 |
President Jonathan had on Sunday in New York, United States, declared that he was entitled to second term in 2015.
Speaking at a luncheon with Nigerian professionals in the United States, President Jonathan insisted that he was eligible to contest in 2015 as “we have a constitution that makes a provision for a maximum of eight years for anyone who wants to become a president or a governor.”
But the aggrieved PDP faction in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said that President Jonathan was yet to declare his intention to run.
The PDP faction said: “We are worried that Mr. President is intent on running despite his earlier promise not to do so and in spite of the wise counsel of well-meaning Nigerians, including respected elder statesmen.
“In February 2011, while interacting with Nigerians and diplomats working in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA, and the African Union, AU, in Ankara, Turkey, President Jonathan clearly stated: ‘I would have loved that the Nigerians in Diaspora vote this year (2011) but to be frank with you, that is going to be difficult now.
“Presently, the law does not allow the voting outside Nigeria and so this year Nigerians in Diaspora will not vote but I will work towards it by 2015 even though I will not be running for election.
“Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement and if I can’t improve on power within this period, it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.”
The new PDP spokesperson said that these statements were historical facts which Mr. President himself could not deny now since he had two years to deny that statement but never did so.
The party added: “How does Mr. President want Nigerians and the entire world to see him for this volte face? Why can he not keep his words as a man of honour instead of allowing himself to be misled by selfish advisers to go back on his words, thereby overheating the polity?
“Mr. President should heed the advice of wellmeaning, distinguished personalities such as constitutional law guru, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN) and Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, all of whom have advised him to correctly read the handwriting on the wall and stay away from the 2015 presidential race. “By 2015, President Jonathan would have served our nation for six solid years.
This surely is enough time for him to achieve whatever he is capable of doing for Nigeria. “What else is he looking for that is making him desperate to participate in the 2015 presidential election despite warnings that doing so may spark a chain of events capable of culminating into the country’s disintegration, thereby bringing to pass the predictions of Lord Lugard that Nigeria as a nation by 2014 maybe history, which was later confirmed by the USA Think-Tank that Nigeria may disintegrate by 2015.”
He said that apart from this, if President Jonathan contested and won by 2015, he would have spent 10 years in office and would be sworn in three times as the President of Nigeria against the provisions of the country’s constitution.
Eze added: “We wish to appeal to Mr. President to abandon this ill-advised move and save our nation from catastrophe. God has been merciful to you, Mr. President, lifting you from being a university teacher to President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in so short a time is something you should be grateful and be contented with. “We urge you Mr. President to listen to the voice of reason and avoid overstretching your good luck.
A word is enough for the wise!” Despite the opposition from the new PDP, former governors and candidates of the PDP yesterday unveiled the Goodluck to Goodluck Project, while insisting that it would be against natural justice to deny President Jonathan his right to seek re-election in 2015.
The former party henchmen, under the aegis of G13 Candidates/Former PDP Governors’ Forum, also said the drawbacks of past governments cannot be ascribed to the Goodluck/ Sambo administration.
The convener of the forum and former governorship candidate of PDP in Edo State, Major Gen. Charles Arhiavbere, urged all well-meaning PDP members to embrace peace and to return to the mainstream of the party under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
He said: “The constitution provides for eight years for every office and I believe that going by natural justice, if there is a tenant in a house and it is going for sale, the first opportunity of refusal should go to the occupant. And I believe that based on the midterm report of the president, we believe that he should be given a second term in office to finish his project.
“President Jonathan has the right. It has not been published anywhere that he signed an agreement to run for one term. He should be given support and peaceful environment to implement his projects to completion.”
On the crisis in the party, he said: “We studied the political impasse, horse trading and war of attrition and belligerence in recent times within and outside the context of our great party, PDP; the intraparty conflict classified as family affair must be resolved within the party’s conflict resolution mechanism of the PDP Round Table Dialogue Initiative put in place for the reconciliation and all well-meaning PDP members should embrace peace and avail themselves of the opportunity given to return to the mainstream under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as one indivisible PDP.”
Underscoring their support for Jonathan in 2015, he said: “The achievements recorded within the space of two years in office are highly commendable and the need to effortlessly support Mr. President to continue the good work through national consensus becomes imperative.
“To this end, we salute Mr. President for the resolute leadership demonstrated in the face of adversity to put Nigeria on the part of greatness. Who else, if not Goodluck Jonathan? “Once again, the group is ready to support Mr. President’s uncommon Transformation Agenda through the unveiling of a pet project to this effect. Goodluck to Goodluck is possible come 2015, that is to say Goodluck must handover to Goodluck.”
Present at the meeting are former minister of sports, Damishi Sango; Fidelis Seri; former minister of sports, Col. Abdulminu Aminu; former governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna; former deputy governor of Ogun State, Alhaja Salimot Badru; governorship candidate of PDP in Ondo State, Olusola Oke; former minister, Alhaji Dauda Birmah; Col. John David Dongi (rtd) and AIG Donald
No comments:
Post a Comment