Senator Femi Okurounmu, a delegate to the 2014 National confab and chairman of the committee that laid the framework for the conference, has accused northern leaders of acting out a script by rejecting the confab report which they initially endorsed and accepted, calling on Southerners to be very vigilant about this new position of the North concerning the confab report.
Senator Okurounmu further said that the North hate Jonathan because he was from the South. He said the "Northern leaders never want one Nigeria in which equity and justice will prevail, but they want one Nigeria only in which the North will be the master." declaring that "It is time the North realized that the party is over, nobody or group is ready anymore to take rubbish from them any longer.
He said this in an interview with Saturday SUN.
His words, "I’m not shocked by the outburst of these Northern leaders. But one thing I want to emphasise here is that these so-called Northern leaders including Ahmadu Ali, Bashiru Dalhatu, Khairat Gwadabe and others who were part of the conference and whose this statement was credited to are all liars. Have they been sleeping all these past three years, and are now just waking up to realize that the conference was anti-North? Were they not part and parcel of the conference, where every decision taken was by consensus. Were they not part of the team that presented the report to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and even showered encomiums then on Jonathan for putting up the confab they are now rejecting?
"These people, Ali, Useni and other northern leaders are all liars. They are acting like spoilt brats. Nigerians especially Southerners should be very vigilant about this new position of the North concerning the confab report. These leaders are acting out a script, and they are now rejecting the report , which they initially endorsed and accepted, because one of them, General Muhammadu Buhari is now Nigeria’s President, and they also know from day one that Buhari had never hidden his objection to the confab.
"It is a big shame that men and women who are supposed to be elder statesmen and who were party to all the decisions taken at that conference can now turned back three years after to disown the confab report, because of parochial interests.
"All decisions taken at that conference were by consensus, and then no northern delegate expressed any objection to any decision taken. It amazes me that it is now three years after, that these northerners are now complaining – I suspect a hidden agenda somewhere, and this is why I call on Nigerians especially Southerners to be very vigilant.
"One unique thing about that conference is that for the first time, and unlike in the past, the North didn’t have its way. All decisions arrived at on any issue was by consensus, and then the North didn’t complain or object. No geo-political zone had its own way throughout the duration of that confab.
"It is very unfortunate that the Northerners believe that they were born to rule Nigeria. It is also very unfortunate that Northerners have that mentality. It is nothing but a crazy mentality. The Northerners’ new claims by Ahmadu Ali, Jeremiah Useni, Bashiru Dalhatu and others is not true.
"They are spreading falsehood – they are coming out now to sell all sort of things about the conference, so that their kinsman, President Buhari, who has openly expressed his opposition to the confab report would now have an excuse for not implementing that confab report. This is why I said earlier that the north seemed to have a hidden agenda and that other Nigerians especially the Southerners should be very vigilant.
"Northern leaders have never been honest on issues concerning the development and growth of Nigeria. North has always been very selfish, and leaders from the region are not only dishonest, but also a big disappointment to this nation.
"The northern leaders were not happy with Jonathan for daring to convene that conference. The North, that is the core North , except for the people of the Middle-Belt, South South, South East, and South West never wanted the conference and they openly expressed their opposition to its convocation. That is why they were not happy with Jonathan. The North wanted the lopsided status quo to remain. They want to continue to dominate and lord it over other regions, but this is not possible. It is time the North realized that the party is over, nobody or group is ready anymore to take rubbish from them any longer.
"North has always been the obstacle to Nigeria’s development and growth. It is very unfortunate that Northern leaders have always been very selfish and this grew worse with the military intervention, starting with late General Murtala Muhammed, Buhari, and others, these Northern leaders always put the interests of the North over that of other regions. The various constitutions put up by these Northern leaders weighed heavily in favour of the North – the way these selfish and unpatriotic Northern leaders crafted the constitutions, other regions are supposed to be slaves to the North.
"The Northern leaders never want one Nigeria in which equity and justice will prevail, but they want one Nigeria only in which the North will be the master.
"The Northern leaders are taking other Nigerians for granted. They are taking the rest of Nigeria as fools, and that’s why they can wake up three years after and start saying all sorts of rubbish about 2014 confab. This is very ridiculous and insulting. The South should resist any attempt by the North to lord it over others, more so, these Northern leaders are being emboldened, since they now have one of their own, Muhammadu Buhari, as the President, and not only that everybody also know that Buhari himself is a sectional leader, who has always danced to the tune of his own people. But enough is enough, the South should resist any attempt to oppress by these Northerners, who are over-spoilt and pampered.
