I witnessed Jonathan agreed to single term -Nasarawa ex-gov

A former Governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, said on Thursday that he was present at a meeting where President Goodluck Jonathan agreed to serve a single term in office as a candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

The former governor who spoke on a Channels Television interview, which was monitored by our correspondent in Abuja, said that the meeting where the agreement was reached was held at the Conference Room of the office of the First Lady, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The agreement, he said, was reached after the death of former President Umaru Yar'Adua, who he said was the candidate of the region before his untimely death.

Adamu, who was then the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the ruling party, said that the meeting was also attended by almost all the governors of the party and a former Governor of old Bendel State, Brig. Gen Samuel Ogbemudia(retd).

He said, 'I believe it is the right of every Nigerian within the Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria to run for the highest office in the land.

 'I cannot deny him that constitutional right. But I do know of the philosophy that it is not everything that you can do that you do. I know that as a fact.

“And I was party to the incident. Our president, His Excellency Goodlcuk Jonathan was in the meeting. I was in the meeting in the Villa, in the First Lady's Conference Room when the issue of zoning came, when the issue of whether he would be allowed to contest in the first place came.

“This was after he had taken over and was completing Yar'Adua's tenure.'Adamu said that it was because of this promise from the President that made the leadership of the party and the governors to allow him contest with the hope that the slot would come back to the north after four year's of Jonathan's presidency.

He insisted that it was clear to all that Yar'Adua didn't complete the slot of the northern region before he died.

According to him, 'He was given the opportunity to contest and it was clear it would come back to the North because the rotation is north and south. That is the rotation essentially.

“As far as PDP  was concerned, Yar'Adua had the northern slot so to say and he didn't complete his tenure. He, as vice president, took over which is okay. After taking over he wanted another shot, and he was allowed.

“Before the Convention, a decision is usually taken that this is the person to support, maybe one or two candidates or so. He was out there. He was an incumbent president. He defeated Atiku. And he agreed to do only one term.

“He said if the President decided to seek another term, he would be violating the agreement.

“By running, he is absolutely reneging on an agreement. I am saying I was in PDP. I was part and parcel of an agreement for the power shift. I'm saying our dear president was part of that agreement,” Adamuinsisted.

Meanwhile,  more facts had emerged on why the Federal Government withdrew the corruption charges filed against Mohammed Abacha, son of a former dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha(retd.).

It was learnt that the President, who is likely going to pick the presidential nomination of his party in 2015, had been prevailed upon to support Mohammed to also pick the PDP governorship ticket in Kano Sate.

Mohammed was almost picking the ticket of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change in 2011 before such ambition was truncated by the Presidential candidate of the CPC, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari(retd).

Buhari had reasoned that it would be morally wrong for the son of the former dictator to run for the office of a governor because of the numerous cases of corruption hanging on his neck.

Besides, Mohammed has also returned huge sum of money to the coffers of government from the proceeds of corruption from his family.Mohammed had been accused of receiving stolen property worth N100.38 billion, but the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,  Mr. Adoke Mohammed (SAN), applied to court on Wednesday to withdraw the charge.

A presidency source said, 'You know that Mohammed had since defected to the ruling party. We know he is popular in his home state.'This is the season of politics and we are ready to play it. Mohammed is a popular person in his state. If he can win election for us there, why not!” Punch