President Jonathan also, for the first time yesterday, came out to inform Nigerians that he is eligible to contest the 2015 presidential election.
Aliyu, fielding journalists’ questions in Minna, Niger State, disclosed that what was discussed in all the meetings was part of consultations to resolve the crisis that engulfed the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), adding that it was yielding results.
He said the move by the five governors – Babangida Aliyu ( Niger), Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) , and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) -- was to douse the political tension in the country.
The governors had met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Shehu Shagari, formar Vice-President Alex Ekwueme and President Goodluck Jonathan.
Aliyu said “Some of the results are that we are meeting as PDP governors as a whole and with some of our elders as a group,” he stated, adding that there was hope of resolving the crisis of the party and the Governors’ Forum.
“The president met with us to understand the issues we are talking of. So this consultation must continue not only by the five governors but by any person who feels that he can contribute to the peace, progress and development of Nigeria. The lack of communication usually is the cause of most of our problems,” Governor Aliyu said. “We discussed the issues because it is like a dialogue. It is discussion to say, look, how do we resolve for example the issues of Governors’ Forum? We are discussing so that issues do not go beyond the level they are and that is the essence.”
Asked what the new party APC portends in Nigerian politics, he declared that having two strong parties in Nigeria is a welcome development but advised the new party to play politics of issues.
Aliyu advised politicians to avoid playing politics of religion, stressing that after 100 years of Nigeria being together as one nation, development issues rather than individual differences should be on the front burner.
The governor stated that peace and development were interwoven and must be seen to be sustained at all times devoid of any primordial attachments.
I’m eligible to run for 2015 presidency - Jonathan
However, President Jonathan yesterday came out clear to inform Nigerians that he is eligible to contest the 2015 presidential election.
Consequently, he chided the interim national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, and his party, saying they have every reason to fear.
The president spoke through his media adviser, Dr Reuben Abati, in a reaction to Akande’s assertion that if the president contests he would be doing so for the third time. He also informed that he has only contested for the position once.
Dr Abati in a statement noted that Akande and his party have every reason to fear if the party’s strategy for victory is to claim he was not eligible to contest, adding that he has “been elected into office on only one previous occasion and is therefore not statute-barred from running.
“If this is the winning strategy of the APC, Chief Akande has every reason to panic because the issue of eligibility for election into the office of president has been settled by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, which provides as follows: 137. (1) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if -
(b) he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections.
“Finally, though President Jonathan has not indicated whether or not he is interested in a second term, Chief Akande, who has taken stock of his party and seen that they have no electable presidential material, is already trying to be clever by half by claiming the president is statute-barred from contesting in 2015, saying it will amount to a ‘third term,’ the president added.
In the statement entitled “President Jonathan To Akande: Respect The Truth, Your Age And Nigeria”, Abati who accused the APC of “seeking to bait the Presidency to respond to it to achieve two purposes” said he threw respect for the truth, his age as well as the country to the winds and sank to a new low when he rudely and falsely described him (Jonathan) as a “kindergarten” leader who treats national issues with levity.
“Chief Bisi Akande has every right to embark on a flight of fancy about the APC beating the PDP in the 2015 general elections, but he does no justice to his age and status when he resorts to propagating falsehood, wilfully insulting the president of his country, impugning his integrity and desecrating the very office which his party wishes to take over in 2015 by fair or foul means.
“The first purpose is to get their name into the press and gain name recognition for their party. How pathetic. The second and more important reason is to divert the attention of the public from the festering feud between Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu over the overriding ambition of the two men which is threatening to tear the new contraption which is mistakenly referred to by the gullible as a party,” he added.
Noting that the presidency has since observed with dismay “the continuation of efforts by leaders of the opposition to promote themselves and their party through the irresponsible denigration” of Jonathan and the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the president’s spokesman said, “We urge Chief Akande and his fellow travellers to remember that there are laws against libel and defamation of character in this country even if there are no legal impediments to indecorous, hypocritical and unpatriotic vituperations.
“It is certainly rude, ill-mannered, uncharitable and hypocritical for Chief Akande to falsely and cavalierly allege that a president who toils tirelessly every day of the week, evolving and implementing workable solutions to Nigeria’s problems, is handling national issues with levity”.
The statement made available to LEADERSHIP further noted: “Also, nothing else but gross ignorance and lack of consideration could have led Chief Akande to refer to a president who, having served as deputy governor, governor, vice president and president, has far more experience of governance at the highest level than him and his preferred ‘candidates’, as a kindergarten leader.
“By his very unguarded and intemperate outburst yesterday, Chief Akande exhibited not only an unbecoming lack of respect for the person and office of the president of his country, but also a complete disregard for the patriotic feelings of the millions of Nigerians who voted for President Jonathan and who continue to appreciate his sincere efforts to positively transform the nation.
“It is very sad and unfortunate that unbridled ambition for the office they constantly impugn and denigrate has blinded Chief Akande and his ilk to the visible accomplishments of the Jonathan presidency.
“Certainly, nothing else but a manic and unscrupulous quest for power could have led them to make such accusations against a president who, amongst other significant achievements, has been praised for his handling of the insurgency in some parts of northern Nigeria where he has used a combination of diplomacy and targeted military force to contain the security threat.”
He continued: “Nothing else but the relentless pursuit of narrow personal and sectional interests could lead them to make such claims about a president under whose leadership Nigeria’s economy has been promoted from a low-income economy to a middle-income economy by the World Bank and whose leadership has seen the Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria increase at an annual rate of over 6 per cent since he took office.
“To the discerning, it is only a matter of time before ambition sinks the APC boat. It is only 2013 and already the big masquerades in the party are using undemocratic words like “must”, “nobody can stop” and other military terms in discussing their presidential ticket. Our advice to the APC is this: treat your party like a democratic association and don’t mistake it for the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) that someone used to force his way to power.”
Akande lacks respect for authority - PDP
Meanwhile, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday upbraided the interim national chairman of the APC, Chief Akande, saying it was unfortunate that the elderly man does not respect the office of the president.
In the same vein, former Niger Delta militants described Akande as a deluded and confused personality who should be rebuffed.
Akande had over the weekend in Osogbo, Osun State, described President Jonathan as a “kindergarten leader” who “treats national issues with levity”.
But the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Tony Caesar Okeke, while speaking with LEADERSHIP expressed disappointment at the comments of Akande, said it was occasioned by the opposition’s lack of constructive ideas to criticise the PDP government, hence their resort to name-calling.
He said: “The truth of the matter is that we respect Chief Bisi Akande because of his age. We don’t want to join issues with him.
“However, in the past two weeks he has been speaking with both sides of his mouth. One minute he is begging the president to rescue them and, when he is ignored, he resorts to passing aspersions and wicked vituperations against the president.
“It is unfortunate that a man like him will not accord respect to the office of the president and commander-in-chief of Nigeria. It is utterly sad.
“We however urge the opposition to criticize us based on issues and ideas. If they do so, we will respect it. But when it goes to name-calling we beg not to join issues with them.”
Also reacting to Akande’s remark on Jonathan, the ex-militant leaders, under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace &Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI) led by its president-general Reuben Pastor Wilson said though “the confused state of mind of the former Osun State governor has been certified nstable, his recent utterances and attack against the president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, and the presidency is shameful, provocative and an affirmation of the deranged group of persons he is leading as opposition leaders.”
NGF: Govs move to settle rift, meet Obasanjo today
*15 Govs attend pro-Jang meeting
Indications emerged last night that the festering crisis in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum may soon be over. As part of measures to stem the crisis from further escalating, the governors, especially those in the camp of Plateau State governor Jonah Jang, have resolved to avoid any media altercation with Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi.
A governor in the pro-Jang camp confided in LEADERSHIP that they would meet with President Goodluck Jonathan within the week to table a template for the final resolution of the crisis. The governor however declined to give details of the nature of settlement they desire to have.
LEADERSHIP had last week reported exclusively that President Jonathan might recognize Amaechi as the NGF chairman.
“We intend to meet Mr President within the week to discuss means of settling the crisis among us, except that the uncontrollable media war has not permitted such,” he said. “In our thinking we have decided to as much as possible refrain from any media war with the other group because even when Amaechi does not speak those in his support will speak or respond and it is mostly coming from the APC governors. We intend to stop this because what we need is more than what they want; so we just have to resolve before it is too late.”
At the third pro-Jang NGF meeting last night were the governors of Bayelsa, Taraba (acting),Ebonyi, Plateau, Abia, Delta, Benue, Katsina, Akwa Ibom and Ondo.
The deputies of Kogi, Cross River, Anambra, Kaduna and Gombe stood in for their governors.
As the meeting progressed governors Emmanuel Uduaghan, Godswil Akpabio, Ibrahim Shehu Shema and Gabriel Suswan emerged to participate in a brief live television programme.
While Uduaghan expressed worry at the high rate crude oil theft and oil pipeline vandalism, Suswan and Shema spoke on the lingering ASSU strike and efforts by the governors to resolve it.
Akpabio expressed optimism that the NGF crisis would be resolved. “We believe that all the governors should once again be back as one fold so that we can continue to positively impact Nigerians,” Akpabio said.
The governors are billed to meet former President Olusegun Obasanjo today in Abuja as part of efforts to mitigate the crisis in NGF and the PDP.
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