Jonathan ‘ll run in 2015 —Edwin Clark

Jonathan ‘ll run in 2015 —Edwin Clark

Youth-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday said another four years for President Goodluck Jonathan will not bring down the country.

Clark, who confirmed the President’s interest to contest in the forthcoming 2015 presidential election, also said Jonathan merited the second term because of the enormous work he had done, adding that nobody can stop him.

The First Republic minister, who spoke yesterday in Abuja while playing host to a delegation of northern women in politics under the aegis of “Northern Women Mass Movement for President Jonathan 2015 Ambition” posited that it is the tradition for sitting presidents to seek a second term.

He said: “Jonathan will contest in 2015 because of two things; one, he is qualified to do so under the law and secondly, he has performed well to the extent that those who voted him in 2011 are willing to do so again.

“Nobody has a right to stop him from contesting. Every president who has ruled this nation spent two terms. We voted for Alhaji Shehu Shagari as President in 1979 and 1983 respectively.

“Everybody in this country is created equal, no matter the tribe, gender or background as long as such a person is a Nigerian and educated.”

Clark, who also spoke on the kidnapped Chibok secondary school girls, assured the northern women that the girls will come back to join their fellow women to build the nation.

He further explained that “if the President had used force to free the girls, some of them would have died and the same people will still shout that Jonathan has killed our girls.

“Those girls will come back to join us to build the nation.”

Chief Clark, who chided the Northern Elders Forum who recently accused Jonathan of not doing anything for the North, said: “This is the first time in the history of the nation that two Inspectors General of Police from the North were appointed consecutively.

“When people who are close to Jonathan advised him to appoint someone from the South South as IGP, he said no. This is because he is not sentimental.

“He appointed two heads of service consecutively who are from the North. He created 10 new federal universities in the Northern region.

“It is a feat that has not been achieved by anybody. He built al-majiri schools in the North; the rail system has been rescusitated.

“Some people say Jonathan is parochial; that he is developing his own people. We say no. Those of us in the South South are even complaining.”

Speaking earlier, the leaders of the delegation, Hon. Halima Tukur from Kebbi State and Chief (Mrs.) Paulen Tellen, former deputy governor of Plateau State, had told Clark that they were on a visit to show the solidarity and support of all northern women to the 2015 ambition of President Jonathan.

They, however, promised their support and commitment to the actualisation of having Jonathan back as the President for another four years.

Responding to them, Chief Clark commended them for taking the bold initiative to support Jonathan come 2015.

He urged them to appeal to other Northerner women to give their full support to President Jonathan.

He stated that they should not allow anybody to mislead them, including their husbands.

“I really commend the Northern women. We just finished the national conference, and for the very first time, I saw a large number of Northern women who participated brilliantly. It shows there is a dawn of a new era. I am so happy that a new Nigeria has been born.

“You can all testify to it that Jonathan is gender-sensitive. During his reign, more women have been appointed into positions of power and he is still promoting the affairs of women. Very soon, the Chibok girls will be released.