The Presidency on Monday insisted that President
Goodluck Jonathan did not sign any agreement with any individual or group that
he would serve only one term in office.
The Special Adviser to the President on Political
Matters, Ahmed Gulak, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents
in Abuja.
Gulak was reacting to a statement credited to the
spokesman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani, on Monday.
Sani had said that the crisis in the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party would be resolved if Jonathan respected agreements he
entered into with stakeholders before the 2011 elections.
He was commenting on the visits of five governors
– Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso (Kano), Muritala Nyako (Adamawa); Babangida Aliyu
(Niger); Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) – to Jonathan and some
past leaders.
He had said, “Our understanding of the G-5
governors is that they want governors to be carried along in the management of
their party; they want internal democracy and they want an end to divisions
within the party, and for President Jonathan to respect agreements he entered into
voluntarily with stakeholders.”
The Niger State governor had a few months ago
claimed that the President, before the 2011 elections, signed an
agreement that he would serve only one term of four years.
But Gulak told one of our correspondents that he had
challenged Aliyu to produce a copy of the agreement and the governor had not
been able to take up the challenge, seven months after.
He said, “Rather than insisting on an agreement
that does not exist – since anybody can contest for the highest office in the
land, those who are so interested should declare their interest and contest.
Commenting through his Director of Press, Ahmad
Sajo, Adamawa State governor said he and his four
colleagues did not discuss a single-term agreement with Jonathan
when they met with him recently.
He added that their discussion was only based
on the crisis in the PDP.
Sajo stated, “The governors did not discuss
anything about single term agreement with the President. As governors, they are
free to meet with the President to discuss the state of the nation because they
have responsibilities to their states.
When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to
the Sokoto State Governor, Sani Umar, said he was not aware that his
principal met with the President.
He said that if they met, he did not know what
they discussed.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Kano State
Governor, Aliyu Dantiye, could not be reached for comment as he declined
picking calls to his phone. A text message sent to him did not deliver as of
press time.
Source: Punch
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