The Presidency on Friday said the
clause in the proposed constitution
amendment, which seeks to exclude
President Goodluck Jonathan and
some governors from participating in
the 2015 elections, would fail.
Special Adviser to the President on
Political Matters, Dr. Ahmed Gulak,
said this in an exclusive interview
with one of our correspondents in
Abuja.
Gulak said it would be unfair for the
National Assembly to make an
amendment that would short-change
those elected under a constitution
that allows them to contest two
terms of four years each.
He said, “It is not a fair amendment
to target a particular group of
people. That proposal will not scale
through because Nigerians are wiser.
“You can’t short-change some
people in the name of amending the
constitution. I am sure there will be
some considerations and the
proposal will fail.
“The President and some governors
were elected under a constitution
that allows them to contest two
terms of four years each. You can’t
change the rule midway.”
Similarly, the Arewa Consultative
Forum opposed the six year-single
tenure for the president and
governors as proposed by the Senate
Committee on the Review of the
Constitution.
The apex northern socio-political
body cautioned members of the
National Assembly against adopting
it.
It argued that adopting such a
provision would be
counterproductive because it was
capable of impeding good
governance in the country.
National Publicity Secretary of the
ACF, Mr. Anthony Sani, told SUNDAY
PUNCH, in Kaduna, that apart from
good governance, the proposal
lacked the basic elements of
motivation and incentives needed in
the management of human affairs.
He said, “ACF’s position on single
tenure for president and governors
is that it is counter productive,
because it has no incentives to
motivate for excellence.
“This is because the good, the not-
so-good and the feckless are
grouped together without any
exception.
“All management of human affairs
which has no way of rewarding
excellent performance cannot
reasonably be expected to be
effective.
“In multiple tenure, reelection is
often a form of reward for good
performance. And if the president
and governors know that they are all
entitled to only six years whether
they perform or not, they will
concentrate on the pillage of public
treasury, which is
counterproductive.”
Opposition political parties shared
similar views.
In separate interviews, the Action
Congress of Nigeria and the
Congress for Progressive Change,
said two terms of four years each as
was currently being practised, was
better.
National Publicity Secretary of the
ACN, Lai Mohammed, said, “The
position of our party has been
consistent, two terms of four years
each.
“There is nothing wrong with the
system. What does the preclusion of
Jonathan and governors from
participating from the 2015 elections
got to do with anything?
“Six years is a long time in politics.
The beauty of democracy is not only
in the ability of the people to
participate in voting in a people to
govern them but also in their power
to vote out non-performing
governments.
“What prevents somebody who
comes in on the six-year single term
bait from seeking to make it three
terms of six years each? What stops
another National Assembly coming in
to change the constitution again?
“Without prejudice to what they are
proposing, we are of the view that
the clause dealing with the issue of
tenure is fine as it is.”
Speaking in a similar vein, his
counterpart in the CPC, Mr. Rotimi
Fahakin, said, “You know the
President who started this tenure
thing probably thought he would
benefit from it. He has been told
bluntly by the Senate, that this is
not going to be.
“For us, I wouldn’t really know the
problem this amendment to the
constitution hopes to solve in our
political system.
“What we have always known is that
the people should always be the
fulcrum of any political decision we
want to take.
“The current two terms of four years
each if properly used like it is done
in advanced democracies like the
United States, is good enough for
our own environment; in that it
keeps the people as the focus of the
democratic value of our political
system.”
Also speaking on the issue, the
Convener of the Coalition of
Northern Politicians, Academics,
Professionals and Businessmen, Dr.
Junaid Mohammed, said there was
“absolutely nothing wrong with the
constitutional provision of two terms
of four years each as is currently the
case.”
He accused the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party of nursing a
sinister agenda by trying to push
through a single six-year term.
He said, “If the PDP has its way, it
will not allow elections for any
serious position. Democrats, true
democrats should cherish and
welcome elections because PDP is
not democratic; you see the party
finding a way to trigger a national
crisis to avoid elections.”
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council
has said President Jonathan must
contest the 2015 election
irrespective of the recommendations
of the committee.
The IYC insisted that the President’s
aspiration for a second term in office
must not be scuttled by the Senate.
“We are saying that Jonathan must
run in 2015 because he is a saleable
candidate for us. The National
Assembly should not do anything
that will affect the second term
ambition of President Jonathan and
others who wish to contest in 2015.
“Though we cannot compel Nigerians
to vote for him (Jonathan), we are
appealing to Nigerians to vote for
him in the next dispensation. He
must contest no matter the
recommendations from that
committee.”
In a related development, Second
Republic presidential candidate, Dr.
Tunji Braithwaite, has called on the
National Assembly to stop the
ongoing constitution amendment. He
said it would not address the
current “imbalance, inequality,
injustice and many other problems
in the country.”
In a statement in Lagos on Saturday,
the lawyer said the Federal
Government should rather call a
sovereign national conference to
fashion out a new constitution that
would meet the yearnings of the
people.
The Senate Committee on Review of
the Constitution, had recommended
a non-renewable single six-year
tenure for the office of President,
Vice-President, governors and their
deputies.
The committee’s recommendation
also disqualifies President Jonathan
and incumbent governors from
benefiting from the new
arrangement if the recommendation
becomes law.
While shedding light on the
recommendation, the Chairman of
the committee, Senator Ike
Ekweremadu, had on Thursday in
Abuja said if the recommendation on
single tenure succeeded, the
President and some governors would
sacrifice their ambitions in 2015.
“We don’t want Nigerians to say that
we have colluded with the executive
to give tenure elongation to the
President and certain governors.
That means somebody instead of
staying for eight years; he will now
be staying for 10 years.
“I think it will be easier for someone
to deal with the issue of making a
sacrifice than for someone to have
the period for 10 years; I am not
sure what our colleagues will say. If
they say that those who are there
now should benefit, that is fine.
Those who are currently serving
should be able to excuse themselves
and say we make this sacrifice on
behalf of the system,” he said.http://www.osundefender.org/?p=103813