It is about two years away, but 2015 is already sparking big rows.
Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu spoke at the weekend on an agreement which he said the President signed – that he (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) would spend one term in office.
The Presidency is yet to react to the statement, but more Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)governors are threatening to release copies of the agreement.
Aliyu’s statement is said to have rattled the Presidency.
It was also learnt that some National Assembly leaders areclaiming to know about the one-term agreement with the governors.
The Nation learnt that all PDP governors have copies of the agreement, which was allegedly signed before the presidential primaries in January, 2011.
A source said the agreement accounted for why the Northern governors dumped former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who lost woefully at the presidential primaries.
It was learnt that Jonathan entered into the agreement “to appease the North”.
According to another Northern governor, who spoke with some PDP leaders and National Assembly members yesterday in Abuja , the “one-term agreement is real”. “We are just waiting for the right time to talk,” he said.
“I have a copy of the agreement and some of us have come together to enforce the agreement. We will soon release a copy of the agreement to the public to prove a point — that we are not just raising the alarm.
“I think the right thing is for the President to stick to the agreement. Some of us were almost stoned for sacrificing the interest of the North for the Southsouth.
“We hope the President will own up to this crucial agreement. It is a welcome development that the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum was theone who raised it.”
It was gathered that the Presidency was rattled by the revelation, forcing strategists to spend hours planning a response which did not come at press time last night.
A source said: “The comments of the Niger State Governorwere initially greeted with disbelieve by the President’s strategists, who worked through the night on the appropriate response.
“The issues highlighted by the strategists were how to manage why the President went into the agreement; plausible reasons why the pact might not subsist, and tackling the bearer of the message, Governor Babangida Aliyu.
“They considered the governor’s disclosure as a serious challenge.”
Niger Delta activist and human rights campaigner, Annkio Briggs, has described as sheer blackmail the allegation that President Jonathan signed an agreement to serve only for a term in the run-up to the 2011 Presidential election.
Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, Briggssaid if it turned out that there was such an agreement, it must have been obtained under duress since there was nothing that compels Jonathan to serve for four years.
Arguing that the Northern governors appear bent on usingthe controversial agreement to blackmail Jonathan against running in 2015, should he decide to do so, Briggs insists that the agreement remains null and void since it was not signed on behalf of Nigerians.
She said: “If that statement is true, then you can see that Nigeria is in trouble if a set of people can sit and decide how politics should be played. Does it mean that the power of choice no longer resides with voters? In my opinion, it is totally wrong if Jonathan has to be put in a position in which he has to sign under duress that he would serve for a term. If such a document exists, then it must have been obtained under duress.
“In the first place, Jonathan has no right to sign that document on behalf of Nigerians and, particularly, on behalf of the Southsouth people. He has a right to run for a second term of four years just like any other Nigerian if he so wishes. If Babangida Aliyu wants to run for President,he should do so without resorting to blackmailing Jonathan. That also applies to any Northern governor who plans to run. They should stop blackmailing Jonathan.
“If he signed such a document, that means he has signed it under duress and therefore the document is a nullity. If Jonathan decides to run in 2015, it should be based on his performance in office. We cannot run away from the fact that the Jonathan Presidency has been under serious threat by those who vowed to make the country ungovernable. And so, that kind of document is not acceptable to us.”

GARRI (x7):
What's Aniko Briggs Saying? That GEJ signed a document under duress? That's silly and ridiculous!!

GEJ needed the support of the Northern Governors and in return for their support, he signed a one-term pact with them. So where's the idea of duress coming from?

He can renege if he wishes to, but playing the victim card is‎​ downright silly....

Governor Aliyu’s One-Tenure Bombshell Divides The North…Kanti Bello Says “Its A Lie”

[img]http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/wp-content/themes/sahifa/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/aliyu.jpg&h=330&w=660&a=c[/img]

Allegations from the Northern Governors Forum Chairman and Niger State Governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu that President Goodluck Jonathan had entered into a pact with Northern Governors to do a tenure has divided politicians from the North.

Governor Aliyu of Niger State had said in a Radio Interview in Kaduna that the President reached an agreement with PDP governors in 2011 to serve for one term only.

Top Northern Politicians believed that Governor Aliyu was being over ambitious and economical with the truth with his claim that he was present at a meeting when the alleged pact between President Jonathan and Northern Governors was signed.

Governor Aliyu had said: “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.

But a former Senate Chief Whip and a stalwart of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Senator Kanti Bello who claimed to be at the said meeting and had asked the President of his possibility of doing a one term in office said never did the President agreed or signed any agreement to that effect.

According to Senator Bello, “He (Aliyu) is being economical with the truth. You see, I will explain clearly what happened.

“When we were having a meeting, then I was in PDP, we were there at the National Headquarters of the Party, we the principal officers of the Senate, governors and some members of the National Working Committee of the Party.

“A discussion arose and President Jonathan complained about the sequence of elections and lack of support as an executive President and member of our party.

“Then, finally I raised the issue that it is not a question of election, you want to run but since you want to run, some of us feel what you want to do is unconstitutional but since a decision has been taken and a primary has taken place, the majority of the people say run so democratically, there is nothing anybody can do since there has been a convention and nobody objected at the convention about your running.

“ I asked him, what are we going to take in return to our people, what do we tell them? Even if we want to convince our people, we have to take something to them, can you please confirm to us here and now that you are only going to run for one term?

“To be fair to Jonathan, he did not utter a word. You get it clear? He didn’t say a word, he kept quiet and that is where we stopped.

“But later, Governor (Shehu) Shema of Katsina State, and his friends, out of mischief, went and wrote a communiqué that Jonathan was running for only one term. He didn’t say it, but they wrote a communique, I challenge anybody to say that was not what happened.

“You cannot say based on that you have an agreement with Jonathan, you cannot say it. Writing a communiqué on behalf of somebody who didn’t utter a word, I cannot see it as an agreement. That was exactly what happened.

“The governors under Shema, particularly Shema being the one who is a lawyer, thinks he is smart. He was the one who wrote the communiqué and gave it to the press, that this is the communiqué of our meeting but to be fair to Jonathan, he didn’t utter a word and it was me who asked that question with Governor Danjuma Goje there at that time.

“He was the one who was even saying Mr. President, we are with you but I was the one who bluntly asked him if he was going to run so that we can go and tell our people.”

nuclearboy: Its obvious he signed!

Its also obvious the agreement is between him and them, not between him and Nigerians since neither represented Nigeria in the negotiations (which only proves governance is not about Nigerians but personal interest)

Its again obvious he will renege on the agreement and totally destroy whatever claims of honor he had!

Its certain they will all turn against him and deliver their electorates to the "enemy" if only to spite him!

Personal ambition and greed will destroy PDP one way or the other

GARRI (x7):
What's Aniko Briggs Saying? That GEJ signed a document under duress? That's silly and ridiculous!!

GEJ needed the support of the Northern Governors and in return for their support, he signed a one-term pact with them. So where's the idea of duress coming from?

He can renege if he wishes to, but playing the victim card is‎​ downright silly....

Gbawe:

Absolutely correct. GEJ is totally free to disregard his pledge. That is not what really matters. Let us see him get the support to defeat the Northerners who will challenge him for his Party's seat this time around. Many Nigerians are simply too sentimental and feudal to see what matters.

i doubt if SE/SS delegates bloc vote will be sufficient to secure that seat for him he will need to form another party if it doesnt
besides where are those that claim the retardeen isnt desperate for power, am ready to tackle them now

Demdem:

i doubt if SE/SS delegates bloc vote will be sufficient to secure that seat for him he will need to form another party if it doesnt
besides where are those that claim the retardeen isnt desperate for power, am ready to tackle them now

Demdem:

well, somehow u are right. But remember that it was a PDP arrangement. Let him secure the killer party ticket first with all these agreements here and there. The issue wont even get to Nigerians if he cant secure the ticket.

berem: does he need to form another party? APGA-PDP faction is readily available for him.I trust Peter Obi and the other sellouts.This is where i fear for APGA in the merger

Gbawe:

[size=18pt] This is not the North bullying GEJ. Nothing of the sort. It is GEJ reneging on the pledge he made to Northern governors in his Party to secure the support that defeated the Northern consensus candidate i.e Atiku. [/size]

Demdem:

I love this part of ur post. I hope Bigots will be able to make sense out of it. its a family affair inside the killer party itself.

miiraaj: Who cares about the agreement! They are all thieves.

Whether agreement dey, or e no dey, PDP is leaving ASO rock 2015!


UP APC!

miiraaj: Who cares about the agreement! They are all thieves.

Whether agreement dey, or e no dey, PDP is leaving ASO rock 2015!


UP APC!

nuclearboy: Its obvious he signed!

Its also obvious the agreement is between him and them, not between him and Nigerians since neither represented Nigeria in the negotiations (which only proves governance is not about Nigerians but personal interest)

Its again obvious he will renege on the agreement and totally destroy whatever claims of honor he had!

Its certain they will all turn against him and deliver their electorates to the "enemy" if only to spite him!

Personal ambition and greed will destroy PDP one way or the other

nuclearboy: Its obvious he signed!

Its also obvious the agreement is between him and them, not between him and Nigerians since neither represented Nigeria in the negotiations (which only proves governance is not about Nigerians but personal interest)

Its again obvious he will renege on the agreement and totally destroy whatever claims of honor he had!

Its certain they will all turn against him and deliver their electorates to the "enemy" if only to spite him!

Personal ambition and greed will destroy PDP one way or the other

My One-Term Deal With Governors – Jonathan

YOBOSA UWUGIAREN AND BAYO OLADEJI, ABUJA

President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that his deal with governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before they endorsed him was based on mutual trust and their sincere belief that he can be trusted with power in the general interest of the nation.He denied threatening the governors before they endorsed him as their choice for the 2011presidential race at the last national executive committee (NEC) meeting of the party.

There were reports in some dailies weekend that the president had threatened to sink the boat if the governors refused or failed to endorse him.

"I am the president of this country; there is nothing I have asked from my party that was given to me. We are in this boat together and I am in charge of this boat; I will not go down alone", the President was quoted as telling the governors.

The affected dailies had also reported that it was after this threat that the governors decided to endorse Jonathan as their choice on the grounds that he would do a four-year single term.

However, speaking to journalists in Lagos yesterday, the president's spokesman, Mr. Ima Niboro, said contrary to the report, the president never forced the governors to endorse him.

According to him, "I was there at the meeting; there was never a time the president forced the governors to endorse him; never threatened anybody; in fact, the endorsement was done by the governors before the president arrived the venue of the meeting."

He said what the president said was that it would not be good enough that having worked with the governors for some months now some of them were still saying they could not trust him. He said that the president was just allaying some fears being expressed by some of the governors.

According to him, "The governors did what they did voluntarily with a strong conviction that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan can be trusted with power for the general interest of our nation."

LEADERSHIP gathered the endorsement communique was drafted by three state governors: Dr. Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Chief Goodswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) and Alhaji Ibrahim Shema (Katsina).

Niboro added that the dailies were not fair to the governors, wondering how a democratically elected president could intimidate or threaten democratically elected governors in a federal system. He said that was not the president's style when it comes to public administration.

He blamed the opposition for the misleading stories.

Meanwhile, fresh facts are now emerging why Jonathan accepted the one term condition given by the governors on the platform of the PDP before endorsing him as their preferred candidate for the 2011 presidential poll.

Last week, 20 PDP governors, in a press statement, endorsed the presidential bid of Jonathan with a proviso that he runs for one term only which terminates in 2015 and he, in turn, against the party directive, assures the governors of automatic second term ticket.

Speaking under a condition of anonymity, a very close ally to Jonathan faulted the media reports that claimed the president was literally forced into the deal and disclosed that Jonathan accepted the condition because it tallied with his interpretation of the relevant portion of the constitution.

"It is not true that President Goodluck Jonathan was forced to accept the one term tenure in his meeting with the PDP governors instead while the dialogue was going on and one of the governors raised the issue of tenure and asked him if he was ready for a single term and president Goodkuck said it is not how long but how far. The president told the gathering that one term was okay by him," disclosed the source.

According to this source, "The reason why he accepted this condition was because this has always been his interpretation of Section 137 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution and especially the new draft which says one must not be sworn into same office more than twice. You know, the president had been sworn into that exalted office once (after the demise of the late President Umaru Yar Adua) and if he won the next election and he is sworn in, that will make it twice as stipulated by the constitution. This is the truth position of what transpired at the meeting."

Speaking on the contradiction between the position of the president and the national chairman of the PDP over the second term ticket, our source said, "The two are saying the same thing because the fact that President Jonathan supports the second term for the governors does not remove the primaries just as their own endorsement of the president does not stop the presidential primary."