ABUJA – The Presidency, Tuesday, said there was no truth
in the allegation by opposition parties that President
Goodluck Jonathan has perfected plans to postpone the
2015 general elections.
Debunking the allegation in Abuja Tuesday, Senior Special
Adviser to President Jonathan on public affairs, Dr. Doyin
Okupe, described it as “idiotic”, insisting that the current
administration has done so well to enable it win the
impending presidential election without recourse to any form
of deceit.
He berated opposition politicians over what he termed their
“do-or-die and win at all cost” tendencies, saying they have
been miffed by the fact that President Jonathan has
performed creditably well despite enormous challenges that
has bedevilled his administration.
Okupe who spoke at the 2014 Nigerian Pilot/Newsworld
Annual Public Lecture and Award, which held at Sheraton
Hotels in Abuja Tuesday, queried why Jonathan should plot
to postpone the election when he is sure of being re-elected
next year on the basis of his “substantial performance”.
He further carpeted the All Progressives Congress, APC, for
threatening to form a parallel government should it fail to
unseat President Jonathan after the 2015 general election,
saying “in very civil societies, people like that, whatever
political tendencies they represent should totally be wiped
off from peoples memories as bad
teachers”.
Okupe who maintained that he would never subscribe to the
idea of election rigging, regretted that the governorship
candidate of the APC in Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-
Rufai, earlier took to twitter to allege that President
Jonathan was using the prolonged insurgency in the North-
East to deceitfully extend his tenure beyond 2015.
Specifically, El-Rufai had alleged that Jonathan’s
administration was creating a war situation in the region to
enable him to invoke section 216 of the constitution that
allows the cancellation of elections in war zones.
More so, the APC, had in a statement it issued on September
21, warned those nursing plans to postpone the 2015
general elections to perish the thought, saying Nigerians will
not accept, under any guise whatsoever, any scheme by
desperate elected officials to get tenure elongation by
subterfuge.
The party, in the said statement which was signed by its
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
maintained that those who are flying the kite of pushing
forward the election ostensibly because the nation is at war
are trying to imperil the nation’s democracy.
According to the APC, “the statement credited to the Senate
President, David Mark, that “There is no question of
elections; it is not even on the table now. We are in a state
of war”, reflects the thinking in government circles, even
though the Senate President, having run into a wall of
opposition over his unfortunate statement, has tried to step
back from the comments”.
It said: “We in the APC saw this coming, and we have said it
at several fora: That the Jonathan Administration has
deliberately allowed the insurgency in the North-east, an
opposition stronghold, to fester so he can cash in on it to
get re-elected. Simply put, the Administration has been
playing dirty politics with Boko Haram, at the expense of the
lives and property of the citizenry and the well-being of the
nation.
“However, the Administration is being too clever by half to
think that Nigerians will reward it for its failure in its main
reason for existence, which is the protection of the welfare
and security of the citizens. There is just no way this
government will be allowed to profit from its ineptness and
its conspiracy to prolong an insurgency that should have
ended a long time ago.”
Nevertheless, reacting to the allegation yesterday, advised
the APC to go out and canvass for votes rather than
dissipate its energy fighting President Jonathan who he said
was not desperate to hold onto power at all cost.
He said: “I have followed politics for over 30 years; I have
never ever been impressed by the Nigerian political elites,
never. It’s a personal and self indictment but that is the
truth. The struggle for power blind folds them and it is not a
national struggle, it is a
personal struggle and we are ready to do anything and
everything. It is not just the style. I was in NRC; I was in
Geneva Convention, anytime we need to fight for a purpose,
it is always do or die me or nobody. And that is why we
have not made progress. I am part of and will not exclude
myself.
“I feel like-this are my thoughts-political parties should offer
alternative platforms for people to consider, I come-this is
what I will do for the country, this is my background, you
come you say your own then allow people to choose.
“When people choose that is the end of it. All politics should
end the day you cast you ballots. I contested virtually all the
elections, I have won very few, but I have never ever rigged
an election for myself or for anybody. I have never done it.
“The Nigerian political class must- well I don’t want to say
things that are rhetorical because it doesn’t make sense, but
I want to say must learn great lessons but it is too late.
Maybe the younger generation may have different
perspectives. We have not undergone the election itself and
people are saying that we will form a parallel government
for an election you have not lost.
“We will form parallel government! Parallel to what?
Supposing you win? When you have not undergone an
election and you assumed that you are going to lose, and
that if and when you lose you will form parallel government.
In very civil societies, people like that, whatever political
tendencies they represent should totally be wiped off from
peoples memories as bad teachers.
“Those are not people that will mean well for the country. If
you are a politician, canvass for votes, say all the good
things you know about yourself and your candidates and let
the people decide. I have also heard- it is not even a matter
of hearing it, yesterday on twitter, another politician said
that the president, Goodluck Jonathan, is fanning the war
(against Boko Haram), so that the election can be
postponed. That was quite idiotic.
“A man that is waiting to be crowned forgets that is the
Otunba that is speaking….this is Africa, this is Nigeria, this
is a president that has run and that has held the office for
four years, to the glory of God he has been able to make
some substantial performance, unarguably.
Every indication points out to the lengthy road of his
winning, so why will he want to stop the election that his
likely opponent has no record of winning anything?
“ It is unfortunate that they are on drugs …if Nigeria were to
be a private estate owned by some of us, with Goodluck
Jonathan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive of
that estate, will anybody change him for a Buhari?
“It is not likely, but because Nigeria doesn’t belong to
anybody and the elites are not stakeholders, that is why
people will want to use people just to get power, whether it
is for good or for bad they really don’t care.
“So when people do things like this, it make issues and
challenges that will come in 2015 very very frightful. As a
matter of fact, the greatest problem we will have in post
2015 will be the acceptance of defeat by losers.
“I want to tell you for sure, President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan is not desperate, even till this morning, I had
breakfast with him, and he is not desperate for power. If at
this stage you ask why then is he running? He is running on
the basis of principle.
“He is a good Christian and a responsible man. The Bible
says no man having put his hand on the plough and turneth
back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
“That is why we are running. We have done so well, we
have been encouraged by so many people. We have got the
best stars in the firmament. They tell you things, they say
that the president is clueless, that is a joke.
“Let’s just assume for a minute that the president is
clueless, is Okonjo Iweala clueless? Can you say the
Minister of trade and investment Olusegun Aganga is
clueless also? The Director of Budget of this country is a
Harvard graduate.
“These are jokers! My chairman Sir, I was not meant to
speak her sir and I do not intend to speak for long. I want to
thank the publisher and your team. I want to say here that
you are very supportive of the government but you are also
very critical of the government. Ladies and gentlemen I rest
my case”.
Meantime, the guest speaker at the event and former
Governor of Edo State, Professor Oserhiemen A. Osunbor, in
his lecture entitled ‘Nigeria After 2015: Issues and
Challenges’, noted that preparatory to the general elections,
the country’s political landscape is getting increasingly
charged with various political moves and schemings.
“Within the major political parties there is growing internal
dissension as one faction or groups strive to out-manoeuvre
the other to the consternation of observers, local and
foreign”.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, as party of its constitutional functions of voter
education, carry out massive public/civic enlightenment as
to the benefits of electronic voting which he said will help
reduce or eliminate election rigging and ensure faster
collation and release of election results.
Osunbor who is currently the Chairman of the Nigerian Law
Reform Commission, further noted that corruption is one of
the most debilitating problems confronting Nigeria today,
saying its damaging effects pervades virtually all facets of
our national life, causes distortions in the political system
and inhibits developments and progress.
“Another issue that may pose serious challenge to us as
nation is where courts or election petition tribunals, after
invalidating and nullifying a substantial number of votes
scored by a winner, declare the loser at the polls winner in
the court of law. I shudder to think, however, what would
happen if a court invalidates votes scored at a Presidential
election by a leading candidate (or party) who has already
been sworn into office and proceeds to declare as winner a
candidate (or party) who scored lesser votes at the polls.
“Elsewhere election results are supposed to be a reflection
of the will of the voters but often in Nigeria the voters are
completely disregarded and their will rendered irrelevant”,
Osunbor added.
Among those that received awards yesterday included
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Theodore Orji
of Abia State, Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen,
that of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina, among others.
Source: Vanguard
Dr. Okupe picture shown below
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