Goodluck Jonathan's Aspiration on Solid Ground

By Sully Abu

Yesterday at the annual lecture in honour of late Sobo Sowemimo (SAN) in Abeokuta, former Inspector-General of Police Muhammed Dikko Yusufu likened the plan by President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2011 presidential election, to an exercise in self-succession. Also in obvious reference to the issue of zoning within the Peoples Democratic Party, Yusufu stated that the President’s intention amounted to planning a coup.

The Goodluck/Sambo Campaign organization would normally not respond to such jaundiced interpretation of the zoning issue, especially one made by someone whose sectional interest in the presidential contest is well known. We are constrained, however, to respond to Yusuf’s emotive statement because of the wider implication of his reference to a coup plot.

It is important to state that the President is constitutionally entitled to seek his party’s nomination to contest the 2011 election. He is not barred in any way by the party’s constitution, and the National Executive of the party gave him a clean go ahead to contest if he so desired. Several people,in pursuit of their political interests, have tried to interpret the PDP understanding on zoning, in different ways. For Yusufu who does not belong to the party to liken the President’s intention to a coup plot is alarmist, to say the least.

We cannot also understand how President Jonathan’s ambition amounts to self-succession. Unless Yusufu pretends not to understand the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he should know that a sitting president is not barred from contesting an election unless he has exhausted his tenure or is status-barred. We wish to remind Yusufu that Jonathan only assumed the Presidency following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, and would be seeking his own mandate next year.

As a firm believer in democracy, his ambition is therefore neither at variance with the constitution, nor with his promise to oversee the conduct of a credible poll in 2011. He has in various ways demonstrated his preparedness not only to enthrone democratic ethics in our body politic, but to ensure that everybody including himself, is subject to them. '#

We urge our respected elder statesmen to desist from creating unnecessary tension in the country by sounding alarmist and engaging in scare-mongering. In the twilight of their political lives and careers, they must avoid seeking to muddy the waters or sowing discord for future generation who expect and deserve a better bequest.

Sully Abu

Director, Media and Publicity

Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation