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MINISTER of State, Federal Capital Territory, Navy Capt Caleb Olubolade has appealed to religious and political leaders to assist the federal government to curb the post election which erupted in some Northern states following the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan in last Saturday’s presidential polls.
Olubolade who described President Jonathan’s triumph as divine, implored those protesting
to put the interest of the nation at heart by eschewing any act that could hamper the nation’s the development.
He lauded the people of Ekiti State for supporting the candidacy of President Jonathan. In a telephone conversation with newsmen in Ado Ekiti yesterday, he saluted the courage of other candidates for being gallant in defeat and urged them not to lose hope and interest in their fatherland based on the outcome of the results.
The Minister affirmed that the ethno-religious diversity of the nation should
be used as weapon to further build a virile nation, rather than to
create enmity among ethnic groups to score political points.
The Former Bayelsa State military administrator assured that President
Jonathan would run an all-inclusive government that would be in tandem with the
yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians “It will be counter-productive for anybody to destroy what the nation has built. So I plead with these contestants to plead with their supporters to eschew violence because this nation belongs to all of us. Protest is allowed in democracy, but it should not lead to the disruption of public peace,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Board of Trustees member and former minister ,Chief Don Obot Etiebet has appealed to youths in the Northern part of the country to lay down their arms and stop destruction of lives and property, saying President Goodluck Jonathan would take care of everyone’s needs.
In an interview with The Guardian in Uyo,the Akwa Ibom State capital, he condemned the violence in the north, saying Jonathan’s victory at the polls is a reflection of the emerging politics of a new Nigeria.
“President’s Jonathan’s victory at the poll is very gratifying to see . He was accepted by the whole country so much that he polled the highest number of votes, over 22million and had mandatory 25 percent and above in 31 states plus Abuja. This has never been achieved before. It is nothing else but a reflection of the yearnings of Nigerians to bring forth a detribalized leader, a leader who is going to be a Nigerian and not a northern or southern president but a Nigerian president,” he said.