David Mark, former senate president, says former President Goodluck Jonathan made the national assembly delay passing the anti-gay bill because of concerns former US President Barack Obama raised at the time he was seeking re-election.

Mark made this claim in ‘Against the Run of Play’, a book which chronicles how Jonathan lost the 2015 presidential election, written by Olusegun Adeniyi, a journalist and bestselling author.

The former president’s relationship with the Obama administration was at first “rosy” before it became frosty.

In the book, Jonathan blamed Obama for his electoral defeat, saying in 2014 it became clear that the former US president wanted a change of government in Nigeria. This was after he had signed into law a bill prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Mark told Adeniyi that Jonathan caused a delay in the passage of the bill because of Obama.

“President Jonathan called me that President Obama had sent to him a message of concerns about the bill. That was in 2012 at a time Obama was seeking a second term in office,” he said.

“President Jonathan asked what could be done and I told him that not only was I committed to the passage of the bill that was also the position of the national assembly.

“I said the only thing I could do was delay its passage till after the American presidential election. But I assured him that the same-sex marriage was not something we would legalise in Nigeria.

“We delayed it for a few months after that, but we eventually passed the bill into law and President Jonathan had to assent.”

The national assembly under Mark passed the same-sex marriage prohibition bill in May 2013. And Jonathan signed it into law on 13 January, 2014.

The law prescribes 14 years imprisonment for those convicted of homosexuality.

GavelSlam:
See him smiling sheepishly.

DLuciano:
Obama the evil genius, thank God Trump crushed his evil plans

AmuEwu:


So Trump is the saviour now

danot1030:
Another fact revealing that the hero was both weak and wack.

gberra:
Meanwhile Buhari told Obama face to face that there was no room for gay rights in Nigeria. Such a boldness Gej lacked, I reckon Gej's balls are also weak & mama piss could bear him witness. Extremely weak & clueless.

Igbos are fools

Mophasa:
That was a bold step by GEJ

Obama the devil's incarnate

gberra:
Meanwhile Buhari told Obama face to face that there was no room for gay rights in Nigeria. Such a boldness Gej lacked, I reckon Gej's balls are also weak & mama piss could bear him witness. Extremely weak & clueless.

Igbos are fools

bounty007:


buhari fit look Obama for eye tell am such..

if dem call you afonjaic zombies una go dey provoke..

but una reason eh..

gberra:
At the White House in 2015,PMB looked into his eye balls. You were at onitsha bridge carrying placard with Ipob louts, so I don't expect you know.

Truth hurts IPob peasants

Mynd41:

You just described a whole tribe/organization with millions of members as fools. If I say that your ewedu eating, oil drinking, skull racketeering family are fools now, the senseless bigots that are nairaland mods will come immediately.

scribble:


Will buhari address the nation on democracy day or will he send a mere commissioner

gberra:
You need not worry about the Mods, they have been hiding my comments, no thanks to the corpse-water drinkers & Osu skulls that do cry to the Mods.

Igbos always cry

gberra:
Meanwhile Buhari told Obama face to face that there was no room for gay rights in Nigeria. Such a boldness Gej lacked, I reckon Gej's balls are also weak & mama piss could bear him witness. Extremely weak & clueless.

Igbos are fools

MichaelSokoto:
FP bound my broda

IB is clueless as usual, if u dont like my rhetorics biko lekwa lagoon ebahu

danot1030:
Another fact revealing that the hero was both weak and wack.

bounty007:
thank God for bubu's sickness.. and say democrats lost..

the mofo bubu for don sell naija off..

God loves naija.. Aswear..

bubu for finish us with this gay bill..him and his APC mofos..

guess say na why he dey chop this punishment...

obama na real devil..

AFONJAS are real Zombies.. and dey no even mind.. see as dem support clinton then..

knowing fully the consequences.. of such..

yet na dem go shout sophistication.. those guys are real zoms..
as seen by the guy above..

like say dia brain dey always always pain dem..