A member of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin has expressed doubts over President Jonathan’s motive in calling for a national conference at this time in the history of Nigeria.
Featuring as guest on Channels Television breakfast show ‘Sunrise Daily’, he referred to the national conference as a bait set up by Nigerian leaders to give themselves a better political life “like President Jonathan is trying to do now to make other regions that are after his neck that it is our turn for the presidency to back off”
In trying to defend his view as not being politically driven, he referred to recent statements credited to Niger-Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo as regards the fate of the nation should the president not be re-elected into power in 2015 for which the president kept mute and did not direct any of his aides to issue a disclaimer. An act he considers to be an indirect approval from the presidency.
Speaking further on the actual need for a national conference, Mr. Fashakin traced the origin of the call for a national conference back to the June 12, 1993 presidential election which was annulled by the then military government of Nigeria.
According to him it was evident that the North wanted Late Chief MKO Abiola who was a Yoruba man from South-West Nigeria as evident in his victory in northern Nigeria but a certain cabal felt at that time they would decide how Nigeria was governed and this led to Nigerians agitating for self-determination.
He believes the actual purpose of the national conference as originally conceived has been misunderstood by many Nigerians to mean separation and has now been hijacked by the leadership of the country to achieve political empowerment. He accepts that the need to talk has always been there for Nigerians but queried the true purpose of this national conference being constituted by the government.
