By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief
The Middle Belt Reconnaissance, MBR, has
called on Governor Rotimi Amaechi to
publicly apologize to President Goodluck
Jonathan over the feud between them and
to resign from the politics of the Nigeria
Governors’ Forum, forthwith.
The Group’s position was contained in an
open letter to the governor, a copy of which
was given to Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday.
According to the Middle Belters, the
strained relationship between Gov Amaechi
and President Jonathan was being fuelled
by Northern power brokers determined to
take over power by 2015 and has become
an embarrassment not only to the people
of the Middle Belt but all minorities in the
country.
“We have watched with amazement, the
theatre of the absurd. It is public
knowledge that the issue at stake is the
presidency in 2015, which some self-
seeking and unpatriotic individuals in the
north insisted, must be occupied by one of
their own.
“In pursuant of this objective, various
arsenal including extreme acts of violence
had been deployed to abort President
Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure since his
emergence in 2011, but the efforts had
been futile.
“Desperate to achieve their aim against the
backdrop of an erroneous belief that the
north holds the ace to the presidency as a
birthright, a new strategy to cause
disaffection and confusion among the
minorities in the South-south and Middle
Belt region was hatched and currently
being aggressively pursued.
“In the circumstances, we were constrained
to write you this open letter, not only to
express our displeasure with some
northern elements bent on robbing the
minorities of our God-given presidency, but
also to serve you notice that we shall no
longer sit on the fence and watch you trade
our future to the north for whatever
reason.
“Consequently, we hereby request that you
withdraw from the politics of the Nigeria
Governors Forum. It is our further demand
that you tender an unreserved apology to
His Excellency, President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, and the minorities of this country
for the agony and embarrassment you’ve
caused us”, the body said.
The group warned that if Gov. Amaechi
failed to meet their demands, it would take
legal actions against him.
“Be warned that we shall not hesitate to
take every appropriate and legal means to
stop you from committing further damage
to our psyche and common interests if you
fail to meet our demands”, it said, adding,
“the Middle Belt and all other minorities
will ensure that President Goodluck
Jonathan completes his two-term
constitutionally prescribed tenure”.
According to the MBR, “the recent decision
of the Middle Belt leaders to publicly
endorse President Jonathan for a second
term was not primarily an act of politicking,
but a genuine recognition of the success of
his transformation agenda and
developmental strides in our
region, as well as to demonstrate our
support for his leadership”.
The group said it was convinced that the
Northern elements who were the architects
of the post-2011 violence in parts of the
North were still exploring other ways to
create confusion in the polity and that the
Rivers governor should not allow himself to
be used.
“We are now convinced that these are
manifestations of the sustained battle by
some unpatriotic elements in the north to
destabilize the administration of President
Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2015
election.
“Which is why Mr. President’s party, the
Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] must be
set on fire to consume its national
chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, perceived
to be a staunch supporter of Dr.Jonathan”
The MBR letter was signed by its interim
Coordinator, Mr. Kaunum Terrence and 10
others.
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