President Goodluck Jonathan

John Shiklam

A group, the Democratic Advancement Option (DAO) yesterday said former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Umar Na’abba, was not competent to speak for the north.

Reacting to reports allegedly credited to the former speaker, where he had predicted that 2015 would be disastrous for President Goodluck Jonathan if he contests the presidential election, the group in a statement urged him to explore avenues of resolving internal dispute within the PDP rather than making statements that could heat up the polity.

The statement, which was signed by Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, explained that the organisation had been monitoring political developments in the country, including the exposure of the activities of political parties, where such activities ended up going against the interest of the public.

“We therefore urge Na’abba to desist from being confrontational and that as a member of the PDP, he ought to have explore all channels, including seeking audience with the highest hierarchy of the  party to advise them on his observations,” the statement stated.

The group said its investigation had shown that the Federal Government was currently handling all issues surrounding the 2011 post-presidential election riots, including succour for the victims and their families.

“But because he was affected by the post-election violence, he chose to go public to blackmail Jonathan into compensating him alone, contrary to what is currently being planned for all the victims.

“We want to state that Ghali is not in a position to speak for the north neither is he competent to determine the fate of the President or the mood of the nation. As a politician, he failed to return to the House of Representatives as he was rejected by his people. We therefore wish to advise him to concentrate in rebuilding his political career rather than becoming a prophet of doom.

“We are satisfied so far with the steps being taken by President Jonathan and while the Transformation Agenda of government is on course, from our independent investigations.

“We appreciate the efforts of Mr. President in his administration’s strategic implementation of plans and we hold the belief that very soon Nigerians will smile when the programmes and projects manifest fully,” the statement said.