Single term not my idea -Jonathan •Says it was proposed by political parties •Tutors opposition on proposed bill •ACN lawmakers, others will…

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has given insight into the genesis of the single tenure proposal, saying that it was the idea of a committee of all political parties that formed government, which he chaired in the last dispensation.

He spoke at the 56th National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, on Thursday, where he explained that the current controversy about the proposal started, because a few people whom he spoke with on the subject apparently leaked it to the press.

President Jonathan stated that his office issued a clarification on the issue on Tuesday, because of the misconception engendered by the leakage, pointing out, however, that the attempt to clarify it appeared to have compounded the issue.

The president said he was yet to begin consultations on the single term proposal, as he observed that he would not send the proposed bill to the National Assembly without first engaging in wide consultations.

But he maintained that the tenure he shares with Vice-President Namadi Sambo would end on May 29, 2015 as specified by the constitution.

Addressing the PDP NEC members, he said: “There is a brief comment I want to make on this so-called single tenure. I wouldn’t have loved to but probably, it is becoming so topical in the papers.
“Most of the papers carried it today (Thursday) and when these things happen, they take it to a different direction.

“Since we are meeting here as the NEC of the party, it is probably proper to clarify some of these issues so that they will not be misunderstood.

“It is me that asked some few people whether a single tenure will be a better option than a double tenure.

“Before I take any decision, I used to ask people. But, that is not the end of consultation. It is a major chain. So, before I can even send such a bill to the National Assembly, I will consult with the governors, because any constitutional amendment involves the states and if they are not on the same page with you, there is no way such an amendment can easily sail through.

“So, I have not even discussed with the governors. I have not, though as individuals, probably I have mentioned it to one or two, probably along the discussion crossing that area, even the leadership of the party and the National Assembly.

“I might have mentioned to one or two persons, but not the formal group consultation. I have not done that level of consultation.

“But, why should the story come up? Of course, I asked one or two people about this and I felt that it was a good idea. So, the issue leaked to the press and instead of talking about whether the issue is a single tenure or we should continue with the double tenure, people are rather pinning it to extension, elongation of tenure,” he stated.

President Jonathan said the initial clarification had to be made because some people had started to meet over the perceived attempt by him to elongate his tenure, remarking that; “And people were holding meetings. When we got to know that people were holding meetings, we said no, no, no, clarify this. Nobody should hold a meeting about elongation of tenure, it has nothing to do with elongation of tenure.

“The tenure of Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo will end on 29th May, 2015. That is the constitution. So, it has nothing to do with that. But, the clarification that came out, rather compounded the whole story,” he said.

Jonathan went down memory lane on the origins of the single tenure argument, saying: “And how did it even come about?

“Some of you will remember that in 2008/2009, when we came on board and at the end of the election, the feeling that the election was poorly done was so dramatised both within and outside the country. People felt that elections were not properly conducted.

“I feel personally insulted whenever I travel abroad to hold meetings and people come to make issues as if it was a stolen mandate. I used to tell people around me that no Nigerian president or vice-president will get out and get insulted.

“So, if I have the opportunity to oversee elections, elections must be credible so that people will accept us anywhere.

“Because of those challenges, the late President (Yar’Adua) set up the Justice Uwais Committee to look into the [issues of] Electoral Reform and so on. He also asked all the parties to come together and form a team so that all the parties could submit a common position.

“And he asked me then, as vice-president, to chair the inter-party committee to come up with a common memorandum to the Justice Uwais Committee.

“I chaired that. We invited all the parties that formed government and they participated. Only ACN did not participate, to be fair to them. Other parties attended and we spent almost three weeks or a month. The report is there.

“One of the issues raised, discussed and accepted was that a single tenure option may reduce some of these acrimonies,” Jonathan explained.

He added: “One is not saying that it is the ultimate, but, if you look at the evolution of the political system, the two tenure is the ultimate, because even countries which have single tenure, after some time, go for the double tenure. So, it is like evolutionary process.

“But, the feeling is that because of a lot of agitations, and so on, probably, in years, we can go to that. Probably to make it more effective, we go to consultations and so on,” he said.

The president emphasised that the single tenure issue was, therefore not new, saying, “it was not just an idea that was conceptualised by the president after winning election. No! It has been there. It was a memo submitted by all the parties. The memo submitted by all the parties contained that.

“Indeed, when I started asking some people some questions, and so, the information leaked to the press and they started to make issues out of it,” Jonathan further said.

He assured the party that no such bill would be sent to the National Assembly without necessary consultations, as he advising party members not to join battles with critics but instead continue to explain to them.

He added: “But I assure the party that a major constitutional amendment cannot go to the National Assembly except Mr President consults with the leaders of the party and consults with the National Assembly and consults with the governors.”

He also assured Nigerians that “this has nothing to do with the four-year presidency that Nigerians have given to us.

“We just wanted to clarify it and I think we need to mention that it was not my idea; it was the idea of the committee that I chaired which, we believe, the majority members of the committee believe, is the best option.

“But for the bill to go for constitutional amendment, consultations have to be done widely.

“Though some of the statements are quite insulting, because of the type of politics we play, I tell PDP members not to join issue with people but just clarify so that people will understand,” he implored.

Meanwhile, the PDP NEC has endorsed the appointment of Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje as the acting national chairman of the party to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of the former acting national chairman, Dr Bello Haliru Mohammed as Minister of Defence.

A communique issued at the end of the NEC meeting indicated that it similarly approved the appointment of Dr Musa Babayo, former Deputy National Secretary, as acting National Secretary in view of the vacancy created by the appointment of Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje as acting national chairman.

Along with the remaining members of the National Working Committee (NWC), they would oversee the affairs of the party until the tenure of the current executive committee runs out in March, 2012.
NEC also approved dates and guidelines for party congresses and National Convention of the party, which would elect officers for the party at all levels.

The communique indicated that ward congresses would be held on January 7, 2012; local government congresses, January 14, 2012; state congresses, January 21, 2012; zonal congresses, February 4, 2012 and the national convention would be rounded off on February 25, 2012.

The communique revealed that handing over to the new NEC would be between February 27 and March 8, 2012.

However, following the suspicion expressed by opposition parties about the motive of the proposed constitutional amendment bill to ensure a single tenure of the president and state governors, the presidency, on Thursday, chided the opposition for insulting the president and engaging in name calling rather than advancing superior arguments.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, took on the opposition while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja, insisting that Jonathan, as leader of the country, had the right to determine its course, but added that the ultimate decision on the issue rested with the Nigerian people.

“The president, as an individual like every other Nigerian under the constitution, has that right to the freedom of expression and I think the proposal he has made ought to be seen in that context,” he said.

Dr Abati said “the statement that has been made by the president is not in anyway a military order. It is just a proposal. The fact that it is not a military order means that his proposal does not have an automatic effect. The decision, at the end of the day, will be that of the Nigerian people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the proposed bill on single tenure for president and governors, being mooted by President Jonathan, may be dead on arrival at the National Assembly, as the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said it will mobilise its members in the upper and lower chambers of the legislature, as well as those in other opposition parties, to frustrate the passage of the bill.

The national chairman of the ACN, Chief Bisi Akande, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at a three-day retreat being organised for members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Chief Akande, who decried the bill as a misplacement of priority, said President Jonathan should preoccupy himself with addressing the challenges of poverty, unemployment and insecurity ravaging the country, rather than the pursuit of a selfish motive.

In another development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to resist the proposed constitutional amendment bill which provides single term tenure for president and state governors as sent by President Jonathan to the National Assembly, describing the proposal as unpatriotic, self-serving and unacceptable to the labour movement.

Speaking at a workshop on trade union education and capacity building on informal sector, organised by the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Thursday, the vice-president of the NLC, Issa Aremu, said Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Nelson Mandela ruled for a short period, but made a great impact that was still in the minds of the people and, on the other hand, Robert Mugabe and Yoweri Museveni had been in power for more than two decades destroying their countries, Zimbabwe and Uganda respectively.