Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan described such remarks as rude, false, insulting and desecrating the office of the President, which the party aspires to occupy in 2015, urging him to respect his age.
He warned Akande to bear in mind that there were laws against libel and defamation of character in the constitution even if there are no legal impediments to indecorous, hypocritical and unpatriotic vituperations.
President Jonathan also tackled Akande as regards his eligibility to contest in 2015, saying he has only been elected once and should he decide to recontest, it will not amount to a “third term”, as erroneously suggested by the APC interim chair.
He said the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended in Section 137 (1) empowers him to contest should he decides to. The statement reads:
“We have noted with dismay the continuation of efforts by leaders of the opposition to promote themselves and their party through the irresponsible denigration of President Goodluck Jonathan and the exalted office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, sank to a new low in this regard yesterday (Saturday) when he rudely and falsely described President Jonathan as a “kindergarten” leader who treats national issues with levity.
“Chief Bisi Akande has every right to embark on a flight of fancy about the APC beating the PDP in the 2015 general elections, but he does no justice to his age and status when he resorts to propagating falsehood, wilfully insulting the President of his country, impugning his integrity and desecrating the very office which his party wishes to take over in 2015 by fair or foul means.
“We urge Chief Akande and his fellow-travellers to remember that there are laws against libel and defamation of character in this country even if there are no legal impediments to indecorous, hypocritical and unpatriotic vituperations.
It is certainly rude, ill-mannered, uncharitable and hypocritical for Chief Akande to falsely and cavalierly allege that a President who toils tirelessly every day of the week, evolving and implementing workable solutions to Nigeria’s problems, is handling national issues with levity.
“Also, it is nothing else but gross ignorance and lack of consideration that could have led Chief Akande to refer to a President who, having served as deputy governor, governor, vice president and president, has far more experience of governance at the highest level than him and his preferred “candidates”, as a kindergarten leader.
“By his very unguarded and intemperate outburst on Saturday, Chief Akande exhibited not only an unbecoming lack of respect for the person and office of the President of his country, but also a complete disregard for the patriotic feelings of the millions of Nigerians who voted for President Jonathan and who continue to appreciate his sincere efforts to positively transform the nation.
“It is very sad and unfortunate that unbridled ambition for the office they constantly impugn and denigrate has blinded Chief Akande and his ilk to the visible accomplishments of the Jonathan Presidency.
“Certainly, nothing else but a maniac and unscrupulous quest for power could have led them to make such accusations against a President who, amongst other significant achievements, has been praised for his handling of the insurgency in some parts of northern Nigeria where he has used a combination of diplomacy and targeted military force to contain the security threat.
“Nothing else but the relentless pursuit of narrow personal and sectional interests could lead them to make such claims about a President under whose leadership, Nigeria’s economy has been promoted from a low income economy to a middle income economy by the World Bank and whose leadership has seen the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria increased at an annual rate of over 6% since he took office.
“Finally, though President Jonathan has not indicated whether or not he is interested in a second term, Chief Akande who has taken stock of his party and seen that they have no electable presidential material is already trying to be clever by half, by claiming the President is statute-barred from contesting in 2015 saying, it would amount to a “third term”.
“If this is the winning strategy of the APC, Chief Akande has every reason to panic because the issue of eligibility for election into the office of the President has been settled by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999,” Abati said.
Culled from The Sun
No comments:
Post a Comment