Presidency, Tinubu clash over National Conference

The President and his men were in a frenzy yesterday over the position of All Progressives Congress (APC) leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the planned national dialogue.


Tinubu, on his return from a medical trip abroad on October 5, declared the planned talks as a “Greek gift”, which should be avoided because of the suspicious motive of the planners, especially President Goodluck Jonathan who suddenly dropped his long term opposition to the idea,

On Sunday, in an elaborate statement, the former Lagos State Governor expanded on his reason for opposing the plan.

He said: “Though I remain an unrepentant supporter of a genuine Sovereign National Conference, I am suspicious of their present concoction because it is half-baked, and fully deceptive. Government’s sincerity is questionable; the timing is also suspect. Now that this government is sinking in a pool of political and economic hot water of its own making, it seizes hold of the national conference idea as if it were a life jacket.”

Tinubu’s position is published on page 44 today.

Yesterday, Jonathan in his Eid-el-Kabir message, said: “Those who continue to say that the initiative is diversionary or aimed at promoting certain political ambitions are in error.”

Besides, according to the President, the decision is in line with his “avowed commitment and my firm belief in the right to freedom of expression and the right of all people in a democracy to make choices on how they wish to live and be governed that I recently announced plans for an orderly national conversation on our problems and challenges”.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe and Presidential Adviser on Amnesty Programme Mr Kinsley Kuku also replied Tinubu.

Okupe spoke at a news conference in Abuja. Kuku issued a statement, which is also published as an advertorial in newspapers today.

Okupe said Tinubu’s position on the conference does not represent the views of the majority of the Yoruba in the Southwest.

Tinubu never said he was speaking for the Yoruba. He also did not say he was speaking for his party, the APC. Rather, he said he was expressing his own personal opinion adding the he would consult with his party.

The President’s aide also faulted the APC leader’s query on Jonathan’s sincerity, saying the President had demonstrated reliability and capability in the handling of his administration’s electoral reform.

“The reference to the fact that Mr. President is calling for a national conference at a time when his party, the PDP, seems to be having an internal crisis is plainly mischievous and dishonest,” he said, adding: “The APC leader, as usual, is completely off target.”

“His assertion that there is an ulterior motive for the conference is purely conjectural and speculative; and has no foundation in any reasoning or logic. The onus is heavily on him to prove this, hence we will not dwell too much on this unjustifiable conclusion.

“We wish to state categorically that President Goodluck Jonathan has shown convincingly that he is a credible, reliable and capable leader by his unprecedented achievements in such a short space of time. He most certainly does not flip-flop as the opposition politician insinuates,” Okupe said.

On whether the President would have the courage to implement the resolutions of the conference, Okupe said since independence, this is the first time a Nigerian leader has called for such talks without a no-go-area clause.

Okupe said: “President Jonathan promised to embark on electoral reforms with the sole aim of giving Nigerians the full value of credible elections.

“It will be recalled that the very first general elections under the watch of President Jonathan was adjudged by both local and international observers, including leaders of foreign nations, such as America, Britain and France, as being one of the best ever in Nigerian history. This fact is further confirmed by a monumental reduction of almost 70 per cent of litigations arising from the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

“Another pointer to his commitment in this regard are the Edo and Ondo states governorship elections where the President’s party, PDP, lost and the entire process was commended by all Nigerians, including Bola Tinubu’s party, the then ACN. One, therefore, wonders the mischief that Bola Tinubu intended to play by the alleged non implementation of reports of the Justice Uwais committee on electoral reforms.

“Therefore, contrary to Senator Tinubu’s position, Mr President has demonstrated reliability and capability in his handling of his electoral reform promise to the Nigerian people.”

Okupe also criticised Tinubu’s position on the usage of SURE-P cash and the implementation of the Amnesty programme.

He said: “We submit for the records, the allocation to Sure-P and the projects to which the Federal Government has applied them. These are verifiable facts.

“The Federal Government receives 41per cent of the total Sure-P funds while all the States and Local Governments receive the remaining 59per cent. “

Okupe defended the Amnesty programme, adding: “The results of the various programmes of the Amnesty Office are self-evident and have definitely impacted positively on the lives and wellbeing of the youths and communities in the Niger Delta Region.”

Kuku said the amnesty programme had achieved its objective through well thought-out vocational training and formal education schemes for the former militants.

He then threw some posers, saying: “Is it a programme that has trained no fewer than 16,000 Niger Delta youths in three years that is a drain pipe? Is it a scheme through which commercial pilots have been produced for Nigeria that is a conduit pipe? What about the delegates currently undergoing jet/type-rating training at the Lufthansa Pilot Institute in Germany? Is it a programme that is producing aviation professionals, aeronautical engineers, marine/maritime technicians and technologists that is a conduit?”