Nigeria: Insurgency - Only APC Members Are Criticising Jonathan - - Mbadinuju

Lawyer, journalist, and former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju was one of two governors elected in 1999, who failed to win a second term. In this interview, he traces the conspiracies he claims aborted his second term dreams, and for that reason, strongly rejects what he claims are similar conspiracies against President Goodluck Jonathan. He also reviews the proceedings and conclusions of the recent National Conference and dismisses the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, as a pack of troublemakers for the polity. Excerpts:


DO you see the state of insecurity as a reflection of a weak presidency?
I don't see Jonathan as a weak president. Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, does not see him as a weak president. Majority of Nigerians do not see him as weak. Even many opposition parties and members do not see the president as weak. What we should remember is that there is a clear difference between a civilian president and military president. A military president rules by decree and it does not matter to him whose ox is gored.
In the case of president Jonathan his clarion call is adherence to Nigeria's constitution, rule of law, equity and fairness. This form of rulership is very often seen as weakness on the part of the president whom many people expect to perform in a military fashion.
Military fashion
President Jonathan's mantra of one-man, one-vote single him out as a real democrat, and he did not allow wuru-wuru as part of elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra and Ekiti. He still maintained his stand on Osun election. So one can safely conclude that rather than being weak, President Jonathan will be remembered as the best active and action-packed President Nigeria has had.
What is your stance on the recent spate of impeachment of governors in the country?
Impeachment is not new to politics. It is a process of accusing a public or government official of misconduct while in office. In short, it is a legal process of removing an undesirable person from office.
It is a hard and difficult road to tread upon. Those who passed through it whether good or bad would not want to go through it again.
The PDP was not going round looking for whom to impeach, except when the occasion warranted it. The occasion came when seven governors of the party (PDP) decided to defect to APC, though two of those seven withdrew leaving five of them now in APC. If they had defected and kept quiet and not rubbed it in, it could have been condoned.
But one of the five committed further offence by charging the nation's president with crime against humanity. Even if Mr. President were just a citizen, was the defecting governor entitled to abuse anybody anyhow?
So the State House of Assembly, following the procedure, impeached the governor and removed him from office. The remaining defectors are still spitting fire and brimstone against PDP and its leadership including Mr. President. So we can see that it was not the PDP that provoked matters that led to the impeachment. Those defected governors benefited enormously from the party.
They were given ticket to vie against other parties and the said governors won on the platform of PDP with active support of Mr. President.
Or should the party just sit there and watch their members polluted with the rabid and unspeakable venom the opponents pour on PDP and its members? Any neutral umpire will definitely give a good verdict in favour of PDP and very bad mark for opposition which kept provoking the major party that could easily swallow the rest of the opposing parties.