Calls for abrogation of appointment of INEC chairman by president
Ime Akpan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday called for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference saying his government could not do so because the administration was constrained by time.
Jonathan stated this while speaking at a book launch titled ‘The Dream: Pursuing the black renaissance through the murky waters of Nigerian politics’ written by the former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, Dr. Femi Okurounmu, to commemorate his (Okurounmu’s) birthday.
He said his government received the report when elections were approaching and the executive and legislature were busy preparing for the polls.
He explained that the implementation of the recommendations of the conference report required amendment of the constitution and that the national assembly did not have the time to go through the process.
“I noticed that each time I express this belief and optimism, I always get hit with the counter narrative that seems to question my inability to implement the recommendations during my presidency.
“This is a question I have answered in many fora. My book, ‘My Transition Hours’, Chapter 10 provides detailed answers in this regard.
“My administration was prepared to change the narrative for our constitutional democracy with the assurance that sovereignty really belongs to the people.
“However, we were time constrained. The conference was concluded less than one year to the end of my tenure.
“We received the report specifically on August 21, 2014, at a time the nation was in the mood of electioneering.
“Then the members of the national assembly, whose duty it was to consider and validate the process, were pre-occupied with the battle of political survival.
“I believed that given the nature of the consultations and due deliberations involved in advancing the process, an orderly and systematic implementation could have been concluded in less than a year.
“It was obvious we did not have that time before the end of my administration,” he said.
The former president also said his administration did not insist on a rushed implementation because he did not want be seen to have organised the conference to gain political popularity.
Besides, he said the conference was convoked to address some of the challenges the country was facing.
However, he said some of the challenges are still plaguing the country today.
He said he was optimistic that they would be addressed if the recommendations were implemented.
“Our country is faced on all corners by a multiplicity of challenges, bothering mainly on security and national cohesion.
“Although these problems are not new, the discord has continued to widen over time.
“I understand that efforts are being made toward addressing some of these challenges, however, we seem to play politics with sensitive and serious matters.
“The call for reforms has continued to grow louder, gathering the kind of momentum that should no longer be overlooked, if the nation must make real progress.
“I believe that the solutions to most of the problems we face today lie in our honest assessment of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.
“If we take politics out of our consideration, it is likely that a diligent implementation of the key recommendations of the conference will lead the nation out of the woods,” he said.
Jonathan, who was chairman of the book launch, said he believed the implementation of the conference report would calm frayed nerves and promote solidarity.
More so, he called for electoral reforms to strengthen the nation’s democracy.
He said the appointment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and election petition tribunals should not be handled by the President, who he described as a powerful politician.
He said it is important for another body outside the presidency should set up the electoral management body and the tribunal to guarantee impartiality, neutrality and credibility of the process.
The event, which was held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Yaba, was chaired by Jonathan.
Some other dignitaries at the event were Oyo State deputy governor, Mr. Remi Olaniyan, Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, book reviewer, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, chairman of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd, Dr. Wale Babalakin, Dr. Amos Akingba, Alhaja Ganiat Fawehinmi, Mohammed Fawehinmi, Yeye Bola Doherty, Chief Supo Sonibare, Prof. Ope Adekunle, Dr. Dapo Afonja, Senator Gbenga Kaka, Prof. Wale Adebanwi, and Mr. Odia Ofeimun, among others.
