The Presidency on Wednesday declared the willingness of President Goodluck Jonathan to not run for re-election in 2015 should the Senate pass its proposal for a single six-year non-renewable tenure into law.
Although President Jonathan has not officially declared his intention to run for a second term, his moves and those of his loyalists indicates that there is preparation for a run in the 2015 elections.
The Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution had over the weekend after their retreat in Lagos, recommended a non-renewable single six year tenure for the offices of President, Vice-President, governors and their deputies.
The Senate panel’s recommendation disqualifies Jonathan and incumbent governors from benefitting from the new arrangement if the recommendation becomes law.
The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, said there will be no second term ambition for the President if Senators decided to pass the single-term bill into law.
He was responding to the question on the response of the President to the proposal and whether the Presidency felt the proposal was targeting at derailing Jonathan’s 2015 ambition.
He said, “Nigerians will remember that it was President Jonathan that suggested an idea of single-term tenure from the beginning. So if the proposal becomes a law, the credit should go to the President.
“If it becomes a law and is enshrined in our constitution, the President and everybody will be bound by the provision of that law. Let us wait and see what happens.
“We are not seeing the move as a way of stopping President Jonathan from re-contesting in 2015. The law cannot be made because of one individual.When it takes effect, everybody will be bound by it.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, had justified the proposal on Wednesday saying that the development was the outcome of public hearings across the country.
Jonathan had in 2011 suggested a single-term of seven years for elective offices to avoid the wrangling often associated with second-term bids.
In a related development, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, said on Wednesday that the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution would answer questions about the nature of Nigeria’s unity.
Tambuwal spoke at the opening of a retreat for members of the House AdHoc Committee on Constitution Review in Abuja, which is headed by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, and organized to allow House members appraise the report of the People’s Public Sessions on the constitution and prepare them for the next stage of the review process.
The public sessions were held across the federation on November 10, 2012, where Nigerians voted on a 43-item template on sections of the constitution they desired amendments.
Tambuwal acknowledged that Nigeria was facing many challenges, which had forced the citizens to ask questions on the nature of the country’s union and assured that the fears expressed by the people would be addressed by the new constitution envisaged.
He said, “As you well know, our country today faces many challenges and some of our people have been asking questions about the very nature of our union.
“We hope eventually to provide Nigerians with a constitution that will answer some of these questions and further cement our hard fought unity.”
The Speaker claimed that reactions from Nigerians since the House publicly tendered the report of the People’s Public Sessions on April 18 was indicative that they had confidence in the National Assembly to do a thorough representation of their views in the constitution.
However, he warned the committee members against cutting corners or attempting to impose their own views on the people in the course of appraising the report.
He said, “So far, you have all shown remarkable patriotism but I must again emphasise the need for your work to be free of all personal bias.
“You must work only on data provided by the nationwide public hearing and your conclusion should reflect the aggregate opinion of fellow Nigerians.”
But the deputy speaker said, “The results of the Peoples Public Sessions as unveiled by the House would be subjected to proper legislative action as required by the Standing Orders of the House and by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
“There are no short-cuts. This retreat will give members of the committee acting on behalf of the entire House the opportunity to brainstorm on the language of the amendments where consensus has been reached.
“It is pertinent to note that the National Assembly is one. For this process to work, the House and Senate Constitution Review Committees must work together to propose the same bills and vote on the same issues.
“The Senate and the House of Representatives must an reach agreement before any section of the constitution is amended. Indeed, two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly must agree (as well).”