BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, TONY EDIKE, ANAYO OKOLI, BEN AGANDE & CHINYERE ABIAZIEM
LAGOS—IT has been a week-long of bashing and tongue-lashing of President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposed elongated single term for the President and governors of the 36 states of the country beginning from 2015.

The strident kicks continued yesterday with the Conference of the Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) fearing that President Jonathan might be a dictator in the making and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), saying that the move was ill-timed and could distract government from focusing on critical issues plaguing the country.

This is coming as eminent Nigerians drawn from all walks of life and the six geo-political zones of the country converge on Lagos tomorrow to review the proposal and other burning issues in the polity, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh,has also weighed in, opposing the idea on the ground that it would make it difficult to hold the elected officers accountable.

Despite the opposition Senator Nimi Bariagha Amange (PDP, Bayelsa), who represents Jonathan’s senatorial district in the Senate added a twist to the unfolding drama. He said that President Jonathan would seek re-election for a second term of four years if his proposed single term did not sail through.

CNPP launches anti-tenure elongation campaign

Addressing a press conference in Enugu, National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, Mr. Osita Okechukwu said that after a careful assessment of the body language, mannerisms and antecedents of President Jonathan, the organization had come to the inevitable conclusion that he was an emerging dictator in the mould of African big men like Paul Biya of Cameroun and Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal.

Consequently, he said, the CNPP had launched an anti-tenure elongation campaign to stop Jonathan from extending his tenure and urged the citizenry to buy into the campaign tagged: “Stop Jonathan Campaign.”

Okechukwu who alleged that Jonathan had never kept any of his promises to Nigerians, said that a cursory assessment showed that big men in their route to power look humble, honest and un-ambitious, until they get to the zenith of power.

He told newsmen that the big men also exploit the poverty among the citizenry, dichotomy of religion and ethnicity in their country, cultivate rubber stamp legislature and encourage schisms among the opposition, as currently promoted by President Jonathan.

Citing the manner the President in his 2011 ascendancy agenda allegedly breached the PDP zoning arrangement, which he was a signatory to as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Okechukwu further pointed out that the big men have a notorious record of entering into alliances and agreements, which they breach at will.

The CNPP spokesman wondered why a President faced with a plethora of matters of urgent national concern, including the request of the Nigerian Governors Forum for Fiscal Federalism and, in fact, devolution of powers from the centre to the units, should make tenure elongation his first executive bill, warning Nigerians not to trust him, based on his tepid defence that the bill was not about tenure elongation.

He said: “We are witnesses of how President Jonathan came to power innocently, harmlessly and unexpectedly and how his party and the ex-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at variance with the provisions of the Constitution broadened the poverty in the land, widened the gap between the rich and poor and how religion and ethnicity were exploited to enthrone Jonathan.

Jonathan violated zoning

“We are also witnesses how as Deputy Governor, President Jonathan endorsed the zoning convention of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party; only to violate the same agreement barely a decade later. We cannot forget as well, how President Jonathan as an acting president promised the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and indeed Nigerians that he will fully implement the Uwais Electoral Committee Report; if he is confirmed as President. A promise fulfilled in the breach.

“It is glad to note that the Uwais Report rejected single tenure elongation and it is theatre of absurd for a president that rejected the core recommendations of the report to choose an item the Uwais Committee rejected.”

Okechukwu recalled how the President promised Nigerians to fight the war against corruption, only to authorize his Attorney General to launch a gazette aimed at not only emasculating the anti-graft agencies, totally protecting and shielding ex-presidents, ex-governors and ex-ministers, but in addition, providing comfort zone for looters.

APGA moves against proposal

To APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, President Jonathan might have good intentions in his proposal but it might be abused by politicians who would feel that they owe the electorate no obligations.

Umeh who spoke to journalists weekend, in Umuahia, said that the obstacle would be the ability of elected officers to be accountable to the electorate.

His worry was that elected officers may feel that as they will not be coming for reelection, they may decide not to work for the development of the people that elected them and the state where they are in charge.

“The President may have good intention for proposing this Bill but a critical analysis of the implications of passing this Bill into Law is that people will now be elected for six year single tenure. So it is very dangerous that from the blast of the whistle, they will decide to abandon the electorate that elected them and there is nothing that you can do to them. With Section 308 Immunity Clause of our constitution; it means that it will be very difficult to remove them when they are going wrong.

“Six years will be a long time to allow a governor or a president who from the blast of the whistle decides to short-change the people. So for me, the four year tenure that will be renewable is still better. So we are going to mount a campaign to agitate for the dropping of this Bill; it is not going to do our democracy any good; we believe that when public office holders know that they are going back to the electorate to renew their mandate, they will be responsible.” Umeh said.

Jonathan ‘ll seek re-election if… – Amange

In an exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja, Senator Amange said since all the zones were poised to spend two terms of four years, it would be a great injustice to the South-South Zone if Dr Goodluck Jonathan spends only one term and leaves in 2015.

The President has repeatedly said that he would not be a beneficiary of the proposed single term as he would leave at the end of his tenure in 2015.

Amange said: “If the constitutional amendment can be done, then no problems because by the time he (President Goodluck Jonathan) finishes, he must have served for five years and he can find his way out.

But if that is not done, it would be improper for him to stay for four years and then go and allow another zone to come and spend eight years. The only thing that we can agree for him to spend four years is if the constitution is amended so that the next president can stay for six years.

We in the South-South are ready to sacrifice the one year. But outside that, we cannot accept to stay for only four years when the South-West had already taken eight years and another group will come and take eight years”.

Senator Amange defended the president’s decision to seek the amendment now, saying that it would cut short any insinuation of seeking to perpetuate himself in office.

Braithwaite, Agbakoba, Kalu, Adegbite, Sagay, Ozekhome, others storm Lagos

Disturbed by the dangerous trend national security and President Jonathan’s proposal for a single and longer tenure for the president and governors were taking, some eminent Nigerians will storm Lagos tomorrow.

Drawn from all walks of life, the personalities will meet at the Lagos Island residence of Second Republic politician, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite under the auspices of a new platform tagged Project Nigeria-National Consensus Group.

Expected at the parley, are former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), who hosted the inaugural parley; former Minister of Finance, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu; Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, Dr Lateef Adegbite; human rights lawyer Dr Tunji Abayomi; former President of West African Bar Association, Femi Falana; erudite political scientist and Chair of NCC research team, Dr Jibrin Ibrahim; President of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Peter Esele; rights activist, Mallam Shehu Sani; Leader of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Alhaji Shetimah Yerima; OPC Founder, Dr Fedrick Fasehun; and the scion of Gani Fawehinmi legacy, Mr. Mohammed Fawehinmi

Others include National Action Council Leader, Dr Olapade Agoro; Niger Delta political activist, Ms Anne Kio-Briggs; legal icon, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), foremost constitutional lawyer, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN); rights activist, Alhaji Mujaheed Asari Dokubo; former member of the House of Representatives, Uche Onyeagocha; a frontline political activist from the Middle Belt, Senator Sulaimon Salawu; CNPP Spokesperson, Mr Osita Okechukwu; National President of Persons Living With Disability in Nigeria, Barr. Danlami Bashar; Security and civil society expert, Mr Innocent Chukwuma; and Secretary of the Middle Belt Progressive Movement, Chief Sam Onimisi.

According to a statement yesterday by Mr Olubori Obafemi (Media Assistant, Citizens’ Advocacy Group, CAG), the leaders would review President Jonathan’s proposal for a single term for President and Governors as well as the sustained fireworks, hostilities and the heightening tension in the country among others.

Timing of proposal faulty—TUC

On its part, the TUC, faulted the timing of the proposal the Rivers State Chairman of TUC, Comrade Chika Onuegbu, in a statement said the timing would divert the attention of government at different levels from very important issues affecting the country.

“TUC, Rivers State expresses our displeasure at the timing of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposal on single six year tenure. While we are still studying details of the proposal of the President on the six_year single tenure, we are however worried that the proposal will divert the attention of Federal and State Governments from very serious issues besetting our country such as corruption, poverty, insecurity and unemployment.”