The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Interim Govt

  • Group warns against interim govt, election shift

    A Human rights group, Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD), has cautioned the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against any act that could truncate the nation’s democracy

    The group said, based on his body language, President Goodluck Jonathan is tilting towards the convocation of an interim government.

    Its National Convener, Comrade Waheed Saka, frowned at the decision to shift the general election, which was initially scheduled to hold on February 14 and 28, saying any further untoward development may spell doom for the country.

    Saka, who spoke at a press conference in Lagos, said his group will join other groups to mobilize Nigerians to protest against the institution of an interim government or a further shift in the election dates.

    He said there are indications that the new election dates are not sacrosanct, as the Chairman, Independent National Electora Commission, Prof. Atahiru Jega was planning to further shift the election dates.

    According to him, “INEC appears not to have fully prepared for the election and recent statement by the INEC Chairman that only the service chiefs could guarantee the conduct of elections was an indication that the elections may still be postponed.”

    However, he stated that the rights activists across the country have resolved to mobilize students, artisans and others to protest against further shift of election dates.

    He urged INEC not to postpone the elections again for any reason, adding that “any attempt to postpone the election will not augur well, as the human rights community will fight the anti-democratic forcesto a standstill.”

    Saka called on the National Security Adviser and all security chiefs in the country to sign an undertaking that the elections would hold as scheduled and that contrary action should be treated with disdain.

  • Interim Govt is treasonable, says President at mass

    Interim Govt is treasonable, says President at mass

    President Goodluck Jonathan should call his supporters and aides to order, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan, said yesterday in his review of the political activities in the country.

    Many Nigerians are worried about the manner government officials and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign Council members have been heating up the polity.

    Contrary to President Jonathan’s statements, his campaign team has been pillorying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega.

    Some of the President’s supporters have been making inflammatory statements, including saying Dr Jonathan must win the elections or the nation will burn.

    But the President has always insisted that his ambition is not worth the blood of anyone.

    Yesterday, the President said he would not be part of any Interim Government, an idea he described as treasonable and alien to the Constitution.

    He also affirmed that the March 28 and April 11 dates picked for the general elections will remain sacrosanct.

    Dr. Jonathan and Cardinal Onaiyekan spoke at the opening mass for the plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki, Abuja.

    The President said he would not head an Interim Government, which can only be set up by a military government.

    Besides, he said an ING will not be acceptable to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN).

    He said: “There is no way Goodluck Jonathan, elected by people with clear mandate, will now go and head an Interim Government. The only interim government anybody can constitute is that of the military government which, of course, will not be accepted.

    “ECOWAS, AU, UN won’t accept it. And Nigeria will not be a pariah state. Clearly, the insinuation of interim government to me is treasonable.”

    Stressing that the postponement of the elections was a blessing in disguise, he said: “Elections will be conducted as scheduled by INEC.”

    “Look at what happened in Gombe on February 14… If the elections had been held, the casualty figure after that attack in Gombe would have been great. It is better for us to conduct elections that will not be contested, elections that are credible, free and fair.

    ”We believe no criminal element can come and prevent us from conducting our elections. I will not do anything because of personal interest; that would jeopardise the interest of this nation.

    Jonathan also faulted utterances that overheat the polity and portray Nigeria as being at a point of going up in flames.

    “When I listen to how some of us politicians talk… but God is supreme, this nation will survive”, he said.

    He also thanked Christians for the prayers for the nation, adding that the whole world was going crazy because of the bloodshed by terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.

    Cardinal Onaiyekan urged President Jonathan to call his aides and supporters to order so that they will desist from poisoning his resolve that elections will hold on the new dates – March 28 and April 11 – set by INEC and to ensure that the May 29 inauguration of a new government remains sacrosanct.

    According to the Archbishop, personal insults and caricature should give way to national discourse that will benefit all.

    He said: “Good families make a good nation. We can go even further to state that a good nation should be a family of families. The diversity of our nation is well known. But that is no reason why we cannot see ourselves as belonging to the same national family.

    “Apart from the fact that the things we have in common far outweigh our differences, even those differences need not be causes for conflict and friction. If we acquire the habit of respecting one another, then our differences can become beauty to celebrate in harmony.

    “Politics is very much in the air. It is a notable and sacred task meant to serve the common good of the family that is the nation. The hot competition between political parties should not make them forget the common objectives that everyone should be pursuing: justice, peace, prosperity, harmony, good order, building a nation we can all be proud of, etc.

    “The differences are in strategies and priorities. These are what should be presented to us, positively and transparently, to guide our free choice at elections.

    ”There should, therefore, not be room for negative campaigns. Personal insults and caricatures should give way to rational discussion of issues that concern us all. Truth must be sacrosanct even in politics. Lies, deceit, calumnies cannot move us forward.

    “They are the hallmarks of the bad politics which have not allowed us achieve the high level that we deserve as a nation. These are what builds tensions, heat up the polity, spreads dangerous rumours and cause deep distrust among rival political groups. All this is not in the interest of our people,” he said.

    On the rescheduled elections, Cardinal Onaiyekan urged politicians to use the extra time to mend fences.

    He also warned that the new dates should not be violated to avoid dire consequences.

    He said that while the president has promised that the elections will hold on schedule and that May 29th remains sacrosanct for a new government to take over, he urged him to caution his supporters not to poison the air.

    According to him, the dates are declarations by the President and he should be given  the benefit of the doubt.

    He said: “However, one judges the wisdom or even justice of the postponement of the elections, we should commend the political parties for patiently accepting a ‘fait accompli’ that seriously disrupted the plans – and maybe even budget – of many of them.

    “The nation will nevertheless be better served if we use the unexpected extra time to work for better outcome in our elections. Can we spend the time left to change attitudes, repair broken relationships and build trust? For example, Mr. President has declared publicly that he is committed to a free and fair elections. While we believe him, we hope that he will not allow any of his supporters to poison this his holy resolve.

    “In the same vein, he has declared that not only May 29 but also March 28 and April 11 are sacrosanct dates. There is no question of any new shift of dates. By the same token, he has excluded any idea of a much speculated ‘interim government’ for which there is no provisions in our constitution. These are sacred declarations from our President, which cannot be violated without the kind of serious consequence that is in nobody’s interest.

    “It would be better, therefore, that we give Mr. President the benefit of the doubt and stop sowing doubts that only raise tensions and create avoidable anxieties.”

    The Archbishop urged clergymen not to make reckless remarks and political  utterances liable to compromise their sacred role.

    He said, “The clergy should lead in this regard. As spiritual fathers to all for the common good, they should avoid reckless and politically partisan utterances, liable to compromise their sacred role and confuse the flock.

    “We commend and encourage our members to have decided to take on the apostolate of public life, in the spirit of service and not for selfish aims. As Catholic politicians, they should be witnesses to the truth, justice and peace that are the hallmarks of our Catholic Social Teaching.  If it is often said that ‘politics is dirty’, they should dare to be different, armed with God’s grace, and play a clean game, even at the cost of being declared losers at the polls.

    “As for the rest of… faithful, you are ambassadors of Christ to spread peace and harmony all around us. Reject and refuse to spread unfounded alarms, dangerous rumours, promote mutual trust and love, so that, together we can make our nation one united family under God our father.”

  • Interim govt …A blank cheque to anarchy

    Interim govt …A blank cheque to anarchy

    Ordinarily, Tunde Bakare is known as a man of the pulpit. His calling is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and this he has done to a notable point for more than two decades. However, anyone who, having observed him pontificating and gesticulating for hours, comes to the conclusion that he is a General would not be off the mark. The mien, the gait and the quick step marching suggest that he gives serious thoughts to his words and would not condone any form of opposition. Pastors  are not known to be Generals. So, when Bakare takes on national leaders or colleagues on the pulpit, he seeks to mow down every form of dissenting opinion, even on matters as minor as the arrangement of a church auditorium.

    It was a surprise when he chose to step on the political dais in 2011. He toured the country; attacked opponents of his political party of choice and insisted on being the running mate to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, even when expediency dictated that taking on the incumbent could require a coalition of forces that could have necessitated a trade-off.

    Many of those who had come to love or dislike his style had looked forward to his position on the current political setting. It was predictable that he would say something that would provoke a debate. That prediction came to pass on Sunday as Pastor Bakare chose to address the forthcoming general elections. The title he gave his speech at his church, The Latter Rain Assembly, was enough to give away his thought. He provocatively addressed the issues under the headline: “The gathering storm and avoidable shipwreck: How to avoid catastrophic Euroclydon”

    The thoughts of the leading cleric and probably now retired partisan politician on the way out of the crisis in the land are enough to show that a lot has happened between his last time out and the current juncture. The analysis is certainly slanted. First, he pointed out that the storm is gathering____an indication that the nation is perching on a tightrope. Second, Pastor Bakare is suggesting that the ship of state is about sinking and that urgent steps must be taken to avoid such a dire occurrence. Three, he considers the situation so alarming that he compared it to a catastrophe. This is probably a good description of the state of the Nigerian state today.

    But, going further, the former chieftain of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), deliberately refused to apportion blames. This could be pardoned because he ostensibly wants to be an agent of peace. But, if he could not explore the path to the chaos and rot in the land, how would he come up with far-reaching suggestions on the way forward? How did he come to the conclusion that the only way out is putting in place an interim government?

    In analysing the situation, he concluded that there must be a change. He pointed out that Nigeria could slide into anarchy if concerted efforts were not made to stem the slide. But, his recommendation that the same government largely responsible for the rot should be empowered to spearhead the change stands logic on the head. In advocating the continuation of the Jonathan administration, by whatever description, for another two years, the convener of the defunct Save Nigeria Group is suggesting that the President be rewarded with two unearned years in order to conduct landmark political, social and economic engineering. It could be argued that the pastor is merely advocating a broad coalition of forces that would encompass Nigerians of diverse backgrounds to support the current government, thus injecting capacity, but the critical factor in government is leadership. Has President Goodluck Jonathan demonstrated capacity to lead? Would this be a solution or a new dimension to the crisis? What would a government lacking spine do at a time like this?

    The Shonekan experiment

    History could be a worthy guide, when carefully explored in charting the path to the future. But, it could also be disastrous when its lessons are wrongly applied. Pastor Bakare was obviously oblivious of the disaster that the last experiment at having a transition government generated. Disgraced and seeking a soft landing, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida decided to put in place a lame-duck administration headed by Chief Ernest Adegunle Shonekan. It was obvious to all analysts that the edifice lacked any form of foundation, let alone a solid one. It lacked legitimacy, being neither elected but backed by the brute force enjoyed by a military regime. It lasted a mere 82 days. Another general, Sani Abacha, struck at will and the house of cards crumbled. What would make the new interim government better? The interim government headed by Shonekan, too, had been canvassed by many Nigerians; a number of them eminent and considered credible. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, then a former military head of State and an international figure, had canvassed the option of a transition government. Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, an academic of repute, wanted an interim government headed by Chief MKO Abiola as a way out of the impasse. But, as they called for the option, the military strategists were also at work. They had their joker and played it out the way they wanted.

    Even when Shonekan was ousted like guinea worm, the Gen. Abacha regime pretended to be a friend of the people. To gain legitimacy, it danced to the popular tune for a while. Appointments that appeared to accede to popular demands for a progressive government were made and a “constitutional conference with full constituent power” was promised. The regime, latching on to the credibility of its Attorney-General, Dr. Olu Onagoruwa, quickly put together the conference. It was sheer gimmick. That regime was to last almost five years. And, its leader sought a transmutation to a civilian President. His dream was aborted only by the intervention of death.

    It must be recalled that, in putting the Interim National Government contraption together, leaders of the two existing political parties were involved as were the civil service, the civil society and with the concurrence of the military. Yet, it all led to an abyss.

     

    Legitimacy and governance

     

    In the twenty-first century, what makes the difference between a despotic government and a democracy is the mandate freely handed democrats in power. They are expected to decide how the society must run based on a choice freely made at an election where options were canvassed. It is inconceivable that after five years in power, President Jonathan could be handed a two-year extension outside the people’s mandate? What would be the authority of the hand-picked people to decide members of the cabinet? What role would the National Assembly play? Would there be an extension for the lawmakers, too? What about the states? As the constituent units of a Federation, would there be elections for the lawmakers and Chief Executives at that level? And, if as being suggested, the recommendation is implemented at all levels, what new thing are we introducing? In many states where the people are advocating a change, mainly because of new development on the political scene, how would an extension necessarily tantamount to progress?

    It would take a new government to mobilise the people for the change necessary in the country. Jonathan might have spent N7 billion on the National Conference jamboree, however, it amounts to another insult to suggest that only his administration could implement it. Why did he wait till the tail end of his tenure to empanel the body? It appears part of an unfolding script. While the conference was on, even when the President and henchmen of his administration insisted that there was enough time to carry through the recommendations of the parley, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and the Odumakins were already canvassing the extension option. Curiously, many other leading lights of the Southwest on whom the people had previously counted kept mum, thus suggesting that they were in agreement with the dangerous suggestion.

    Jonathan was elected for a four-year term in 2011, after a fortuitous 23 months bonus off the Yar’Adua government. Anything that tampers with the People’s Mandate is a coup against the constitution and the Popular Will. Section 135 quoted by Pastor Bakare does not envisage the situation in the country today. Nigeria is not the only country in the world where insurgents have taken arms against the state. In Europe, Africa and South America, the central authorities have been and are being challenged in many countries. It has taken the political will of those in power to curtail the terrorists and ensure that the state survives. Even in Nigeria, it is not new. In the Second Republic, there was the Maitatsine challenge in Kano. It took prompt and decisive action by the Federal Government and the military to suppress it. At another point, there was incursion into the Nigerian territory through Chad Republic; it took a courageous push by the military to check the move. Either of those could have imperiled the Nigerian state as the Boko Haram terror is doing today, if not given adequate attention.

    The Jonathan administration that had canvassed a single tenure of seven years does not deserve an extension that would fulfill that aim through the back door. The Nigerian electorate should not be shut out of the political process. If, in 1946, the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) mobilised Nigerians, under colonial rule, against imposition of a constitution, this cannot be accepted in 2015.

    Pastor Bakare should limit his involvement to praying and preaching for a new Nigeria. If he must get involved in calling attention to the ship of state, he should stay on the side of law and the good order. An interim government is an invitation to chaos, anarchy and purposelessness.

  • I wanted Abiola to head Interim Govt, says Babangida

    I wanted Abiola to head Interim Govt, says Babangida

    Former President Ibrahim Babangida has said after the annulment of the June 1993 election by his government, he wanted the late business mogul, Chief Moshood Abiola, to head the interim government.

    This is contained in a book, Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria, written by Dan Agbese, editor-in-chief of the defunct Newswatch magazine. According to the book, Babangida said he contributed to the campaign fund of the late business mogul.

    Babangida, in an interview, told Agbese that he had wanted to make Abiola the chairman of the Transitional Council because he believed he (Abiola) “enjoyed tremendous political goodwill. His name was a household name. He had the international contact and Nigeria too had a very good chance of having someone like him heading that organisation.”

    He, however, claimed that his colleagues on the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), the country’s highest decision making body, opposed the choice of Abiola to head the council. Instead, they agreed to accept him as a member of the council.

    The former military president said he offered to bring the late Abiola in as a member and ensure that the members of the Transitional Council elect him as chairman.

    According to the book, the AFRC had decided that the chairman of the council should come from the South West. However, Abiola kicked against this and insisted that he should be announced as the leader. He was quoted as telling Babangida that his family wanted it because they feared that the president might change his mind once he made him just a member.

    “Left to me, I wanted to make him the chairman. Then he decided and blew it.”

    On the contest that led to the emergence of Abiola, Babangida said, the disqualification of 23 presidential aspirants led to the emergence of two candidates of two candidates- Abiola and Bashir Tofa- on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC).