Aso Rock Replies APC On Goodluck's Legibility For 2015

The Presidency has reacted to the claims by the interim national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, that President Goodluck Jonathan has been automatically barred from contesting the 2015 election if the provisions of the constitution were to be adhered to.

The APC boss had been widely quoted in the media at the weekend as saying that Jonathan could not contest in 2015, because it would amount to a third term.

But citing the provision of Section 137 (1) of the constitution, the presidency, on Sunday, said President Goodluck Jonathan is qualified to contest the 2015 

In a reaction to the claim, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, in a statement issued in Abuja, on Sunday, posited that the president was eligible to contest by virtue of the section of the constitution, which states that “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.”

According to the statement, “Jonathan has been elected into office only on one occasion and is, therefore, not statute-barred from running.”

It said though the president had not indicated whether or not he was interested in a second term, Akande, who it said had taken stock of his party and seen that it had no electable presidential material, was already trying “to be clever by half, by claiming the president is statute-barred from contesting in 2015.”

The presidency said if this was the winning strategy of APC, Akande had every reason to panic, because the issue of eligibility for election into the office of the president had been settled by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

The presidency noted with dismay what it said was the continuation of efforts by leaders of the opposition to promote themselves and their party through “the irresponsible denigration of President Jonathan and the exalted office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

According to the statement, “the interim national chairman of APC, Chief Akande, sank to a new low in this regard yesterday (Saturday) when he rudely and falsely described President Jonathan as a kindergarten leader who treats national issues with levity.

“Chief Akande has every right to embark on a flight of fancy about APC beating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general election, 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.  

“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 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.

“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, 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.

“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 six per cent since he took office.”

The statement further posited that it was clear that APC was seeking to bait the presidency to respond to it so that it could, among other things, divert the attention of the public from the festering feud between Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu over their overriding ambition, which, it said, was threatening to tear the new party.

“To the discerning, it is only a matter of time before ambition sinks APC boat. It is only 2013 and already the big masquerades in the party are using undemocratic words and other military terms in discussing their presidential ticket,” it added.

The statement advised APC leader to treat 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.”