
Advance Congress of Democrats
Peoples Progressive Party
Action Alliance
Mass Movement of Nigeria
Change Advocacy Party of Nigeria

After President Jonathan’s speech, Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki and Sarah Jubril, took turns to shake hands with President Jonathan.

This, according to Bello, “was symbolic of the fact that PDP leaders have since the primaries buried the hatchet”.
The message was the same in the North-East, where Bauchi State hosted the zonal launch; North-West, which was held in Kaduna.  Enugu hosted the South-East Zonal launch before the final launch in the South-South zone.

But typical, Ibadan which hosted the South-West launch did not come without drama.  President Jonathan had said the zone was to important for Nigeria to be left in the hands of rascals.  The leaders of opposition in the zone quickly picked it up screaming fire.  They should be understood.

But, if you think last week was hectic for Jonathan, wait until you discover his schedule for the state campaign. See Box Below.

President Jonathan’s campaign schedule
Borno/Yobe Feb 14 , Gombe /Adamawa 15,  Taraba 16, Plateau/Benue 17 , Kogi 21, Kwara/Niger 22,  Imo/Abia 23, Ebonyi 24, Anambra/Delta 25, Ogun/Lagos March 1, Ondo/Ekiti 2, Osun 3,  Akwa Ibom/Cross River 3, Edo/Bayelsa 3 .