Only the amendment of the constitution could stop President Goodluck Jonathan from running for a second term come 2015, Edwin Clark, an Ijaw elder has said.
Receiving a delegation of second Republic legislators led by Umar Karato Lawal, in his house in Asokoro, Abuja, the former Federal Commissioner insisted that with the present constitution, Jonathan must be allowed to run his full eight years term.
The former legislators had come to pledge support for President Jonathan ahead of 2015. Clark, who thanked them for the visit, opined that very few politicians are bent on heating up the polity for their selfish interest.
“Nigeria is great, only few people want to confuse this country because of their personal ambitions. Today is Mr. President’s turn, tomorrow it will be another man’s turn. That is why we have the constitution, he said”.
The elder statesman said further, “the constitution says that before you can be qualified to be a president of this country, you must have contested through elections and after the first term of four years, you can contest again for a second term of another four years. Thereafter, you will not be eligible again, that is the law.
“The law does not state that remain in office for one term, you can enter into agreement with some individuals that after your one term, someone else will come in, that will be illegal. Such an agreement will be null and void, unconstitutional; nobody can change the constitution of Nigeria that is the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Even though people are saying that it is imperfect, it is perfect until it is changed or amended. I think under section 137, Mr. President is entitled to two terms that is of eight years and as a former member you recognize that in your time Alhaji Shehu Shagari, first President of the 2nd republic Federal Republic of Nigeria was elected president of this country in 1979 and he remained in office until 1983 when we sat down again at the convention and re elected him.
“You were all there and that was the time all of you left but that was the time some of us were elected as senators but for the military ambition, some of them here said it is time for us military to rule so they over threw our Government in December 1983. We woke up and they said we are no longer in office otherwise Alhaji Shehu Shagari should have remained in office until the end of his 2nd term.
“Then, Obasanjo was elected the president of this country in 1999. In 2003, he re contested in accordance with the provision of the Nigeria constitution for another 4years even though his deputy was trying to over throw him, he couldn’t succeed because of the constitution. Nigeria said come back again for another eight years. It was when he wanted to go beyond what the constitution provided then Nigerians said enough is enough.
“Nigeria is a great country, we have no other country to go to and if today all of us believe in one country and that whoever is the president of this country or whoever that pleases God to appoint as the highest person in the country, we have the duty to support him and that is what we have come to do.”
He enjoined Nigerians to shun ethnicity on the road to 2015, saying irrespective of origin, a Nigerian should be free to aspire to the top position in the land once he is competent and qualified.
His words, “So I am appealing to all Nigerians that this country is very large, everybody should be able to become what he wants to be if he is competent and qualified irrespective of where he comes from. So today I see, Kano man, Sokoto, Ekiti and other places coming to say that Mr. President is entitled to two term.”
