BreakingNews 14/7/14 - Ministerial Appointment: Why Obi lost out

 
 




Masterweb Reports: Vivian Onyebukwa reports ] - A few days after President Good­luck Jonathan for­warded two names to the Senate as ministe­rial nominees, facts have emerged on why immedi­ate past governor of Anam­bra State, Mr. Peter Obi, lost out in the appointment.


Jonathan had last Thurs­day nominated Corps Mar­shal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (NYSC), Mr. Osita Chidoka (Anambra) and Dr. Suleiman Abubukar (Kwara) as ministers rep­resenting their states in the Federal Executive Council (FEC). Chidoka is expected to be confirmed Minister of Aviation, while Abubakar would become Minister of Sports.

Sources close to the Presi­dency told Daily Sun that Obi, who was reportedly tipped to be appointed Min­ister of Aviation, to replace Princess Stella Oduah, who is also from Anambra State, lost out owing to stiff oppo­sition from PDP stakehold­ers in Anambra State. He also lost out for refusing to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as suggested by the Presidency and others.

It was gathered that stake­holders in Anambra PDP ve­hemently opposed the plan to nominate Obi as minister representing the state, say­ing a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) should not repre­sent them.

Daily Sun learnt that apart from opposing Obi based on his party membership, those against him also used all manner of argument to dis­courage President Jonathan, especially telling him how non-appointment of the PDP members into key positions was affecting the fortunes of the party in Anambra State during elections.

They were said to have used subtle threat to remind Jonathan that the people op­posing Obi were those who would contribute meaning­fully to his re-election pro­gramme.

In the midst of opposition, it was gathered that support­ers of Obi, in the PDP, had written to Jonathan saying the former governor’s ap­pointment had the blessing of the Anambra PDP.

They argued that their support for Obi was owing to his popularity in Anambra, stating that in Jonathan’s re-election campaign, the for­mer governor would be more useful.

The PDP members push­ing Obi’s nomination stated: “He is at home with the com­mon people, the Church and market people, the critical mass that actually vote dur­ing election.”

Sources revealed that President Jonathan had stuck to his guns to appoint Obi. To douse the opposition, the Presidency had asked the former governor to join the PDP.

“He (Obi) was actually in the Villa on this. At this point, everybody that wanted him pleaded with him to join the PDP rather than allow the opposition have a field day,” our source revealed.

Vivian Onyebukwa reports.

*Photo Caption - Mr. Peter Obi

A British journalist has denounced a recent British Broadcasting Corporation interview wherein recently deceased human rights activist Nelson Mandela was compared to Jesus Christ.

Dominic Lawson wrote in a column published by the UK Daily Mail on Sunday that it was "absurd for the BBC to compare him to Christ."
"Mandela's greatness is not in doubt. His ability to work with and, apparently, forgive those who incarcerated him for 27 years in appalling conditions does conform to behaviour we might characterise as saintly," wrote Lawson.
"He also had a radiant presence in public, one that entranced all who witnessed it. Yet political history should also warn us never to confuse the public and private man. They are very different – and Mandela was a spectacular example of this disjunction."
Lawson quoted Richard Stengel, who helped Mandela write his autobiography, in noting the personal flaws Mandela, especially regarding the relationship he had with his family.
"He was warm with strangers and cool with intimates. The smile was reserved for outsiders. I saw him often with his son, his daughters, his sisters; and the Nelson Mandela they knew appeared to be a stern and unsmiling fellow not terribly sympathetic to their problems," said Stengel.

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Lawson's piece was in response to a BBC program that featured multiple experts and commentators, including former United States President Jimmy Carter.
Centering on the life, work, and legacy of Mandela, BBC radio presenter Evan Davis argued that Mandela should be put on a par with Jesus in the "pantheon of virtue."
When asked what he thought of the comparison, former President Carter dismissed it, noting that there was no comparison given Jesus' divinity.
"I look upon Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as God himself, and I certainly wouldn't compare any human being with Jesus," said Carter.
While the focus of his column, Davis is not the only commentator drawing the parallel between Mandela and Jesus.
Peter Oborne of the Telegraph wrote a column last week where he argued that Mandela was one of the few human beings who "can be compared to Jesus Christ."
"There are very few human beings who can be compared to Jesus Christ. Nelson Mandela is one. This is because he was a spiritual leader as much as a statesman," wrote Oborne.
"His colossal moral strength enabled him to embark on new and unimaginable forms of action. He could lead through the strength of example alone."

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/british-journalist-stop-comparing-mandela-to-jesus-110454/#edVoCPcWcgLGozzz.99