Don’t seek re-election G7 Govs, Baraje tell GEJ

ABUJA—THE Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, which has in its fold,former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and seven aggrieved governors, yesterday, asked President Goodluck Jonathan to be a statesman, jettison the idea of re-contesting in 2015 and save Nigeria from what it termed needless crisis.
President Jonathan, while speaking at the 68th session of the United Nations in New York broke his silence on the 2015 presidential election when he disclosed that the constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria allows him to do eight years of two
terms.
According to the nPDP four years in power was enough for a President to
showcase himself and make
changes in the country in the area of development, adding, "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."
However, former governors and candidates of
the PDP, yesterday, threw their weight behind President Jonathan, saying that it would amount to natural injustice to deny him his constitutional right to seek re-election.
Appealing to the President not to run and save the country from catastrophe against the backdrop that God has been kind to him from a University lecturer to deputy governor and to the present position, the group said, "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 over stretching your good luck. A word is enough for the wise!"
Prominent in the nPDP are Atiku Abubakar,
Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Abdulfatah
Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangida of Niger;
Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto State;
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers; Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and Murtala Nyako of
Adamawa. Jonathan should honour his word
In a statement signed, yesterday, by the nPDP National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka
Eze, the group said: "As a patriotic group
that cares about the present and future of our great country and that wants President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to succeed, the
Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led Peoples Democratic
Party after reviewing the state of the nation and the pulse of Nigerians, wishes to advise President Jonathan to abandon his plan to seek re-election in 2015 as this ambition of his is not in the best interest of the country.
"Though he has yet to categorically declare
his intention to run, President Jonathan has
given enough clue that he is working towards
doing so. The latest of such clues came on
Sunday in New York, USA. Speaking at a
luncheon with Nigerian professionals in the
United States, 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 President, however, said nothing new as
he made a similar claim in April last year in his affidavit in response to the suit
instituted at an Abuja High Court by a PDP
chieftain, Cyriacus Njoku, seeking to stop him from contesting the 2015 presidential
election.
"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 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.' Mr. President went ahead to add:
'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.'
"This is a historical fact which Mr. President himself cannot deny now since he had two years to deny that statement but never did so. 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?
Heed voice of Nigerians
The nPDP Continued: "Mr. President should heed the advice of well-meaning distinguished personalities such as constitutional law guru,Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN) and Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos,
His Eminence, 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 may be history,
which was later confirmed by the USA Think-
Tank that Nigeria may disintegrate by 2015.
Apart from all these, should President
Jonathan contest and win by 2015 it means he
would have spent 10 years in office and will
be sworn in three times as the President of
Nigeria against the Provisions of the
country's constitution."
Jonathan must run – Ex-PDP govs,others
However, former governors and candidates of
the PDP, yesterday, went into a marathon
meeting for President Jonathan with a vow that nothing should stop him from re-contesting.
They, said that it would amount to natural
injustice to deny Jonathan another shot at the presidency.

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