President Goodluck Jonathan on
Sunday said the insinuations that
he was planning to put in place an
Interim National Government
instead of ensuring the sanctity of
the May 29 handover date
amounted to treason.
He said the only ING that could be
put in place was that of the military
which, according to him, will not
be accepted by Nigerians and the
international community.
Jonathan spoke during the opening
mass for the plenary assembly of
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
Nigeria at Our Lady Queen of
Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki, Abuja.
The President again assured all
stakeholders in the political
process that the general elections
would hold on the rescheduled
dates of March 28 and April 11 and
the winners inaugurated on May
29.
He said, “There is no way Goodluck
Jonathan, elected by the people
with a clear mandate, will go and
head an interim government.
“The only ING anybody can
constitute is that of the military
which, of course, will not be
acceptable.
“The Economic Community of West
African States, the African Union and
the United Nations won’t accept it.
We will not allow Nigeria to be a
pariah state again.
“Clearly, the insinuations about
interim government, to me,
amount to treasonable offence .”
Jonathan also described the recent
poll delay as a blessing in disguise.
He said there would have been a
monumental loss during the attack
by Boko Haram insurgents on
Gombe State on February 14, the
day the presidential election would
have taken place.
The President said, “Look at what
happened in Gombe State on
February 14 , if the elections had
been held, the casualty figure
would have been higher.
“It is better for us to conduct
elections that will not be
contested; elections that are
credible, free and fair.
“We believe no criminal element
can come and prevent us from
conducting our elections.
“I will not do anything that would
jeopardise the interest of this
nation because of personal
interest.
“When I listen to how some of us
(politicians) talk… but God is
supreme. This nation will survive.”
Jonathan used the opportunity to
again thank Christians and indeed
all Nigerians, for their prayers
which he said, had sustained the
country despite its security
challenges
Giving assurance that the country
would overcome its challenges,
Jonathan condemned utterances
that overheat the polity.
Like Jonathan, the Senate
President, David Mark, said the
postponement of the polls was “a
blessing in disguise.”
Although he did not cite security
implication like the President did,
Mark stated that the delay had
provided millions of eligible voters
an opportunity to collect their
Permanent Voter Cards.
According to him, if the elections
had held on Feb. 14, many Nigerians
would have been unable to vote.
The News Agency of Nigeria quoted
him as saying, ‘‘I want to be re-
elected back but I do not want to
go through the back door, I want to
be re-elected with many Nigerians
accepting that this is their choice.
‘‘Whatever we can do to enable
few more Nigerians to vote on their
appointed days, I think it is proper
that they do it.’’
Mark also restated that ING was
“absolutely alien to the current
constitution “and added, ‘‘We will
not allow that.’’
Also at the event, the Catholic
Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John
Onaiyekan, urged Jonathan to warn
his aides and supporters about
their utterances.
Onaiyekan also called on politicians
to desist from mudslinging that has
so far characterised electioneering
ahead of the general elections.
He said, “There should not be room
for negative campaigns. Personal
insults and caricatures should give
way to rational discussion of issues
that concern us all.
“Truth must be sacrosanct even in
politics. Lies, deceit, calumnies
cannot move us forward. They are
the hallmarks of the bad politics
which have not allowed us achieve
the high level that we deserve as a
nation.
“These are what builds tensions,
heats up the polity, spreads
dangerous rumours and cause deep
distrust among rival political
groups. All these are not in the
interest of our people.”
The cleric enjoined politicians to
use the opportunity provided via
the postponement of the election
to mend fences.
President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor, said that the theme of
the conference, “ Good Families
Make Good Nations,’’ challenges
every Nigerian to nurture their
family.
Oritsejafor appealed to the
government to continue to work
hard to create employment
opportunities for young Nigerians.
He also advised church leaders to
ensure that their followers imbibed
sound moral values needed to raise
responsible families.
The CAN leader said, “We must
along with other stakeholders
continue to assist in creating an
enabling environment for families
to grow and mature, respect
constituted authority, be honest
and love one another.
‘‘I am pleading for cooperation,
unity and brotherhood; efforts
must be made to denounce
worldliness, to build families that
imbibe godly and enduring
values.’’
Also, the Primate of the Church of
Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most
Rev. Nicholas Okoh, appealed to the
Anglican Roman Catholic
Commission to give a definite
agenda to the commission.
Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, the
Archbishop of Jos, and President,
CBCN, said the Catholic Church had
uses different associations to
enlighten its members to shun acts
of violence.
Kaigama said that the church had
gone beyond political or religious
differences in promoting the
common good of the nation.
Tenure extension, invitation to
anarchy –Reps
The House of Representatives on
Sunday re-stated its stance against
extending the tenure of the current
Federal Government under the
headship of President Goodluck
Jonathan beyond May 29.
It said keeping the government in
office beyond May 29 without
conducting elections was an
“invitation to anarchy.”
The House spokesman, Zakari
Mohammed, spoke against the
backdrop of speculation that
Jonathan might still use insecurity
in the North-East to request the
National Assembly to defer the
March 28 presidential poll by six
months.
Mohammed, who spoke exclusively
with The PUNCH, noted that the
House “as an institution,” took a
collective stance against tenure
extension to safeguard democracy.
Besides, he said democracy and the
institution of the legislature must
outlive the present crop of
lawmakers.
The lawmaker added,”If we support
what is unconstitutional because
people say we will benefit from it,
what are we doing to democracy?
“We swore to an oath to uphold the
constitution; we cannot afford to be
selfish because there were people
who held these offices before we
came in.
“If they had chosen to go against
the constitution, they would not
have vacated the offices for us.
“Even if we are to benefit mutually
(tenure extension), it is an
aberration and can only lead to
anarchy. That is why say no tenure
extension; it is unconstitutional.”
Mohammed observed that the
power equation in the House at
moment, where the All
Progressives Congress members
were more in number meant that a
proposal for tenure extension
would die on arrival.
The APC now dominates the House
with about 180 members, while the
Peoples Democratic Party, hitherto
the majority party with 208
members in 2011, has dropped to
around 161.
Speculation of a further
postponement of the poll from
March 28 have heightened lately,
with fears being expressed that
Jonathan may rely on the National
Assembly to make the extension
possible.
A legislative official told The PUNCH
in Abuja on Sunday that it “ is likely
the government will use the
insecurity in the North-East as a
‘part of the country at war’ to
request for the deferment.”
“The President will have to rely on
the National Assembly, which is the
approving authority in this regard,”
he added.
The Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission,
Attahiru Jega, appeared not to be
sure of the likely turn of events
when he told the Senate last week
that he could not guarantee the
sanctity of the March 28.
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
