PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan last week appointed six state governors as his campaign coordinators in the geo-political zones of the country ahead of his September 18 declaration for the presidential race in 2011. But as the coordinators are about to begin their jobs, some concerned Nigerians fear the selection of the six governors may constitute  an  albatross to the  President’s  ambition.
At a meeting, which took place at House 7, State House, in Aso Rock, where he intimated the  ruling  People’s Democratic Party (PDP)  governors of his intention to contest for the party’s ticket, Jonathan appointed  Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, the home of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, as his  campaign coordinator in the North-west comprising Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa and Sokoto State.
Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State is to be in charge of the campaign in the North-east, made up of Bauchi,Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa and Taraba.This may checkmate Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, from contesting the governorship ticket against Yuguda ,while Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue, will oversee Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger and Benue.
Governor Gbenga Daniel will be the arrowhead in the South-western states of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos and Osun, while Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State is to be in charge in the South-eastern states, namely Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo, Enugu and Abia.  The governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, will coordinate Rivers, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River in the South-south zone.
The following were also appointed assistant campaign coordinators: Dr. Olusegun Agagu for the South-west, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso for Northwest, Kaola Aliyu for North-east, Chibudom Nwuche for South-south, Ojo Maduekwe for  South-east and Shaaba Lafiaji for North-central.
Some critics ask how  these coordinators, who have no popular base  in their states, let alone  in their zones,  would  deliver  any  political dividend  to the president?
What has Gabriel Suswan to offer in your campaign team? Why the choice of him and the likes of Ojo Maduekwe and a host of others?
Mr.  John Uzoamaka  says  “Elechi is Jonathan’s  coordinator in the Southeast. This is to wish Jonathan well in his journey to oblivion. Elechi is almost certainly going to fight hard to retain his own seat. Is he the man to deliver Ebonyi (much less the SE) to Jonathan?
Ranti Olabode  says “Gbenga Daniel is a bad choice and a minus not only for Jonathan but for PDP.”
Gboyega Adeloye  has  this to say:  “The same Yuguda that was standing in the way of reason and order during the Yar’Adua debacle is now a Jonathan-2011 foot soldier.
Essentially, the meeting between the president and the PDP governors, according to information, which filtered to Business World, was to ensure that the governors are duly involved in the electioneering that would eventually lead to the emergence of Jonathan as the PDP presidential candidate.
The stakes are high either way in a country that has seen repeated outbreaks of religious and communal violence, and his reticence is born of well-grounded caution, observers say.
Jonathan  is the first Nigerian leader from the Ijaw ethnic group in the restive Niger Delta, and a failure to stand would provoke protest in the  region, the heartland of the  nation’s mainstay oil and gas industry.  
 “Jonathan has continued to tread very carefully as far as making public his plans for the future  intelligence firm Stratfor said. “It is no secret that Nigeria’s northern elites are squirmishly oppose what they see as a southerner trying to usurp their “rightful place” in power.
Jonathan kept his cards close to his chest in a message to Muslims last  Thursday to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, reaffirming his commitment to ensure free and fair elections and pledging to push ahead with reforms.
“With your continued support and goodwill, we shall, in the coming months carry forward our plans to further stabilize all sectors of our economy, improve national infrastructure and power supply,” he said.
His recent actions have been more telling than his words. Jonathan replaced the heads of the armed forces, police and state security service last Wednesday. He named Major General O.A. Ihejirika as his new chief of army staff, the first time since Nigeria’s 1967-70 civil war that anyone from the southeastern Igbo ethnic group has held the top post in the most powerful branch of the armed forces.
Ihejirika’s nomination is seen by some as a way of ensuring Igbo loyalty.
 The election timetable announced this week says party primaries will begin on Saturday and run to the end of October.   Jonathan has already been meeting former heads of state and other political heavyweights including his rivals in recent weeks, such as ex-military  dictator General Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President  Atiku Abubakar, both of whom have said they will run against him to seek the PDP nomination.
 The state governors form a powerful caucus in the PDP and winning their support will be key to Jonathan’s chances of success. Those from his home region have already vowed to back him, but some from the north have stopped short of doing so, saying simply they recognise his right to contest.