timetable by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, President Goodluck Jonathan
will soon hold a strategic meeting with his kitchen
cabinet to decide on whether or not to run, his
Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben
Obi, has said.
However, the decision may not be taken until April
because the Presidency may want to spend the
next 90 days on effective governance to better
the lot of the citizenry in line with the President's
promise of a better 2014 for Nigerians.
In an exclusive interview with Vanguard, Obi, who
also described as uncalled for the directive of the
Interim National Executive Committee of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, to its federal
lawmakers to shut down governance, said it was
worrisome that leading politicians and elders were
making reckless and inflammatory statements
that could hurt the country.
Asked if Jonathan will declare his ambition now
following the INEC's timetable, he said the
presidency was not expecting.
He said: "I want Nigerians to understand one
thing. I have been on the side of the opposition for
very long. Now, I am in the executive, current
leadership.
"President Jonathan appealed to Nigerians and
said he would not discuss politics until 2014.
Despite all the pressure mounted on him by the
opposition to draw him into politics much earlier
than 2014, he resisted it; he continued on the path
of governance and maintained that he would say
something in 2014.
"Now we are in 2014. INEC has spoken, we do
expect that with all of these, I am sure he will sit
with his kitchen cabinet and look at the pros and
cons, what his administration has done and then
take a position clearly on what his next line of
action will be."
On when this meeting will hold, Senator Obi said:
"Like I said he will meet with his kitchen cabinet,
they will study the INEC guidelines and timetable
and decide: what do we do? Where do we go from
here?
"Nigerians will be adequately informed at the
appropriate time. As far as I am concerned, they
still have some two to three months to really
concentrate on governance and that is the
Jonathan philosophy.
"His New Year message was very clear: Nigerians
will enjoy a better 2014, which means there are
certain things he will want to put up that will
make a difference. Let's complete that process
before we go into the political event. Let's create
the atmosphere for a better Nigerian
environment."
Faulting the APC's call to shutdown governance
until the Rivers State crisis is resolved, he said: "I
do not know the circumstances under which APC
leaders said their National Assembly members
should block the 2014 budget, screening of
ministers and confirmation of the service chiefs.
"With all due respect, the budget is not only for
politicians. That statement from the National
Executive Committee meeting of the APC is
uncalled for. How can you make such a
statement?
"I was a senator. Then we sit down and review
issues. We had executive sessions where we ask
ourselves: 'what we are discussing now is it a
national issue or partisan issue?'
"Senators are respected because they discuss
national issues: they don't allow partisan political
interests to overwhelm the discourse.
"Until last week, no President had ever forwarded
the names of service chiefs to the National
Assembly. President Jonathan did it. The next
thing is the opposition saying, 'no, block it!'
"Things that affect the military is not something
we should rush into and get deeply involved in but
I am happy that the current Senate President is a
highly respected retired general and one of the
longest serving legislators in this country. So he
combines the experience of a war general and
that of an accomplished legislator to navigate.
"I am sure that my colleagues, friends and
associates in the opposition, having issued that
directive to their party members in the National
Assembly will by now be having a second thought.
It is like climbing a tree beyond the leaves. It is
uncalled for." [Vanguard]
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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