Jonathan, Tinubu in war of words over National Conference
President Goodluck Jonathan and former
Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, on Monday engaged each other in
verbal punches over the proposed national conference, with the president
declaring that contrary to Mr. Tinubu’s claim, the dialogue was not
diversionary, neither was it meant to achieve a political end.
It was also a day the president’s aide,
Doyin Okupe, said the former governor’s position on the planned talks
did not represent the views of the majority of Yoruba people in the
South West.
Mr. Tinubu, had upon his return from a
medical trip early October, said the planned national dialogue,
announced by Mr. Jonathan in his independence day broadcast to the
nation, was “diversionary and deceptive”.
The All Progressive Congress, APC,
leader, also alleged that the dialogue was being packaged to promote Mr.
Jonathan’s 2015 presidential ambition. He maintained that position in
remarks he gave Monday.
Mr. Tinubu said while he welcomed the
planned talks, such a serious exercise cannot be left in the hands of a
“flip-flopping” administration that had done little to draw public
trust.
He challenged the president to, as a
show of seriousness, implement first, the recommendations of the
previous conference convened by the Obasanjo administration, and
proposals endorsed by the electoral reform committee headed by former
Chief Justice of the Federation, Muhammed Uwais.
Mr. Jonathan fired the first salvo
Monday, using his message to the nation as Muslims prepared to mark
Eid-el-Kabir, to subtly respond to Mr. Tinubu as being “in error”.
“Those who continue to say that the
initiative is diversionary or aimed at promoting certain political
ambitions are in error,” the president said in his message.
The president said the decision to
convene the dialogue was informed by his avowed commitment and 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.
Mr. Jonathan added that it was the
desire of his administration for the majority of Nigerians to key into
the process and agree on the best way forward for Nigeria.
“My administration remains fully
committed to the implementation of measures and policies that will
further promote and enhance national peace, stability and progress,” he
said.
“It is in keeping with that 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.”
He added that his administration’s
desire “is for the greatest possible majority of Nigerians to key into
the process and agree on the best way forward for our dear nation.”
The president said he had been greatly
encouraged by the very positive reaction of various national interest
groups to the initiative, and urged all Nigerians to offer their support
to the conference.
Earlier, while addressing journalists in
Abuja, the president’s aide, Mr. Okupe, described Mr Tinubu’s claim
that the proposed dialogue was tainted with selfish motive, as purely
conjectural and in the realm of speculation.
“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,” he said.
The presidential aide stated further,
“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.”
Mr. Okupe unfolded his principal’s
achievement since he assumed power, recalling among other things that he
had delivered on electoral reforms.
The presidential aide said the APC leader spoke ignorantly on the various issues.
According to him, Mr Tinubu’s “myopia
and beclouded diatribe on this matter reveals the narrow mindedness of a
local politician totally insensitive to the genuine sensibilities of
other sub-nationalities within the polity.
“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 youth and communities in
the Niger Delta region,” he said.
On the former governor’s allegation that
Mr. Jonathan was organizing a national conference when his (president)
party was bedevilled with internal crisis, Mr. Okupe said he (Tinubu)
was merely being mischievous and dishonest.
“The APC leader, as usual, is completely
off target. Desperate politicians and self-seeking political leaders
tend to believe that their quest for power or insatiable appetite for
wealth accumulation through politics is superior to the genuine desires
and innate aspiration of the ordinary Nigerians,” Mr. Tinubu said.
“Senator Tinubu in his criticism of the
conference asked: “Where is the capability, where is the sincerity?” He
also queried: “Will this president have the guts to implement fully all
final resolutions of the conference without fear or favour?”
“On all these queries, we state that for
the first time in the history of post-independence Nigeria, a Federal
Government took a bold initiative to call for a National Conference
without the obnoxious “no-go-areas” so that Nigerians can once and for
all have the opportunity to address all pertinent issues regarding the
polity and has also given the advisory committee freewill to determine
its nature and/or structure. This is a definite demonstration of
boldness and sincerity by the administration of President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan.
“Our dear Senator Tinubu wants the
Yoruba Nation and indeed the people of Lagos State to believe that he is
sincere in rendering public service to the state and the people,
whereas he has heavily garrisoned the state political apparatus with a
sizeable number of his immediate family members.”
Responding to the issues raised by Mr.
Okupe, the APC leader said he did not expect any less a vitriolic
outburst from presidential “cry-babies”, adding that he would leave
Nigerians to judge since they were the ones feeling the pains.
“The reaction of Goodluck Jonathan’s
presidential cry-babies to Tinubu’s extensive comments on the proposed
national conference was predictable,” he said in a statement signed by
his media adviser, Sunday Dare, late Monday.
“As usual, rather than deal with the
salient and substantial issues surrounding the proposed National
Conference raised by former Governor Tinubu, the reaction from the
presidency skirted around them.
“In typical fashion it resorted to
abusive language and name calling. Okupe, like a punch drunk pugilist
threw several empty jabs and went on a flight of fancy praising his boss
and flaunting fictional achievements of the administration in the face
of Nigerians.
“We leave it to Nigerians to judge. They
are the ones who feel the pains and millions will not be able to relate
to all the fictional transformational achievements reeled out by the
Presidency. Nigerians are saddled with a President who believes fiction
is more important than fact and imagination is more genuine than
reality.
“While we would not mind such a person
to be a leading figure in our Nollywood film industry, I am frightened
that he is the Chief Resident of Aso Villa and surrounded by a cast of
like minds.”
