According to the Nation, the president is scheduled to meet the emirs tomorrow, March 13, in Kaduna, so as to boost the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the coming elections.
Reports has it that some emirs/ traditional rulers from the north were already in Abuja, while others would receive the president in Kaduna tomorrow.
A source who spoke in confidence to The Nation said: “The penetration of the North and the Southwest has been a Herculean task for the president. This time around, the president has offered to discuss with emirs to clear allegations of shortchanging the North with another four years in office; alteration of the nation’s unwritten power rotation formula; marginalisation of the North; and to canvass the need to allow him have a second term in office.
“He will also use the opportunity to explain what he had done for the North, especially the Almajiri project; Boko Haram; and he will table his plans for the region, if re-elected.”
Another source said: “The president needs to earn the confidence of the emirs following recent utterances of First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan, who accused the North of rearing children without taking care of them, but only to turn them into Almajiri (miscreants).
“The anger in the North over First Lady’s comments was much, to the extent that the president might need to apologise for such campaign oversight.”
It was not immediately clear if most of the emirs will honour the invitation or not.
A traditional ruler said: “Well, the president wants to meet with us in Kaduna on Friday as he has done in some geopolitical zones.
“Three emirs from each of the 19 states will attend the session. We are going to listen to him. But you know that some of us are non-partisan.”
It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan two weeks ago visited the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and other monarchs in the South West to garner support for his re-election in the presidential election.
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