North will not support Jonathan in 2015 - Kaze

VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2013 By Taye Obateru

Member representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Bitrus Kaze, has  said the North would not support President Goodluck Jonathan’s ambition to return in 2015 no matter how much he strives to please them.

He said in a statement in Jos, Monday, that although many of the President’s recent steps, such as the release of funds for payment of compensation of victims of the 2011 post election violence appeared targeted at appeasing the North, this would not make them support his come back bid.

According to him, “We are tempted to believe that this gesture could be in furtherance of Mr. President’s attempt to appease the North, who, it must be maintained, will never support his re-election ambition in the long run. 

“If President Goodluck Jonathan is truly desirous of placating the North, all he needs do is to abandon his re-election ambition or better still step aside and hand over power to a far Northerner, nothing else will impress the core North more.”

Kaze faulted the decision of the Federal Government to compensate victims of the 2011 post election violence without extending the same gesture to victims of violent attacks in Plateau State.

He said Plateau State has suffered huge losses in human and material terms but had not been considered for any special allocation to ease the pains of the people despite the support given to President Jonathan in the last election in the state.

 ”We will not grow weary of telling the world that Plateau State gave President Goodluck the highest percentage of votes compared to any State in the whole North, it is inexplicably painful trying to fathom any logic behind his repeated decisions to pay Plateau State in very bad coins.

“Repeated massacres and invasions by mercenaries among whom are foreign nationals armed with sophisticated weapons have led to unquantifiable losses on the Plateau, including the brutal murder of a serving Senator and Member of the State Assembly, Dr. Gyang Dalyop Dantong and Hon. Gyang Fulani respectively” he said.

Kaze added, “Whereas both the Defense Headquarters and the office of the National Security Adviser made averments to the effect that it was the insurgents that triggered and perpetrated the violence in Baga; in the Plateau State for example, in Dogo Na Hawa alone over 500 innocent lives of mostly women and children were destroyed in cold blood overnight in March 2010 without any of provocation whatsoever. This is in addition to billions of Naira worth of properties lost in the attack.

“Yet, since the formation of the Security Task Force in January 2009 to curb violence on the Plateau, the Government of President Goodluck Jonathan has not offered a dime in aid to the state that has endured internecine violence for years”.