Mr President therefore should Beware of Ides of March, go ahead and allow Jega to conclude the elections, unless he wants to fan the embers of some Doomsayers that had predicted the disintegration of Nigeria.
Press Statement
Jega's Removal : President Jonathan Beware Ides of March
Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) is outraged with the rumours gaining currency of the intendment of the presidency to remove Professor Attahiru Jega; and consequently heartily cautions President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, to Beware of Ides of March.
A careful perusal of the statement made by the Minister of Culture and Tourism and the Supervising Minister of Information , Chief Edem Duke to the effect that, 'Jega wants to try a new system of accreditation without briefing the President over the issue. No freedom is absolute. Section 125 of the constitution forbids electronic voting. Although the Card Reader cannot be used for voting, it is for checking votes', signals danger.
We are heartily cautioning Mr President to Beware of Ides of March, not only because the month of March is the new date for the presidential election, but because a similar goading of the then President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda (rtd) to mangle and manipulate presidential election happened in 1993 and the unintended consequences uncountable. Beware Ides of March Mr President.
Granted that General Babaginda survived the annulment of the June 12 presidential elections, it tainted irretrievably his regime and cost our dear countrymen blood, sweat and tears, this is avoidable as it definitely will be more disastrous, and may lead to bloodshed.
Unfortunately like in 1993, Jonathan Must Stay Campaigners typical of the defunct Association of Better Nigeria led by self serving Senator Arthur Nzeribe are mutating and intensifying their campaigns for the elongation of Jonathan's regime for less than altruistic motives.
If history is to be revisited, we recall that in 2010 during the hey days of late President Umaru Musa Yaradua's incapacity, the CNPP in coalition with other patriots, civil society organizations and the clergy led by Pastor Tunde Bakare formed the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and on the Abuja Streets and other major cities of the country canvassed for confirmation of the then Vice President Jonathan as Acting President and eventually full President.
In gratitude President Jonathan promised SNG delegation to implement fully the core ingredients of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee recommendations, among which is public recruitment of chairman, National and Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Elections (INEC) and burden of proof to rest with INEC.
On assumption of office via doctrine of necessity and on the eve of the 2011 general elections, Mr President reneged on the promise of public recruitment of the chairman and officials of the INEC and appointed Professor Jega as chairman. Jega returned him as president, with tons of praises by Chief Edwin Clark and co, same clan who are today calling for Jega's head. The rest they say is history.
For the avoidance of doubt, Jega as chairman of INEC is neither a civil servant nor has been indicted and therefore conditionalities applicable to civil servants is not applicable to his appointment as chairman of INEC.
The chairman of INEC's removal is explicitly stated in Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria thus,'a person holding any of the offices to which this section applies may only be removed from that office by the president acting on an address supported by two-third majority of the Senate praying that he be so removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office....'
In sum, the Ides of March is a notorious date in Roman Calender as the date Julius Ceaser was assassinated in 44 BC.
Mr President therefore should Beware of Ides of March, go ahead and allow Jega to conclude the elections, unless he wants to fan the embers of some Doomsayers that had predicted the disintegration of Nigeria.
Mr Osita Okechukwu
National Publicity Secretary
CNPP