2011: Pro-IBB, Jonathan groups clash in Benin

From, EBOJELE PATRICK , Benin City
Posted: Monday, September 6, 2010

TENSION was heightened last Thursday as supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan for 2011 presidency in Edo State and these of former military President, Gen.Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida IBB, traded words over the claim that the latter is more experienced to lead the nation than the former.
It would be recalled that former Deputy President of the senate, Senator Albert Legogie had last Monday, declared that IBB would be the best candidate of Peoples Democratic Party PDP in the forthcoming 2011 presidential election due to his experience and numerous achievements while he was military president.
But reacting in an interview with the New Nigerian in Benin City, the immediate past deputy governor of the state and coordinator of the President Goodluck Jonathan campaign in Edo state, Chief Lucky Imasuen, described the claim as untrue and laughable.
According to him, “I have read some of these comments in the papers but it beats my imagination. How can you say that a man who was a teacher, deputy Governor, Governor, Vice-President then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not experienced? What more experience do you want? All these talks about inexperience is rubbish. Like I read Senator Albert Legogie talking about the achievements of IBB when they met in Benin recently.
“They are supporters of IBB therefore they have the right to support him any way. But Nigerians are very civilized now.
IBB is a great man and he was President of this nation for eight years but the question is what else does he want to achieve for the nation.
I read Legogie saying that IBB helped in laying foundation for the nation’s democracy but I remember that this same man single
handedly annulled the freest and fairest election in this country.
“When you compare President Jonathan with IBB, they are both gentlemen but look at the achievements of Jonathan so far, you will agree with me that for the first time in about twenty years, the power supply in this country has improved.
Look at the effort he is making to ensure that the power sector improves. While we are yet to get to where we used to be, but we are not where we use to be. Again, the Niger Delta programme which was started by late President Yar’Adua, you could see that there is peace now in the region that is Jothan’s handi-work, he said.
The former deputy governor  added that “if you also look properly you will notice that all the Federal roads are now receiving attention just less than one year.
A man who has been in a position for one year has achieved a lot and if you want to compare Jonathan’s achievement in the past one year and that of IBB’s eight years, you will see that the difference is clear. Even if people should support their candidate, we must not learn to run away from the facts for posterity sake”.