Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, has alleged that some politicians from the North were blackmailing President Goodluck Jonathan not to contest in the 2015 elections.
He said the politicians had tried to discourage the president from running by insisting that vying in 2015 would mean a third tenure for Jonathan.
Nwuche spoke yesterday, at a meeting with elders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ahoada West and Ahoada East, in Port Harcourt.
He said despite repeated claims by some prominent Northern politicians that Jonathan signed an agreement that he would serve for only one tenure, no one has produce an evidence of such agreement.
According to him, “President Jonathan duly completed the tenure of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who died in office. His first term under the law started in May 29, 2011. So, all the talk about Jonathan having already served his first term in 2005/2006 before contesting for the presidency in 2011 is sheer blackmail.
“When they realised that their position was not supported by the constitution, they turned around to say that Jonathan entered into a pact with some Northern leaders to serve for only a term of four years as president. It is all politics. None of them has been able to produce an evidence of the purported agreement.”
He declared that Jonathan did not enter into agreement with any person or group, adding that the idea of an agreement gives a wrong impression that some people were claiming to be landlords in Nigeria, while others were tenants.
“Nobody owns Nigeria more than the other Nigerian. We all own Nigeria. No one can claim to be the owner of Nigeria. Nigeria belongs to all of us. So the idea of a landlord and tenant is out of the question,” he said.
He called on the people of the region to support Jonathan to run for a second term.
“President Jonathan should not be afraid of anyone, let him run for a second term. We should support him. He is our son and so we should support him. It is not in our character to drag down our brother. Whenever he comes out to seek our support, we should support him. We should all come out and support Jonathan for a second term,” Nwuche said.
He urged the elders and stakeholders to encourage their supporters to come out and vote during the 2015 general elections, adding that it was necessary for the electorate to ensure that their votes would count in 2015.
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