ALTHOUGH Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters to the President, Mr. Cairo Ojuogboh had recanted that President Goodluck Jonathan would contest the 2011 presidential election, the issue has continued to attract comments from prominent Nigerians and groups.
Also at the centre of the growing debate is the rotation of the Presidency of Nigeria between the North and South.
Those who reacted to the twin-issues at the weekend, cited the merit and danger of zoning and Jonathan’s entering the race.
Ojuogboh had on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, told journalists at the National Assembly, Abuja, that Jonathan would vie for the office on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but later issued a statement that he only expressed a personal opinion and did not get the mandate of the Nigerian leader to do so.
The United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS) at the weekend said Jonathan could run but must first ensure that his doing so would not be at the risk of failing to deliver on his promises on electoral reforms, achieve stable power supply, accelerate the anti-corruption war; and promotion of justice and development in the Niger Delta region.
After a three-hour meeting of UNDEDSS national delegates, the group’s President, Prof. Pat Utomi, said: “The very notion that any region of Nigeria, or any political party, can ascribe to themselves the exclusive right to national leadership of a democratic and united Nigeria, in this 21st century, boggles the mind and cannot be allowed to exist.
“The right of President Jonathan, or any other bona fide citizen of Nigeria that wishes to run for any elective office, is guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution,” and “no one should attempt to subvert the constitution by using the long-played-out spectre of putative national insecurity as an excuse to attempt to scare away people interested in voting, or being voted for, as stipulated by the grundnorm of this troubled country. Enough is enough!”
UNDEDSS’ Secretary, Mr. Tony Iprinye Uranta, warned that “any attempt by any person, or group of persons, to prevent Jonathan from exercising his constitutional rights, as he may so decide to exercise them, including running for any elective office, will be resisted by the people of Nigeria, employing every channel and tools available to them to so resist!”
Uranta, however, cautioned Jonathan to “remember he is under scrutiny by Nigerians, and indeed the world, and to ensure that service to the people of Nigeria supersedes any personal political ambitions and other interests.”
Buta former Education Minister, Tunde Adeniran, has urged Jonathan to disregard those prodding him to contest the 2011 presidential election. Instead, he said the President should use the opportunity to fix the myriads of Nigeria’s problems.
In an interaction with journalists at a forum organized by an Abuja-based The Summit Newspapers, Adeniran berated those denying the existence of a pact within the PDP that power must rotate between the North and South until such a time that Nigeria stabilises democratically before any Nigeria could aspire to rule the country.
Adeniran, who also spoke on other national issues and the indiscipline within the PDP, expressed the hope that with the current leadership being provided by the President, Nigeria’s dreams of experiencing a true democracy would be realised.
Adeniran, a one time Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, said contrary to comments in some quarters that there was no agreement on zoning in the PDP, said there was in deed a pact to that effect.
He said: “But with regard to the policy of the party with regard to believe that motivated why people came together, we came together as a party because we believe in justice, equity, fairness and we believe in Nigeria. In an attempt to work out modalities for ensuring that we arrive at those goals, those core values we believe in, that is where this zoning if you put it that way came.
“We felt that there was no way, particularly those of us from the South-West felt that justice has been done, that we cannot have a federation in which power will be the sole preserve of a section of the country, and in discussing and negotiating, we were able to get people of the like minds and the party members were conscious of the fact that stability of this country, and in deed the future of democracy will have to factor in the need for participation, to broaden the base of participation among the various segments of the people and to also ensure that access to power is open to everybody.
“This was why the party decided that look, what we call some understanding was reached. Most of the meetings we held at the early period, the issue came up and there was this common agreement that indeed, power must always shift, until such a time where we will have stabilised and anybody from any part of the country can come up at any time and vie for the position of the presidency and of course, at the state level to.”
A group under the platform of Jonathan Youth Vanguard, which claims to have members from the 36 states of the federation, says Jonathan should join the race.
At a press conference held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, the convener of the group, Turner George, said saw the emergence of Jonathan as president as pre-ordained by God and so were determined to help him form an effective political platform that would provide him the necessary support to contest the election.
Also at the event, one of Nigeria’s leading Actors, Mr. Zak Amata, said Nigerians should take the blame for the woes inflicted on the nation by past leaders for their failing to bad governance.
Amata asked the group to deploy their wealth of experience in ensuring that Nigeria attains greatness, adding that it was time the citizens rose against bad leaders.
In Asaba, Delta State, Mrs. Theodora Giwa-Amu, the South-South Zonal Coordinator of Jonathan for 2011, has urged the President to contest the polls.
At her formal declaration to contest for the Aniocha/Oshimili House of Representatives at the weekend in Asaba, Mrs. Giwa-Amu, said the decision of the group to back the President for the race was borne out of the need to enthrone good governance, purposeful leadership, rule of law, equity and justice.
May242010