The
Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led faction of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)
known as “NewPDP” has pointedly called on President Goodluck Jonathan to
forget about seeking a second term in 2015.
The
“New PDP” said it decided to advise the president against seeking
reelection after reviewing the state of the nation and gauging the pulse
of Nigerians on his 2015 ambition, saying doing so would be against the
interest of the country and its people.
This
would be the first time that the Baraje faction would publicly call on
Mr. Jonathan to shelve his reelection bid thereby confirming
speculations that the crisis in the ruling party is all about the 2015
presidential election
.
In
a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary,
Chukwuemeka Eze, the faction noted that the president’s body language
has betrayed his interest in seeking a second term in office although he
has not categorically declared it to Nigerians.
“The
latest of such clues came on Sunday in New York, United States.
Speaking at a luncheon with Nigerian professionals in the U.S, President
Jonathan insisted that he is 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,” the faction said.
The
Baraje faction observed that the President had made a similar statement
in April 2012, in an affidavit in response to a suit instituted at an
Abuja High Court by a PDP chieftain, Cyriacus Njoku, seeking to stop him
from contesting the 2015 presidential election on the grounds that he
was ineligible to contest after purportedly taking the Oath of Office
and Oath of Allegiance twice.
Although
the High Court cleared President Jonathan to run for another term of
four years if he so wishes based on the express provision of Section 137
(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended), Njoku took the matter to
the Court of Appeal, where the case is still pending determination.
But
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.
The
faction reminded Mr. Jonathan of a statement he made in Ankara, Turkey
in February 2011, during an interactive session with Nigerians and
diplomats working in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA) and the African Union (AU).
The
statement quoted the president as saying, “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.”
It
also quoted the President to have said further, “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
Baraje faction said there was no way President Jonathan could deny his
own statements at this point in time, since he failed to deny the
statements over the past two years.
“How
does Mr. President want Nigerians and the entire world to see him for
this volte face? Why can’t he 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,” the statement added.
-The Nation
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