BY HENRY UMORU
ABUJA—AHEAD of 2015 Presidential election, former Federal Commissioner for Information and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday, reiterated that nobody in Nigeria can stop President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting.
 
The elder statesman who noted that Nigeria belongs to all and no tribe can boast of its superiority over others, stressed that it was not speculation that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will adopt President Jonathan as its sole candidate.
Speaking when he  received a delegation of second Republic House of Representatives members who paid him a visit at his Asokoro residence in Abuja, Chief Clark maintained that Nigerian citizens were equal and can aspire to the highest office in this country, adding that the person should remain in office in line with the Constitution of the country.
According to him, in civilised democracies where the minority and majority ethnic groups exist, it has never been the prerogative of the majority ethnic group to lord it over the minorities.
He said: “For instance, in Great Britain from whom we got our independence, there are the English, the Welsh and the Scottish. The English are the majority, followed by the Scottish and then the Welsh. Each of these ethnic groups has produced the Prime Minister of Great Britain based on the quality of the candidate. In fact, in recent times the Scottish has come to produce more Prime Ministers than the English who are the majority.”
Chief  Clark who noted that it was the constitutional right of President Jonathan to contest for re-election in 2015, said,  “The Constitution provided for two terms. In 1979, Shehu Shagari from the North was president until 1983 when he got his second term but Buhari for reasons best known to them, they thought that at the end of his second ruling he will hand over to Ekwueme or to Akinloye. They then staged a coup and drove him (Shagari) away and imprisoned all the politicians. Who took over? Another Northerner.
“ The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides for two tenures of four years each after two democratically conducted elections. Apart from the illegality of the purported agreement with the northern state governors, such a mindset violates the letter and spirit of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. There is no speculation that the PDP is planning to impose President Jonathan as the sole candidate of the party in the upcoming convention.
“The practice in democratic presidential system of government is that an incumbent president remains the sole candidate of a political party at the party’s convention, if he or she is willing to contest for a second term in office. This is the practice in the United States of America from where Nigeria copied her own model of the presidential system of government.
“When the American type of presidential system was adopted in Nigeria in 1978/1979, former President Shehu Shagari was the sole candidate of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, when he chose to run for a second tenure in the 1983 Presidential election. Or do you think there was dearth of qualified candidates in that era? Note that in the words of Dr. K. O. Mbadiwe, ‘the NPN had many men of timber and calibre who were ready to contest the presidential primaries if Alhaji Shehu Shagari had not indicated his intention to contest.’
“The list is endless. In 2003, it was only through the instigation of some governors led by Chief James Onanefe Ibori who were disappointed that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar stepped down for his boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that Dr. Alex Ekwueme was persuaded to contest the presidential primaries against the party’s decision. However, he was defeated by President Obasanjo who had the party’s blessings.
“To lend credence to the fact that a sitting president is entitled to a second term, the ambitious and unpatriotic governors and some Northern conservative politicians confirmed this constitutional provision by saying that it was the second term of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua that the North wanted to complete in 2011. In other words, late President Yar’Adua was entitled to eight years in office but Dr. Jonathan is entitled to only a single term contrary to the 1999 Constitution. Is that not double standard? What a shame!
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to support President Jonathan and his transformation agenda which he said was for the interest of the country.
Leader of the delegation, Umar Lawan said they came to celebrate with Clark on his 86 birthday and express the willingness of his members to support Jonathan’s re-election in 2015 giving his outstanding achievements in office.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/nobody-can-stop-jonathan-from-contesting-2015-election-clark/

He will leta come out to apologise very soon for using such words again.

This old man will be talking as if he has all nigerians in his armpit. Why won't you allow GEJ's performance to speak for him come 2015 rather than engaging yourself in these undemocratic utterances.

Zakkyoz: This old man will be talking as if he has all nigerians in his armpit. Why won't you allow GEJ's performance to speak for him come 2015 rather than engaging yourself in these undemocratic utterances.

How men like these ever got to power is one of the biggest mysteries ever.
This man has the carriage of a motor park tout

I thought this man just got married to a young beautiful lady?

The earlier Clark realised that Jonathan is not an Ijaw president, the better for him. There are certain words you don't just let out from your mouth.Abi na old age dey worry am?

bloggernaija:

How men like these ever got to power is one of the biggest mysteries ever.
This man has the carriage of a motor park tout

This is Nigeria where everything is upside down.

@Topic.

When will the clannish and ethnocentric fanbase of GEJ show basic decency that will allow them defer to democracy? If the majority do not want to give the PDP ticket to GEJ, why not find another platform for god sake? Why not accept reality?

Why do they want to die in the PDP? Why continue issuing threats as if democracy should be suspended so GEJ can return by all means? Some people are now getting desperate because thy have realised the 'mission impossible' they face after bragging emptily and carrying on as if they can go it alone.

Clarke and co will now see, in 3D, why astute analysts have always tagged the PDP a "Northern Party". This is one of the most pathetic thing to see in life. Adults who cannot reason like adult and prefer to act like toddlers who often shun reality to insist on getting their own way. This is not about anyone stopping GEJ. It is about GEJ and his clannish supporters realising 2015 is impossible if GEJ does not run under the PDP that has a majority of members hell-bent on denying him their Presidential ticket. They are now between the devil and the deep sea. I.e can't go elsewhere and can't get the ticket either. The real problem is that, try as they might, they cannot surmount that reality with threats and they cannot deceive anyone that GEJ is some sort of victim either.

Pls let's surpport goodluck oo, since this guy entered government there is FG presence in the south south ,south east and south west

malele: Pls let's surpport goodluck oo, since this guy entered government there is FG presence in the south south ,south east and south west

. Where do you see his impact in S/W? Nobody can hold anyone to ransom, if truly Mr Jonathan want to test his popularity and PDP is not willing to give him the ticket then he can form another party and stage his contest or better still let there be fairness in PDP and contest in the primary after all if we take your words for what you always said the populace will determine the outcome of election if there is free and fair election not like the wuruwuru to answer election in Offa LG of Kwara state last week

The ijaw master

Yes nothing can stop GEJ. Haters try rat poison