President Goodluck Jonathan

Onyebuchi Ezigbo

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, has said President Goodluck Jonathan believed that no one except God has the power to enthrone whoever will be the President after the 2015 elections.

The expressed resolve of President Jonathan came on the heels of the displeasure expressed by Gulak over an alleged move by the Governor of Imo State,  Chief Rochas Okorocha, to trample on the rule of law by side-lining the 27 elected local government chairmen in the state.

Against the background of speculations over the likely impact of the reported  move by  former President Olusegun Obasanjo to dump the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2015 elections, Gulak said it is only God that can give one power and not man.

He said Jonathan feels  he should rather allow God to decide his fate  on the matter than to dissipate  energy on a matter that is not within his control.

“Whether or not Jonathan will take a shot at 2015 is not yet decided.  The fate of every human being who aspires to be president is in the hands of God. The fate of President Jonathan with regard to 2015 elections is in the hands of God and in the hands of Nigerians,” he said.

While throwing more light on President Jonathan’s stand on the issue of  re-contesting the Presidency  at the next general election, the presidential aide said no individual or group of persons can intimidate Jonathan to take a decision otherwise planned by him.

Regarding calculations and permutations in respect of the 2015 Presidency, he said President Jonathan has the constitutional right to contest the election and that it is a fundamental right that cannot be taken away by anybody.

“No person can abridge Jonathan’s constitutional rights to aspire to that office. Nigerians should be allowed to choose who they want to lead them.  I cannot remember at point when Nigerians have together to give any person the power to anoint any person to become President of this country. Only God can anoint somebody to the exalted office,” he said.

Gulak while explaining the Jonathan’s intention when he said his government was the most critiqued in the world, said Nigerians would marvel by 2015 when a lot of the transformational programmes  of government would have taken shape.

He said Federal Government was making steady progress in some of the key economic drivers in the areas of power sector, road infrastructure,  healthcare and transport, adding that in less than two months, the Lagos-Kano  railway route would begin operation.
Speaking on the  perceived  political  influence of  the former President Olusegun  Obasanjo, Gulak advised against over-blowing the ex-President’s power to dictate things.

“I will like to say with all sense responsibility that Nigerians should not make God out of Obasanjo.  Obasanjo is not God and it is only God that gives person power, it is only God that can say Mr. A you will be President and it will come to pass, no human being can play God.

“What I am saying is that Obasanjo should not play God and journalists and indeed Nigerians should not try to make God out of Obasanjo.

The Presidential aide also commented on his face-off with Governor Okorocha over the reinstatement of sacked local council  chairmen in the state.

He said there was nothing personal but that the position of the Federal Government took was aimed at getting the governor to obey the judgement of the Appeal Court and reinstate the Local Government chairmen.

According to Gulak, “it amounted to a disservice to the nation and the very constitution that the Governor swore to uphold for him to descend to the level of disrespecting the rule of law and attempting throw out of office elected local council chairmen”.

“You will remember that Governor Okorocha was elected on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and immediately he was sworn-in he dissolved the duly-elected chairmen of the local government councils under the PDP without any reason.  He moved on to set up caretaker committees for the local councils in utter disregard of constitutional provisions,” he said.