The declaration by Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, that President Goodluck Jonathan entered into a secret agreement in 2011 with leaders and Governors of the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) to serve only one term has expectedly unleashed a febrile miasma of protests and angry reactions from the Presidency which categorically discounted the allegations, describing them as “frivolous”.
“Anybody who has a presidential ambitions; it is such a person’s constitutional right to have ambition. He should however go about his ambition without coming up with frivolous allegations. President Jonathan did not sign such an agreement with anybody to the best of my knowledge. The alleged agreement only exists in the figment of the imagination of somebody with presidential ambition,” noted Dr. Ahmed Gulak, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters.
Gulak told Huhuonline.com on Sunday that Jonathan did not sign any agreement with anyone. Recalling that “President Goodluck Jonathan did not win the presidential election in Governor Aliyu’s Niger state,” Gulak advised Aliyu, who has openly declared his ambitions to contest the 2015 presidential election to go about the pursuit of his ambition without making “frivolous allegations” against the President.
Aliyu made the declaration yesterday during a live broadcast of Guest of the Week, on Kaduna-based FM radio station, Liberty Radio (91.7) which was monitored around the country. In the interview, Aliyu said that PDP governors had a single-term pact with Jonathan; on the basis of which he and some of his PDP colleagues supported the President in the 2011 presidential election. He dismissed the rumored interest of Jonathan in seeking a second term in 2015 as “mere speculation.”
“I recall that at the time he was going to declare for the 2011 election, all the PDP governors were brought together to ensure that we were all in the same frame of mind. And I recall that some of us said given the circumstances of the death of President Yar’Adua and given the PDP zoning arrangement, it was expected that the North was to produce the president for a given number of years. I recall that at that discussion, it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one term of four years and we all signed the agreement. Even when Jonathan went to Kampala, in Uganda, he also said he was going to serve a single term. For now, President Jonathan has not declared a second term ambition and we must not be speculating based on those who are benefiting from the campaign. I think we are all gentlemen enough so when the time comes, we will all come together and see what is the right thing to do.”
Governor Aliyu was quoted as saying that he and the other signatories to the agreement had no doubt that the President would keep to the terms of the agreement: ” What will be, will be in 2015.” President Jonathan, during a media chat last year, had declared that he was yet to decide whether or not to contest in 2015. He said his decision on the subject would be made public in 2014. He had argued that making a definite pronouncement on the subject would distract his administration from delivering on its campaign promises.
Northern leaders have been meeting on different platforms, insisting on replacing President Jonathan with a northerner in 2015. Aliyu is one of the seven northern governors who have indicated interest in contesting for the presidency. Other governors who have their eyes on the position are Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State and Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State.
All the governors are of the ruling PDP to which President Goodluck Jonathan belongs. All of them are also in their second term in office. Ex-governors Ahmed Makarfi and Ibrahim Shekarau of Kaduna and Kano states respectively, are also said to be interested in the
