Whenever the story of how GOODLUCK Ebele Jonathan lost his re-election bid as the first incumbent President in the history of Nigeria is told, the names of some prominent Nigerians will always pop up as a sad reminder of this epic loss. These political heavy weights and senior aides constantly promised and assured the outgoing Bayelsa State-born President that they would deliver their respective states to him, but ended up failing themselves, their party and the President.
In this special report, the publisher/editor-in-chief of your leading and reliable online newspaper, Daylight.ng, Azuh Amatus, brings you the full list of the 25 trusted loyalists/aides of Jonathan who failed to deliver for him when it mattered most at the recently held presidential elections.
Namadi Sambo/ Mukhtar Yero:
Jonathan suffered the biggest defeat at the polls in the hands of his vice president, Namadi Sambo and the governor of Kaduna, Mukhtar Yero, who could not deliver their PDP-led state for him at the polls. They were mercilessly and shamelessly beaten by APC with a wide margin. Disgracefully too, Sambo also lost in his ward. Adamu Mu’azu/Isa Yuguda:
Another minus for Jonathan at the polls was the national chairman of his party, the PDP, Adamu Mu’azu. Mu’azu and the governor of Bauchi, another PDP State, Isa Yuguda, were thoroughly beaten and defeated by APC, despite all their assurances and promises to Jonathan that they would deliver the state to him on a platter of gold. And to worsen matters and show Yuguda is not in firm control of the state, he was equally trounced by the opposition in his quest for a senatorial seat.
David Mark/Gabriel Suswam:
The Senate President despite being one of the closest friends of Jonathan failed him when it mattered most. Mark and the governor of the PDP controlled state, Gabriel Suswam, were busy fighting for their personal interests at the expense of Jonathan’s ticket. And what they got in return was a thorough pummelling in the hands of the APC. Even Suswam lost his senatorial bid, meaning he could not even deliver himself let alone Jonathan.
Gbenga Daniel/Buruji Kashamu, Doyin Okupe/Reuben Abati:
This strong quartet also failed Jonathan in the south west, where he had already concluded they were watching his back and eventually deliver for him at the polls. Jonathan confidence in Daniel, the ex governor of Ogun State was so much that he appointed him one of his campaign coordinators in the south west, yet the Otunba failed him woefully. Another political heavy weight that dashed Jonathan’s hope hugely at the polls was controversial businessman and one of the chieftains of the PDP in the region, Buruji Kashamu. Shockingly, while Jonathan lost, Buruji won a senatorial seat to represent his people in the next republic. The other two top aides of Jonathan that virtually did nothing for their principal at the recently held polls were Doyin Okupe and Reuben Abati. These senior aides of the president were expected to team up with Daniel and Kashamu to deliver Ogun, an APC state to Jonathan but failed abysmally.
Bode George/Musiliu Obanikoro:
Bode George, the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was one top politico many looked up to help deliver Lagos State for Jonathan at the polls, but he disappointed with immense proportion. Another chieftain of the party that many felt did little for Jonathan at the polls was Musiliu Obanikoro, the current minister of state for foreign affairs. In fact, many believed that his recent nomination and subsequent screening as a PDP minister was to help pave way for Jonathan in Lagos at the polls, but that arrangement was dismantled by the opposition who won the state of aquatic splendour with ease.
Segun Mimiko/SOLA Oke/Jimoh Ibrahim:
Again, many political pundits and followers believed that the presence of this eminent trio will help Jonathan WIN Ondo, a PDP state effortlessly, but shockingly, their best was not good enough. Mimiko, the current governor of the state and one of the campaign coordinators of Jonathan in the south west alongside the former national legal adviser of the party, Sola Oke and billionaire businessman cum chieftain of the party, Jimoh Ibrahim, could not withstand the political firepower of the APC, who eventually floored them at the polls, thus depleting the votes of Jonathan in that region.
Jumoke Akinjide/Teslim Folarin:
Keen observers in the south west region expected Jumoke Akinjide, the current minister of state, FCT, and Senator Teslim Folarin, the PDP governorship candidate in Oyo to assist Jonathan in WINNING the state, but like many others, they also broke his heart, despite all the assurances from the duo.
James Ngilari/Ahmed Gulak/Nuhu Ribadu: The current PDP governor of Adamawa State, James Ngilari, ex EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu and former political adviser to Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak were seen as the strong men that will help sway victory to their principal at the polls in Adamawa, but sadly they too disappointed and failed to put smile on the face of Mr. President. Due to their poor performance, Jonathan ended up losing the state to Buhari and the opposition APC.
Idris Wada/Smart Adeyemi: Members of their party are still asking where were the duo of Captain Idris Wada, the current PDP governor of Kogi and astute senator Smart Adeyemi when the state fell flat in the hands of the opposition APC? Some insiders are of the opinion that Wada, a known Jonathan ally and friend did not do enough to SECURE victory for his principal at the federal level. They have also implied same for Adeyemi, who equally lost his re-election bid to the senate.
Babangida Aliyu:
One of the biggest shocks from the recently held presidential election was the lost of Niger, a PDP controlled state to the opposition APC.
Prior to the election, the governor of the state, Babangida Aliyu, who prides himself as the chief servant, had openly boasted severally that he would deliver the state to Jonathan, but failed woefully when duty called.
Ibrahim Damkwambo:
In the North East, one of the field commanders of President Jonathan in the recently held presidential poll who painfully did not deliver as expected is the accountant turned governor of Gombo State, Ibrahim Damkwambo.
Many were of the view that Damkwambo, a staunch supporter of Jonathan would have handed victory to Jonathan at the polls, but that never happened due to the overwhelming power of the APC.
Ifeanyi Ubah: The founder of Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), Ifeanyi Ubah tried immensely for Jonathan to be re-elected but his many rallies round the country never transformed into votes for his principal.
Many Nigerians expected that the billionaire businessman and oil magnate owner of Capital Oil and Gas would have used his powerful TAN members to mobilise votes for Jonathan, especially in Lagos, where he resides, but that never happened. Does that mean that the millions of Nigerians that signed the TAN REGISTER prior to the election, were never mobilised to vote for Jonathan at the polls? Only controversial Uba can answer this question.
Femi Fani Kayode: No doubt, the outspoken top politico fondly called FFK added a huge voice to president Jonathan’s campaign in his capacity as its director of media and publicity. However, he failed and disappointed his principal when it mattered most in Osun, his state of origin. The state fell to the opposition under the watchful eyes of Femi Fani Kayode, when many had expected himself and other heavy weights from there to deliver it to Jonathan effortlessly.
Gani Adams/Frederick Fasehun:
The national coordinator and founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) chiefs Gani Adams and Frederick Fasehun are two big names in Yoruba land that Jonathan depended heavily on, who painfully failed him.
They both failed to mobilise their teeming members to vote for Jonathan in all the south west states where their presence and impact has never been in question.
Despite the numerous assurances from both leaders that victory was already assured for Jonathan in the south west, that promise never came to pass and it eventually contributed to the huge losses Jonathan recorded in the region.
Culled from; Anambranews.com
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