President Goodluck Jonathan explained why he is yet to declare his decision on whether he would run as a presidential candidate the next year. According to him, doing so now would contravene the electorial laws.
Jonathan, who spoke yesterday on CNBC Africa on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland, said he would wait for the specific time, as prescribed by the INEC.
"I
am not going to talk about whether I am standing for election or not
because it is not in line with our laws," he told the television station
.
"INEC have a time frame within which
candidates are expected to declare. If you declare before that time you
are actually contravening the Nigerian laws. So I won't tell anybody
that I am contesting or that I'm not contesting.
"It
is not proper for me to do that. It is not proper for any Nigerian to
declare any interest now. If you do that you are contravening our
electoral laws."
INEC's deputy director of public affairs Nick Dazang has commented on the President's words
"According
to the Electoral Act, candidates can only declare their interest to
contest for an office when INEC issued the timetable for election.
"After
that, their parties can open the sale of forms for interested
persons... Unless INEC issues the timetable for the elections,
candidates cannot declare their political interest. But mark you, we
have not yet issued the timetable for the election."
Also, Jonathan spoke on the circumstances of his becoming President in 2010 and his subsequent election in 2011.
"When you talk about election, 2011, I contested. I became a President when the late President [Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, 1951 – 2010] died. I took over by virtue of our constitution.
"We
have challenges. I can say that I was just a President standing on one
leg because I was not formally elected but still I promised the world
that we must make sure that our elections are free and fair. At the end
of that election both local and international observers said, 'Yes, it is the first time Nigerians have conducted elections that was free and fair.'
"I
am telling the world now that the 2015 elections will be free and fair,
credible and will be peaceful though we know there are flash points
now, but before the middle of this year most will die down and the world
will know that Nigeria will again conduct election that will be free
and fair."
The Independent National Electoral Commission has
recently maintained that the general elections may be held in
January-February, 2015
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