As uncertainty trails Buhari’s decisive step on Jonathan amidst Dasuki’s bombshells and other revelations, there is the belief in some quarters that the president is being hamstrung by some “hidden” portions of the Abuja Peace Accord initiated by the National Peace Committee and signed by all political parties on March 26, 2015.
The committee is led by a former military Head of State, Abdusalami Abubakar and the major signatories to the pact were Buhari and Jonathan.
The major crux of the pact, made public two days to the presidential elections, was that the parties must shun violence and candidates accept the outcome of the polls. But Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that invariably, the telephone call by former President Jonathan congratulating Buhari for winning the elections was “Part 1” of the Accord “hidden” agreement. The “Part 2” it was learnt, was that there should not be any probe of the past regime, especially should Buhari win.
This is where some observers say the President is facing a “crisis” after the uncovering of huge looted funds. However, there are others who believe the president’s body language and words in recent times doesn’t guarantee Jonathan an exit from prosecution once there is an incontrovertible ground for it.
The latter school pointed to the president’s resolve, when the National Peace Committee visited him on August 11, 2015, to prosecute all involved in looting the national resources.
Adesina quoted the president as saying his government was “irrevocably” determined to break the vicious cycle of corruption, unemployment and insecurity in Nigeria. The spokesman also quoted his boss as saying that apart from working to return stolen funds in foreign banks, he would also put the culprits on trial in Nigeria.
Buhari had noted that, “Those who have stolen the national wealth will be in court in a matter of weeks and Nigerians will know those who have short-changed them.”
Although a close aide to Jonathan maintained that the former president was unperturbed about the disclosures of wild looting under him and Dasuki’s allegation that he gave approvals, Jonathan may not actually be comfortable with the developments. The aide disclosed that Jonathan views the disclosures of looting as affecting individual members of his administration rather than him or his administration generally.
But five days before the Peace Committee visited, Jonathan had paid a “secret visit” to the president at his official residence in Aso Rock Villa. What they discussed wasn’t made public, but our correspondent gathered it was not unconnected with the findings of the committee.
What, perhaps, exposed the discomfort of some elements close to the former president were the words of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, who, when the Peace Committee visited Buhari, subtly appealed to Jonathan’s concession of defeat to Buhari as something the president should note.
The cleric, a member of the Peace Committee, said, “The former president’s commitment and what he did still remains spectacular, and I think that President Buhari himself appreciates that. So, our effort really is to make sure that the right thing is done.”
Kukah, who dismissed reports that Jonathan sought the committee’s intervention on the ongoing probe of his government, added, “What we are concerned about is process. It is no longer a military regime, and under our existing laws, everybody is innocent until proven guilty. Again, our own commitment is not to intimidate or fight anybody.”
A member of the National Peace Committee that the Daily Trust on Sunday spoke with believed that prosecuting Jonathan “will be difficult despite the fact his signature was on many of the controversial deals.”
The member, who didn’t want to be named, said Buhari’s reluctance in inviting Jonathan to answer for his role in the arms deal, among others, may not necessarily be informed by any deal struck by the two leaders.
“I am not aware of any deal to let Jonathan off the hook facilitated by the peace committee,” he said.
He explained that so many other factors would be responsible for Buhari’s dilemma over Jonathan.
He said it was clear that before the polls, the then ruling party “had no plan to hand over power.”
“The truth is that pressure from the United States and Western world was the major factor that forced the PDP to handover even after elections,” he said.
The wind of change blowing across the country and the deadly consequences of any attempt to rig the polls, forced the west and US to ensure that Jonathan handover peacefully, he said.
The source said the United States which is the biggest financier of the United Nations Peace Keeping Operations vowed not to send its troops to African soil after its tragic involvement in Somalia.
“So, naturally, Nigeria assumed the leading role of providing troops to UN peace keeping operations. By this, the West decided that anything that will destabilize Nigeria must be averted and Jonathan had to handover,” he said.
He added that Jonathan’s personal decision to hand over to the opposition party would play significantly in his favour in current developments.
The member argued, “He could have adopted the Laurent Gbago way by sticking to power, which may likely lead to crisis and bloodshed as it happened in Ivory Coast. But he did otherwise. That singular act endeared him to the West despite the alleged cases of corruption against him.
“His peaceful handover, notwithstanding who prompted him, overshadowed his lapses. He is now a statesman.”
He said Jonathan now has the sympathy of the West, so, therefore, “docking him over this corruption case is likely to have a backlash,” he said.
He opined that apart from the ethnic sentiments probing Jonathan may elicit, Nigerian courts lack the capacity to prosecute governors for graft diligently, not to talk of a former president.
“No single former governor has been diligently convicted for corruption so far. James Ibori was convicted in far away London,” he said.
Pointing out that the opposition PDP was already alleging that the anti-graft war is selective, thereby stoking ethnic embers that may destabilize the polity, the Peace Committee member said Buhari will have to consider all the options vis-a-vis the political stability of the country before going after Jonathan.
He explained that it is not by accident that the concept of “nolle prosequi” was inserted into the Constitution.
“By this concept, the government has the power ‘to be unwilling to pursue’ and to stop any prosecution if it feels it may jeopardize national interest and stability,” the source said.
These, among other factors, he stressed are responsible for Buhari’s dilemma over Jonathan, he said.
Dr Suleiman Ndanusa, Minister of Planning in the Jonathan administration, told this publication it was too early to comment on the Jonathan issue.
All those arguments of the Peace Committee member against the arrest and arraignment of Jonathan, as well as that of his Minister of Finance and coordinating minister for the economy, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, however, cut no ice with the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, especially after it became public knowledge that Okonjo-Iweala allegedly approved the transfer of, at least, N61.4bn ($300m and £5.5m) from funds recovered from late dictator, Sani Abacha, to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, a few weeks to the 2015 presidential election.
The funds were said not to have been appropriated before they were transferred, which violated Nigeria’s fiscal responsibility law.
Oshiomhole has always insisted that the former Finance minister be arrested for mismanaging the nation’s finance, a call Okonjo-Iweala described as “reckless”.
In the light of ongoing disclosures of how the Abacha loot was spent, Oshiomhole has renewed his call for the prosecution of Jonathan and his former coordinator of his economic programs.
The governor maintained that neither the president nor the minister had power to unilaterally transfer funds that were not appropriated by the National Assembly.
He said the two persons should be charged alongside Dasuki, Dokpesi and Bafawara for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for arms procurement.
“The issue is whether the Nigerian President under the Constitution has the power to approve funds belonging to local, state and federal government - funds that have not been appropriated by the National Assembly. That is a criminal offen c e for which Okonjo-Iweala ought to face criminal prosecution,” he told the press.
“ By Dasuki’s letter, he has also confirmed that Okonjo-Iweala was privy to spending money never appropriated and therefore criminal, and that cash were being moved contrary to the Money Laundering Act. Just using Dasuki’s own defence, you can see a case of conspiracy has been established between Dasuki, Okonjo-Iweala and all those involved in that transaction. ”
But Okonjo-Iweala retorted that she had nothing to do with the $2.1bn arms procurement . “It is unconscionable for the governor to embark on a campaign of lies against her because she thwarted his dubious loan request,” a statement from her aide said.
The president is not revealing his hand now on whose names are in his black book of treasury looting. At the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation Lecture titled “Incorruptibility: A Spiritual Premise for Material Well-being,” Buhari pleaded that in order not to scuttle the possibility of bigger recoveries, he will not, for now, disclose the names of past government officials voluntarily returning looted funds.
“Yes, in due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make information available to the public on the surrendered funds, but I must remark that it is yet early days, and any disclosure now may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries,” Buhari said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislature Advocacy Centre, Abuja, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, has kicked against any arrangement that would prevent any person indicted of corruption from being prosecuted. “If Jonathan and his associates are found wanting, they should be prosecuted. The fact that he handed over power does not stop him from being prosecuted. The money should be recovered,” he said.
However, the Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s hands are not tied over the possibility of probing his predecessor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, told our correspondent on telephone last night that Buhari did not reach any agreement with the National Peace Committee for the 2015 General Elections that Jonathan would not be probed.
Adesina explained that the National Peace Committee, headed by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), only advised that all probes should be done in accordance with the rule of law.
“There was no agreement with the National Peace Committee that anybody would not be probed. What the National Peace Committee said was that probe should be done in accordance with the rule of law”, he said.
Asked whether former President Jonathan would be probed, the presidential spokesman simply said: “When we come to any bridge, it will be crossed”.

Source:/www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/buhari-in-dilemma-over-jonathan/125187.html#VQgObLv8Yhg627cD.99

Conspiracy theorems

ok.

Ok

Bottom line is , Jona may be free , doesn't DSS can not arrest him if Buhari gives the order

HtwoOw:
Bottom line is , Jona may be free , doesn't DSS can not arrest him if Buhari gives the order

This is Spanish

I dare Mumu-ha-mad Boko-hari to arrest my beloved GEJ

TheEclectic:
I dare Mumu-ha-mad Boko-hari to arrest my beloved GEJ

Lol. Highest na thread u go open wey we go use sew hanky make you use clean water commot from ya eye.

“His peaceful handover, notwithstanding who prompted him, overshadowed his lapses. He is now a statesman.”

This is why we call Jonathan a hero...

Mumuhadu bullhari start working

If Buhari signed the deal and illegal activities were brought to light don't the people have the right to justice or should we just lynch him to save our self from future leaders.

Is the deal no probe no prosecution or, probe no prosecution?

China is great today because they worked towards a goal and their leaders benefit when the goal is met. Their leaders are rich from this incentive but those who enrich themselves to the detriment of the chinese people find justice to be swift harsh and absolute to point of execution.

If we as a people want to excel like the chinese just follow the blueprint otherwise we get what we create

Read on some chinese that have fallen, men way bigger than Jonathan because of their indiscretion at the expense of the people/country

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33095453

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Xilai

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/world/asia/wife-of-disgraced-chinese-leader-charged-with-murder.html?_r=0

The game of giving buhari power via Jonathan is still puzzling buharis mind.

1) This is a conspiracy theory

2) If Jonah had signed this treaty or peace accord before the election then we should know the election was rigged, for pete's sake how can you sign a no probe treaty if there was equal playing field ( he didn't probe GMB when he was presido for 6 yrs) so why sign such if he were sure of retaining power or @least had the hope of retaining it?

In conclusion, this is a conspiracy fallacy

Who caused Buhari to be confused?

Obviously Buhari!