A call by the breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urging President Goodluck Jonathan not to contest the 2015 presidential election has been responded to by the presidency, stating that “their dreams that the president should not present himself for re-election is not realisable.”
The New PDP had Tuesday asked the president not to contest the 2015 presidential election and urged him to be a hero by saving the country from a needless crisis.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, dismissed the demand of the New PDP, in an interview with THISDAY, saying: “God is gradually bringing their supposed grievances out. Is the president’s participation in the 2015 presidential election supposed to be a grievance?
“If their grievance is that President Jonathan should not contest the forthcoming presidential election, then that dream is not realisable.
“The only person who can stop that dream of the president to contest the presidential election is the president himself. When he says that he is not contesting, Nigerians would either vote for him or not.
“But it is not the Governors of Kano, Niger, Rivers, Sokoto, Adamawa, Jigawa and Kwara State that will tell him what to do.
“If that is their dream that the president should forgo his constitutional right and not contest, then that dream is not realisable. Nobody can stop him, other than himself, if he chooses not to contest. If he chooses to contest, then their dreams would not be realisable.”
Gulak stressed that Nigeria as a nation is governed by laws and that so far, “Jonathan would not be violating any of the known laws by deciding to contest the 2015 presidential election. No known law in the country has said that the president cannot contest. It is therefore Nigerians that would decide his fate, should he decide to contest.”
However, he said: “If any of the governors or anyone within the so-called faction, thinks that he is a presidential material and wants to contest, let that person step out as Nigerians would decide the person’s fate.
“They should come out and test their popularity. That is the beauty of democracy of one-man, one-vote.
“But let it be known that this grandstanding and intimidations will not stop the president should he decide to contest the 2015 presidential election,” Gulak said.
He explained that with what is happening and with the statement by the Baraje faction of the PDP, it is clear that there is no crisis within the ruling party.
“From what was published yesterday (Tuesday) from Abubakar Baraje’s group, it is evidently clear that there is no crisis in PDP, but some people are moved by their personal ambitions to contest and see President Jonathan as their stumbling block.
“However, this is a free world. If anyone of them wants to contest, the person is free to come and contest. The president is not stopping anybody. But in the final analysis, the final decision is for Nigerians to make,” he said.
InformationNigeria
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