Yakassai said this at a programme, tagged: “Media Presentation of Candidate Goodluck Jonathan,” which was packaged by the Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe and graced by eminent personalities, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwaju, who was represented by Oba Kole Ojutalayo.
According to the elder statesman, Boko Haram came to the Nigerian scene way back in 2002, three years after Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term in office as president, declaring that the Federal Government had nothing to do with the dreaded sect.
This came as Okupe submitted that President Jonathan had done far better on three key areas – power, security and corruption – which the opposition would want to base its campaign to gain political mileage in the 2015 polls.
“The impressions that Boko Haram was created to frustrate Jonathan-led administration and that his administration was sponsoring the sect were wrong. Boko Haram came to the Nigerian scene way back in 2002, this was three years into General Obasanjo’s first term in office. Obasanjo was three years in government by the time Boko Haram started.
“The Federal government has nothing to do with Boko Haram and no government will encourage insurgency against itself. Any impression that Boko Haram is created to destabilise Jonathan or is being sponsored by Jonathan is erroneous and wrong,” he said.
Speaking further, Yakassai, while lauding the way and manner Jonathan emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, in line with what obtained in advanced countries of the world, commended the system to other political parties in the country.
Yakassai said the approach was worth emulating, because it was devoid of rancour, just as he also commended the acceptance speech delivered by President Jonathan, describing it as issue-based and not out to attack individuals or group.
Speaking on the choice of Namadi Sambo as the vice-presidential candidate, the elder statesman expressed the gratitude of the northerners to the president, saying that “we in the North are so grateful that he decided to retain Sambo as his running mate.”
He said in the last five years, people had not heard of any rancour or disagreement between the president and his deputy.
Chairman on the occasion and former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Richard Akinjide, In his opening remarks, expressed optimism that President Jonathan would emerge victorious in the 2015 presidential election.
Akinjide, who said he enjoyed closeness with the people of South-South and had also toured the entire country, declared that “we are assembled here today to launch President Goodluck Jonathan, who is definitely going to be the president of Nigeria. I have toured the whole country, after a fair assessment, I can boldly say that our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, will be the next president of the country.
“I am going to make a prediction and that prediction is definitely going to come to pass. That prediction is that we will win.”
Also speaking on the occasion, former deputy national chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, said there was the need for Nigerians to vote for Jonathan’s second term, for reasons that the president saw the need for Nigerians to sit at a national conference to discuss the way forward, among others.
The guest speaker, Professor Dupe Olatunbosun, did a comparison of Jonathan and General Mohammadu Buhari of the All Progressives congress (APC), saying “I have looked at the presidential candidates of the two political parties (PDP and APC) and I intend to compare the two of presidential candidates, because they have both served as presidents of this country.”
The guest speaker commended the president for his achievements in all sectors of the country, saying that he had achieved substantially despite all the challenges facing his administration.
“Despite all the challenges facing the administration, Nigeria’s economy has improved to become the number one in Africa, but the problem I have is that the wealth of this country is still in the hands of some few. I see a lot to be done. Corruption needs to be combated in all fronts in our society.
“During the Jonathan-led administration, the Freedom of Information (FoI) bill was passed. We all know that when Buhari was head of state of this country, he did not have the challenges President Jonathan had,” Olatubosun said.
Bola Badmus.
Culled from The Nigerian Tribune.
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