The Presidency has said that President Goodluck Jonathan has no personal interest in the ongoing controversy surrounding the ban of a Bombardier Jet belonging to the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, made this remark in a chat with newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
Gulak, while commenting on the grounding of Amaechi’s aircraft by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said the Governor is not above the law.
He said the allegation by the Rivers state government that Amaechi is being witch-hunted is baseless, saying it was about obedience to lay down rules.
Gulak said, “If you are a Governor and you are flying a private jet, you must do it within the extant laws. There are laws governing the usage of private jets in this country and the world over and because you are a Governor does not give you the licence to flout the laws governing your country.
“Nigerians should be told in clear terms that no Governor is above the law and the fact that you have immunity does not mean that you can flout the law the way you want.”
When questioned on the forthcoming election of chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, the aide said: “Mr. President is ready to work with any chairman of the NGF. After all, the President is a constitutional organ while the NGF is not a constitutional organ.
“So why should Mr. President care about them. He does not care about who becomes the chairman of NGF.”
On the 2015 elections, Gulak said, Jonathan had not asked anybody to campaign for him.
He was reacting to a statement credited to the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Olajumoke Akinjide, who at an event in Ibadan, openly canvassed votes for the President in 2015.
“We have said it before that whether Mr. President will contest in 2015, it will be unveiled to Nigerians in 2014. Whatever anybody is saying or doing is on his own.”
According to him, the National Assembly is carrying out investigations on various sectors of governance in line with its oversight function.
Gulak, while reacting to speculation that plans were underway to probe former President, Obasanjo’s administration, said there was nothing of such.
“I believe that the former President (Obasanjo) expressed his opinion or his fears, but Mr. President has not said he will probe Oby Ezekwesili. The fact is that Nigerian government, especially this government, is always and constantly under probe,” he said.
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