Jonathan’s endorsement of Jang shameful, says CPC

[PeoplesDaily]

CPC Logo By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) at the weekend described as shameful, the recent statement credited to President Goodluck Jonathan in which he allegedly endorsed the controversial election of Governor of Plateau state, Jonah Jang, as the genuine Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Rotimi Fashakin, CPC said the alleged endorsement has proved insinuations that Jonathan was behind the recent division and crises in the NGF and its election.

"It would be recalled that on Friday, 24th May, 2013, thirty-five out the Nation's thirty-six governors voted in an election to election a new chairman for a two-year tenure. The incumbent Chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, of Rivers state sought a re-election.

"The President, Dr. Good-luck Jonathan, did not believe that the Rivers Governor's re-election would be helpful for his re-election bid in 2015.

He plotted, using the platform of his party, People's Democratic Party (PDP, to truncate Mr. Amaechi's ambition.

"At first, a new platform for PDP governors was birthed with a fierce Jonathan-loyalist in charge", the statement said.

The CPC also alleged that the earlier date set for the election was put off to enable the anti-Amaechi coalition, under the aegis of the PDP governors' group, to gain some momentum for the task.

According to the statement, "the high-wire intrigues deployed by the PDP high command belied the determination of the President to use the election as the litmus-test for his readiness to capture the country in 2015.

"As a way of getting firm assurance of victory, endorsement of his preferred candidate, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau state, was purportedly assented by nineteen PDP Governors before the election."

While emphasizing that this anti-democratic stance should not surprise anyone familiar with PDP's brand of democracy, CPC said the split in the NGF was the impetus needed by the leaders of PDP to unveil the plan for ensuring distortion of the Nation's electoral process.

"As a party, we are appalled by the President's abandonment of the ship of state to cause needless overheating of the polity. The NGF, as it stands, remains a voluntary platform among Nigeria's governors, with no constitutional function.

"How the election of the chairman of the NGF captured the animated interest of the President, despite the seeming myriad of issues besetting the nation state, is still puzzling. This, of course, is another attestation of the President's besmirched reputation for wrong priorities." the party said.

The post Jonathan's endorsement of Jang shameful, says CPC appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria.

Peoples Daily Newspaper