He made the assertion while receiving a high-powered delegation of Middle-Belt and South-South elders under the aegis of the Congress for Equality and Change, led by elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark and former Senate President, Ameh Ebute.
Jonathan said his administration would continue to work diligently to build on the achievements catalogued in its mid-term report to the nation.
He also reaffirmed government’s unwavering commitment to moving Nigeria progressively forward along the path of development articulated in the Transformation Agenda.
While commending the elders for “working tirelessly to bring us to where we are today” and for their continued support as he promising that “as our leaders, we will continue to do our best to justify the confidence you have reposed in us.”
Jonathan thanked the Middle Belt and South-South regions of the country for their contributions to national unity, noting that the unity of the country depended on the cooperation of all.
Chief Clark had earlier told the President that the Congress for Equality and Change, formed in 2010, was made up of 13 states in the North and six states in the South where there are minority ethnic groups.
Also speaking, the co-leader of the delegation and Chairman of the Congress, Senator Ebute, said that the group is committed to promoting the equality of all Nigerians, adding that this commitment informed the total support given to President Jonathan in 2010 and 2011.
While commending the Mid-Term Scorecard of the Jonathan Administration, Senator Ebute said that the scorecard had encouraged the Congress “to go out and showcase the achievements and ask Nigerians to continue to support President Jonathan to accomplish more for the nation.”
Meanwhile, elders from South-South geo-political zone and the Middle belt have endorsed the President to contest the 2015 presidential election.
Chief Clark revealed their mission while fielding questions from State House corespondents after the closed door meeting with the President in State House Abuja.
He argued that if former Presidents Shehu Shagari and Olusegun Obasanjo were entitled and contested for second terms, Jonathan could not be denied the same thing just because he was from the minority section of the country.
Asked if the group was in the State House to endorse Jonathan, he said: “But you know very well that I will never lead a group that will be opposed to 2015 not because Clark is saying so. It is written in the constitution of Nigeria. Shagari did so, Obasanjo did so.
“Shagari’s second term was taken over by a military man. Today, he wants to be president. He staged a coup in 1983, I was also a Senator at that time. When it came to Obasanjo, he did eight years under the constitution.”
“If Shagari was entitled to two terms, why not Jonathan? Is it because he is a minority? So, any group that is coming to meet Mr President with a view that he should not contest in 2015, count me out. The group I have brought, we are here, the elders believing that Mr President should contest as the constitution provide the 2015 election,” he added.
Clark revealed that the group was already having a dialogue with others in the country with a view to educating them on the expected participation of the president in the election, saying, “We are doing so already. We are dialoguing with people to educate people. You had your turn. For the past 50 to 53 years, we have not ruled in this country.Are we not citizens of this country? Let us be fair to one another.”
On whether their mission in State House did not contradict Jonathan’s position on the need not to engage in 2015 politics at this time, he explained that the group came up with the idea because other people had started to campaign against the president.
According to him, “we could not have talked about 2015. It is because some people have started to say that he is not qualified to contest election in 2015 and those of us who believe in it, and the constitution is there, educate them and that is what we are doing. Whatever the president said that he will decide in 2014, that does not affect those who believe that he has a right.”
Stressing the necessity for the group to come together, the elder statesman noted that understanding among the various ethnic groups in the country was necessary for the sake of its survival, adding that everybody was equal in the country.
“Everybody in Nigeria is equal to the other. Nobody is superior to the other. Nobody is inferior to the other. That is why we named it equality and change. There must be changes in this country. We have to move forward,” he said.
According to him, “for us to survive in this country on equal basis, anybody who is qualified to be President of this country whether he is a minority or a majority, he must be given the opportunity to do so. That is what we stand for.
“Since 2010 we have not been able to meet Mr. President and we thought other groups have been meeting him, we too should meet him. All that we want is a united country.”
Among those present at the meeting were Chief Felix Ibru, Senator Roland Owie, Senator Amen Ebutte, Dan Suleiman, Cairo Ojougo, Ketebu Igwe, Alex Kadiri, Ministers and other senior members of government.
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