2015: Don’t Distract Me, Jonathan Warns Northern Leaders

President Goodluck Jonathan last night asked Northern leaders not to distract his administration’s agenda with its politics of 2015 succession.

He also said he is spending his first term in office and could not have been pursuing a Third Term Agenda.

The President fired back at the Northern leaders through his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati.

Abati said: “The President is focusing on governance and he remains committed to the transformation agenda. And he refuses to be distracted by those who are already playing the politics of succession.

“It is not in any evidence, in any way, that the Belgore Committee, which the President set up to look at the outcomes of previous political conferences’ recommendations, has submitted any report, any where.

“I am not aware of any report that has been submitted any where making any recommendations. We would expect that people, who claim to be major stakeholders in the Nigerian project, when they make contributions, their contributions will show commonsense and decency.

“To comment on the report of the Belgore committee that has not been concluded and a report that has not yet been submitted, will amount to witchcraft or if you like sorcery, and it is therefore curious and entirely mischievous. As far as I know, the Belgore committee has not concluded its work.

“It also appears strange to me that a group of people, who otherwise would be described as distinguished Nigerians, would claim that the President is looking for a third term.

“Every intelligent man in this country knows that President Jonathan is in his first term in office. So, how have they suddenly jump from first term to third term. From the point of view of arithmetic, even their claim cannot stand. So, that claim is weak, it is unacceptable.

“If their concern is about the seven-year term tenure, President Jonathan has made it clear that his proposal is out of patriotic concern about the amount of wastefulness, greed, tension, conflict and the obsession that go into the search for second term.

“It is borne out of patriotic concern that elected officials at all levels should dedicate themselves and concentrate their efforts during a specific period. This proposal is not original to the President.”