"Jonathan Is Not Eligible To Contest In 2015 Presidential Election" - PDP Chieftain

ar Ardo, a gubernatorial aspirant in Adamawa State under the platform
of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said President
Goodluck Jonathan's is not eligible to contest the presidency in the
2015.
"The president himself promised not to contest in 2015 during his 2011
electioneering campaigns. Now a leader's word must be his bond," he
said.
Q: There have been calls from somepersons for President Jonathan to
re-contest in 2015. Do you support such calls?
A: No, I don't support such calls because of many reasons. Firstly,
because I distrust the motives of thoseleading these calls: Chiefs
Edwin Clark and Tony Anenih, among many others.
There is a moral angle to it. The president himself promised not to
contest in 2015 during his 2011 electioneering campaigns. Now a
leader's word must be his bond. All through history, the most
essential ingredient for leadership has always been character.
Although other ingredients such as capacity, empathy, humility,
toughness and intelligence are often mentioned, these traits are all
too often really subordinate aspectsof character. Without character,
no manis fit to lead others. Because leaders hold not just the lives
of the people but even determine the destiny of society, it is
extremely important that people trust those who lead them. Unless the
President comes out and tells why he said he was not contesting during
his campaign and why he will now want to shift position to contest he
will likely fall under this category.
There is also the legal angle. It is my contention that based on the
implication of the Supreme Court judgment of INEC versus the 5 PDP
Governors (Nyako, Sylva, Imoke, Wamako and Idris) the president is
unarguably ineligible to contest; and any judgment of a High Court
Judge is to me clearly directly in contrast with the logic and
conclusions of that Supreme Court judgment, where the apex court
adopted two basic principles in its interpretation of the constitution
in calculating the 4-year tenure system. Firstly, that Governors - and
the President - are elected for fouryears and eligible to re-election
for another four years and no more. On the basis of that the Supreme
Court declared: "The 1999 Constitution has no room for self
-succession for A COMMULATIVE TENURE EXCEEDING EIGHT YEARS. …. It is
very clear from the relevant provisions that NO PERSON elected under
the 1999 constitution can remain in office A DAY LONGER than provided,
otherwise the intention of the framers of the constitution would be
defeated". It added that "the constitution does not support an
interpretation of unbroken term of four years or a term in
perpetuity". Impliedly, this means in computing President Jonathan's
maximum of 8 years tenure, the 1 year 23 days he held as president
between May 6, 2010 and May 29, 2011 will be counted. Secondly, the
Supreme Court adopts the principle that so long as "the acts performed
during the period in office remain valid and subsisting", then the
oath taken empowering them to take those valid and subsisting acts
also remains valid and becomes the starting point in calculating their
four years tenure of office.
Therefore, given that our laws have yet to provide for fractional term
in office, President Jonathan is definitely not qualified to contest
for president in 2015 for another 4-year term without an amendment of
the constitution.
Q: Do you have political ambition in2015?
A: I have since 2011 declared my intention to contest the governorship
of my state, Adamawa. I am still at it as the issue of the last
gubernatorial election is not yet determined. We are currently at the
Supreme Court for the determination of the gubernatorial candidacy of
the PDP in the state. So I am not waiting for 2015 - I am waiting for
the Supreme Court.