Presidency: Northern Christians should wait till 2019 – General Onoja

Gen. Onoja

President of the alumni association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, General Lawrence Onoja, has told Northern Christians to shelve the issue of a Christian presidential candidate until 2019.

Onoja was responding to reports which claimed that former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma and others prefer a Northern Christian candidate for 2015 presidency.


He said their position was good but it should wait till 2019.

Onoja, who spoke in an interview with Saturday Sun said as a leader of the Middle Belt region and as a chieftain of the Congress for Equality and Change, he is of the opinion that a northern Christian candidate should wait till 2019 when President Goodluck Jonathan would have completed his second term.

According to him, “I am saying that President Goodluck Jonathan should be allowed to do his second term before power rotates to anywhere else. That is my view. The reason is that the constitution allows him to do a second term. Therefore, any other group clamouring for power rotation should be patient until he does his second term and then, power can rotate to northern Christians.
“I support the call by Gowon and Danjuma, but the Northern Christians should wait till 2019. That is my view. I believe that Jonathan is doing well. Therefore, I am requesting Nigerians to be patient until Jonathan finishes his second term before power can rotate to anywhere.

“And I support Gowon and Danjuma, assuming it is true that those statements are coming from them as it is reflected in the media report of today (Friday). I support them, but I support a Northern Christian for 2019 after Jonathan must have finished his second term”.

Speaking further, the former military governor noted that Jonathan is the first minority to be democratically elected President, saying it would therefore be unfair for him not to be allowed to do his second term as allowed by the constitution.

He said, “This is why I am supporting that he should be allowed to do his second term. And I agree with the northern elders calling for a Christian president, but I am urging them to be patient until Jonathan has completed his second tenure”.

On the issue of insecurity in the nation which is believed in some quarters that Jonathan has not handled properly, Onoja said the President has taken positive steps to ensure that areas where there are insecurity should returned to normal.

Daily post,10:8:2013
By Emmanuel Uzodinma on August 10, 2013