Ahead of the 2015 elections, South -South and South-East traditional rulers yesterday pledged to support President Goodluck Jonathan.
The monarchs expressed their preparedness to mobilise support for Jonathan to ensure the actualisation of his political ambition.
They spoke in Yenagoa at the inauguration of the South-South and South-East Traditional Rulers' Forum.
According to them, the President had provided effective transformational leadership despite the glaring challenges facing the country.
Earlier, Chairman of the South-South Monarchs Forum and Amayanabo of Nembe Kingdom, King Edmund Daukoru said the forum would contribute to the peace and stability of the nation.
Speaking at the event, President Goodluck Jonathan praised monarchs across the nation for exhibiting complementary roles to support the government, especially in the area of maintenance of peace and order in their derespective domains.
He said: "The traditional rulers occupy a special place in our system. It was so before in the days of our forefathers and it is so uptill now and will continue to be. You are the critical link between our cherished history and past. You have a duty which of course, you are doing well to maintain our values, traditions and cultures.
"I thank you all for the support that you have been giving to those of us in secular leadership because you cannot talk of mobilising and influencing our people positively and even maintain law and order without the role of traditional rulers."
In his remarks, the Chairman, South-East Council of Traditional Rulers, King Cletus Ilomuanya noted that of all the geo-political zones in the country the people of South-South and South- East shared common affinity especially in the areas of culture and tradition.
He said: "Historically, we are one people of the same lineage but for political expediency and administrative convenience, we now pretend to be people from two different zones. There fore, it is one of the aims of the South-South and South East traditional rulers to reorientate and galvanise our people to begin to think and act as people of one cultural and traditional identity."
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade and Gbong Gbom, Jos, Buba Gyang described Jonathan as one of the best leaders Nigeria had produced.
Represented by the General Secretary of the Council of Yoruba Monarchs, Oba Aderemi Adedapo, Oba Okunade submitted that Jonathan's emergence as President of the country was a fulfilment of Chief Obafemi Awolowo's prediction that an Ijaw man would rule this country some day in the future.
In his presentation, the Gbong Gbom of Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba urged the political class to ascribe constitutional role to the monarchs to enable them contribute towards decision making in the country.
