IGP, Mohammed Abubakar

Tobi Soniyi 

A political pressure group, the Southern Mandate,  Saturday called on politicians from the north to stop inciting people against President Goodluck Jonathan with the aim of bringing down his government.

It also alleged that there was a plot by some politicians from the north to discredit President Jonathan.

In a statement issued in Abuja Saturday and signed by twelve members of the group from the south-east, south-east west and south-south, the Southern Mandate warned that the President’s humane disposition and strict adherence to the dictates of the rule of law and preservation of national unity should not be misconstrued as inability to tackle the prevailing security challenges facing the nation.

The group also called on members of the National Assembly and northern political leaders capitalising on the issue of national security and non-implementation of resolutions to hatch an impeachment plot against Jonathan should have a rethink.

It said: “Whatever is presently being planned or executed to abort the Jonathan presidency, the leadership of the National Assembly should take serious note of the fact they have the South, particularly the Niger Delta people to contend with.”

The group also recalled that when there was insecurity in the Niger Delta region, no one called for impeachment of the president in power even as the agitations were genuine.
“Unlike the case of Boko Haram which we consider as a secret violent political party with highly placed and influential individuals in the country as members, fighting at all cost to unseat a democratically elected president,” it added.

On the issue of fuel subsidy, the Southern Mandate said that Jonathan’s decision to remove fuel subsidy was the best policy to have been taken in this country by a Head of Government.
“Today, the misdeeds, ineptitude and failures of past administrations since Nigeria’s independence from colonial rule are all heaped on President Goodluck Jonathan’s regime,” it said.