ETHNICITY MAY DECIDE 2015 ELECTIONS

The emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan and a former military Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari (retd), as presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress respectively have set the stage for a political war among various ethnic and cultural groups in the country.

SUNDAY PUNCH enquires showed that while some of the groups have taken decisions to queue behind either Jonathan or Buhari, others are in the process of taking decision on whom to support.

This is happening even as some of the groups have, however, chosen to be neutral.

Buhari is the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate for the February 2015 election.

He defeated four other APC aspirants: Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rochas Okorocha and Sam Nda-Isaiah to clinch the party’s ticket at a national convention/primary that held Thursday in Lagos.

His victory sets him yet again as the number one challenger to President Goodluck Jonathan, who on Wednesday was formally handed the Peoples Democratic Party flag for the 2015 presidential election without having to contend with any opponent in the party.

The Ijaw National Congress told SUNDAY PUNCH it would support President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for a second term in office. It said its decision was based on the performance of the President.

The INC spokesman, Mr. Victor Borubo, said the congress had compared Jonathan’s performance with that of past presidents and came to the conclusion that he (Jonathan) deserved a re-election.

“Apart from the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan is a son of the Niger Delta people and we will naturally vote for him, he is the only President that has been so criticised and yet did not harass anybody or send assassins against anybody,” Borubo added.

The Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, is however queuing behind Buhari. The convener of the group, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, urged the electorate in the North to vote for the APC candidate.

He observed that while the PDP schemed out other presidential aspirants in the party in favour of Jonathan, a candidate of northern extraction emerged from an open process in the APC.

The Second Republic federal lawmaker, who stated that he was not speaking for the North, said Nigerians now had the option to choose between the status quo or vote for a change in the country.

Mohammed said, “There are only two candidates in this (presidential) contest in 2015 – there is Goodluck Jonathan, who is incompetent, and there is Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who is not only a former Head of State but also a complete personification of integrity.

“What this means is that Nigerians now have a very clear choice: If you don’t like what is in this country in terms of the national economy, insecurity, corruption at all levels and decadence in government, then you have a very clear-cut choice.”

Similarly, a pan-Yoruba association, Afenifere Renewal Group, said it was solidly behind whoever the APC fielded as its presidential candidate.

Speaking with one of our correspondents, the Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Kunle Famoriyo, said, “We have a soft spot for the APC as progressives, considering the work they are doing in the South-West. We can rightly say the APC is our adopted party. A majority of our members are in the party and we support our members who want to contest for public positions, majority of whom are in the APC.

“The APC primary was a step forward for Nigeria’s democracy from the point of view that the election of Buhari was transparent. It marked a new dawn in the way we select people who are to govern in us in Nigeria, because it was done in the presence of everybody. People were able to see that there was no imposition,” he said.

The Publicity Secretary of Afenifre, Mr. Yinka Odumakin on Friday, however stated that the group would meet to decide which presidential candidate it will throw its weight behind in 2015 election.

“We will look at where both presidential candidates (President Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari) stand on the issue of federalism which is at the core of what the Afenifere group advocates. Afenifere is concerned about the restructuring of this country,” the Yoruba group spokesperson stated.

Also, the Coordinator of the Federation of Middle Belt People, Mr. Manasseh Watyil, told one of our correspondents that the organisation had yet to take a common stand as regards who to support in the 2015 presidential election.

Manasseh said the organisation would be having a convention from December 27 to 29 to decide on a particular candidate.

Similarly, the pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, stated that it had not decided yet on which presidential candidate to support.

The National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Osita Oganah, stated that the group was only interested in good governance and that the decision to support either the PDP or the APC will depend on who emerges as the running mate of Buhari.

“I have to let you know that at the moment, our support goes to President Jonathan. Jonathan has been doing well for the Igbo

“Yet, we will wait to decide who we will finally support in the 2015 presidential election,” he said.

In the same vein, the President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, Mr. Legborsi Pyagbara, said MOSOP was still consulting on whether to support Jonathan or Buhari.

Pyagbara, who spoke through his Media Assistant, Mr. Bari-ara Kpalap, maintained that MOSOP’s consultation would cut across all spheres of Ogoni people and added that the position of the body would be made known at the end of such consultations.

But even as some groups take a definite stand, a northern pressure group, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, has said it will rather remain neutral, and not support either of the candidates.

The National President of the group, Yerima Shettima, said it had listened to several manifestos and wanted to be careful to avoid aligning with a party or an individual whose antecedents may serve as a red flag.

Asked if any of the candidates had sought support from the organisation, Shettima said, “All of them, including the APC, the PDP and those parties that are not considered popular have sought our support.”

According to him, the group has been meeting with candidates from several parties.

“We are in Kaduna and we have been in several meetings to consider everything. Soon, we will make our position clear to Nigerians,” the AYCF president said.

The Yoruba Unity Forum is another group that would rather remain neutral. It said it would not have a preferred candidate for the 2015 presidential election.

The Chairman of the forum, Bishop of Akure Diocese, Anglican Communion, Bolanle Gbonigi, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that since the forum was not a political party, it would not be in tandem with its mandate to back a particular presidential candidate.

He however said the forum would meet to discuss the emergency of the two presidential candidates of their respective parties, noting that only after could the forum offer a formal reaction to the development.