The New Peoples Democratic Party
said on Monday that President Goodluck Jonathan did not tell the truth
when he claimed on Sunday evening that he never told anyone that he
would not contest in 2015. Read more
Rather, the faction of the ruling party insisted that the President promised in February 2011 not to contest after one term.
Jonathan had during a media chat said,
“There was no agreement with anybody that I will serve for only one
term. If I had signed any agreement with anybody, they would have shown
you the agreement.
“I did not say that I will not contest
in 2015. In Addis Ababa, that was when I advocated single term of seven
years. My argument was that to be more productive, maybe we should
consider single term of seven years.
“I said if Nigerians agree to that, I
may not be involved. I did not say I will contest or not. Those who said
I have signed an agreement, they should show the agreement.”
But the New PDP, insisted on Monday that Jonathan had in 2011 promised not to contest in 2015.
The National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP,
Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, in a telephone interview with our
correspondent, said, “In February, 2011, while interacting with
Nigerians and diplomats working in the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa and the African Union in Ankara, Turkey, the
President said that he would have loved that the Nigerians in Diaspora
voted during the election that year, but added that that would be very
difficult.
“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.”
Eze also said the President went ahead
to say that four years was enough for anyone in power to make
significant improvement and that if he couldn’t improve on power within
this period, it then means he would not do anything even if he was there
for another four years.
He said that at the appropriate time, members of the New PDP would expose the President, adding that with his statement on Sunday, it would be more difficult for Nigerians to believe him.
The New PDP spokesman added,
“Why would our President deny the statement he made in a broad-day
light, even in the presence of international media?
“Why, because of ambition, would our
President deny the words that came out of his mouth and statements he
made not under duress? Truly, the President is desperate and with this;
he has shown that he cannot be trusted.”
Eze said that at the appropriate time, Nigerians would get a copy of the communiqué of the PDP governors meeting, which he said was attended by 20 governors in December 2010.
The meeting, he added, was a prelude to
the meeting of the National Executive Committee meeting that approved
the guidelines for the 2011 elections, including the presidential
primaries.
He said that it was at the meeting
convened by the then National Chairman of the party, Dr. Okweliseze
Nwodo, that an agreement was reached that Jonathan would be in office
for just four years.
A copy of the agreement reached at the
meeting was said to be with one of the governors of the South-South
supporting the President.
Meanwhile, a former Vice-President,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the silence of the government over
the rumour that some members of the Peoples Democratic Party were
being picked and detained for no identifiable crime against the country
or anybody.
In a statement by his media office in
Abuja, Abubakar said the PDP crisis was an internal family
disagreement, which should not give anybody the right to arrest those
who express dissenting voice.
According to him, “criminalising
legitimate dissent over internal disagreements could lead Nigeria to a
police state and thereby, defeat all the basic features of the
democratic system.”
by Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
CULLED FROM PUNCH NEWSPAPER
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