2015 election: Stop distracting Jonathan – Gulak warns Obasanjo

[Emmy Baba]

Against the backdrop of insinuations in political circles that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed Governors Sule Lamido and Rotimi Amaechi of Jigawa and Rivers states respectively as President and Vice President in 2015 elections, Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Mr. Ahmed Gulak yesterday warned the former president to desist from dabbling into the political future of President Goodluck Jonathan but to join hand with him in delivering his electoral promises to Nigerians.

Obasanjo has, however, denied working towards installing anyone in the next polls, saying he has been pre-occupied with more pressing national issues such as security, poverty, malaria, polio and infant and maternal mortality, to have time for politics.

Governor Amaechi had also denied he was running with Lamido, while some northern groups had received the news of Lamido's choice with jubilation.

Gulak, who handed down the warning in an exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja, asked Obasanjo to stop distracting the president by unnecessarily stirring the political waters.

The 27 Local Government Areas in Jigawa State are reported to have burst into dancing and singing when the news of the governor's consideration for the nation's top job, filtered into Dutse, the state capital on Monday.

Jonathan's political adviser, who was apparently irked by the development, said it was unfortunate for the former President to be involved in the alleged endorsement of the two serving governors, when there was a sitting President and leader of the party.

Gulak said, "If it is true that Obasanjo is fronting Lamido and Amaechi for 2015, I assume it is not true, I would say that he has his own right. But the question is in what capacity would he do that?

"Is it as the father of the nation or the President of Nigeria or what? First, Obasanjo is not the president of Nigeria and secondly, although he is one of our leaders, nobody has arrogated the monopoly of anointing candidates to him.

"Having said that, if it is true that Obasanjo has done what has been credited to him, then it is safe to say that he is not fair to this country and I believe that what this country needs to do is to deliver on the promises made to the electorate in 2011″.