Jonathan’s presidency will ensure national unity – Pan-ethnic groups

A coalition of ethnic groups have declared that the continuation of President Goodluck Jonathan as president will ensure national unity as well as stability.
The coalition, which consists of three groups – namely the Conference of Minority Tribes in Nigeria, the Oduduwa Progressive Youth Coalition and the Ohaneze Independent Solidarity Front – made this call during a press conference held in Abuja.
They called on Nigerians to vote for Jonathan as president for the unity and continuous coexistence of the nation.
According to them, the incumbent president has the capacity to transform the nation further if given the opportunity, citing recent successes of the Army in the war against insurgency, power sector reforms, bringing back the railway system and giant strides in the education system.
In a statement signed by Comrade Okpokwu Shagari, Rotimi Adeola and Charles Mbani on behalf of the groups, the said their call for the continuation of the Jonathan administration was to enable it consolidate on the good works it has began, “since it conceptualised the reforms and developments it was better fit to see it to the end”.
Also on Wednesday, the Coalition of Civil Society groups in Nigeria under the auspices of National Democratic Front, urged Nigerians and foreign observers in the country to beam their searchlights on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and some Northern leaders during the forthcoming general elections.
This move, the coalition said, will prevent the shortchanging of some sections of the country due to the low distribution of Permanent Voter Cards in some parts of the country.
Rising from a roundtable discussion on the 2015 General Elections held in Abuja, the Coalition alleged that Nigerians are going into the elections with so many unanswered questions bordering on the recent activities of Jega.
The Coalition said the low distribution of PVCs in some states may lead to the disenfranchisement of some voters in the country.
The Coalition, led by the NDF President, Philip Agbese, suggested that the civil society, local and international observers must impress it on Jega to rise above primordial sentiments during the polls for Nigerians to take him seriously.
Agbese urged him not to allow himself to be used by some elements who are bent on snatching power through undemocratic means.
He said the already heated argument on ethnic and religious lines would only heal and the nation bounces back to its pride of place in the society if only the electoral umpire and his agents are forced to understand that no pre-determined results can be foist on the people in this technological era.