A northern group under the auspices of Transformation Agenda Solidarity Forum, has thrown its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term ambition in 2015.
Leader of the group, Alhaji Muhammad Gwaska, told newsmen in Abuja yesterday that the constitution still allows the President to seek re-election if he so wishes.
Gwaska, a former chairman of the Federal Character Commission, averred that it was wrong for anyone to stop Jonathan from going for second term, probably because he was sworn-in after the death of the late President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
According to him, Jonathan had only contested the presidential election once and was eligible to run in 2015 if he so desires.
He said, “Let me tell you and let me tell every Nigerian that we have a constitution and we must respect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“What I know is that under the constitution of this country, a person who is elected as president will serve the first tenure of four years and at the end of that, if members of his political party are willing, they could still urge him to contest for another four years, and that is the second tenure.
“He will contest general election along with other candidates who are sponsored by other political parties.
“If at the end of the general election, he emerges victorious, then it means Nigerians have given him opportunity to finish his second tenure, making it a period of eight years and that makes it conclusive.”
Gwaska added that “We want everybody to understand that in 2010, President Jonathan had to take over because of the death of his boss; and under the constitution, once the president dies, the vice president takes over.”
“The first time he (Jonathan) contested election on his own, as Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was on April 16, 2011 and he won the election. He got sworn in on May 29, 2011. So, from May 29, 2011 President Jonathan started his first tenure as President of Nigeria which means he is now qualified, I repeat, qualified if he wants to contest election in 2015.
“If the good people of Nigeria accept and vote for him, that will wind up his eight years as his own personal mandate from Nigerians,” he said.
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