President Goodluck Jonathan may have incurred the anger of some Yoruba elders, particularly those who were part of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a group that fought for democracy in Nigeria.
Huhuonline.com learnt that some of the members of the group became provoked on Monday after President Jonathan called them hypocrites while in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital where he campaigned for re-election.
Jonathan, who promised to fight corruption using modern technology rather than sending suspects to prison, further said the way members of NADECO comported themselves in recent times would make anyone wonder how they had deviated from the vision they once held tight.
Jonathan, who did not mention anyone in particular, said they could no longer justify how they changed from their love for the people to deciding on building prisons.
Jonathan said: “I am convinced that some of the NADECO actors were hypocrites because they cannot justify what they are doing today.
“The South-West believes in human rights and social justice. No South-Westerner will pray that someone, going through proper trial, will be jailed for 300 years and above.
“If they are not hypocrites, they couldn’t be doing what they are doing today but I don’t want to go into that now. If they are not hypocrites, they will not be talking about not empowering women.
“Without education, you cannot change the people. If I did not go to school, I will not be where I am today.
“Every Nigerian child must have the Goodluck opportunity; that is why we are building out-of-school-children secondary schools and Almajiris schools in some parts of Nigeria.”
However he contradicted himself when he mentioned that his administration had jailed more fraudulent people than any government before him, but that people do not realise this because of poor publicity.
One of the members of the group, who spoke with Huhuonline.com on phone Monday evening, said the members were not happy that the President would come to the South-West and insult them face-to-face.
He said some of the elders who took part in the struggle by the NADECO, had started contacting themselves in order to make their grievance known.
“It is just disheartening that the President could say such things when he has a lot of issues to campaign with. If some of us were behind him before now, his generalisation of the insult has erased that,” the NADECO man said.
“It is just unfortunate and at the right time, we will make our anger known to him and Nigerians,” he said.
