Against 2011 Presidential Elections, President Jonathan Instructs Tribunal To Return Gov. Peter Obi

Source: ukpakareports.com

The promise of a credible and corruption-free election made by the then Acting President Goodluck Jonathan at the eve of his swearing-in as the substantive President of Nigeria appears a dissipating promise as the 2011 presidential electoral exercise draws near. This is as political permutations emanating from the electoral equations within the ruling People's Democratic Party [PDP] have placed President Goodluck Jonathan squarely against his promise. His recent trip to Abia State to receive the re-entry of the State governor into the PDP, according to credible information available to ukpakareports.com, depicts the symptoms of his new drive to win the 2011 presidential tussle at all cost, a do or die affair.

Impeccable sources reveal to our investigators that President Goodluck Jonathan's interest in the Anambra Tribunal hearings has led to the subversion of justice – to the extent that the entire litigants at the Tribunal have asked for the Judges that make up the panel to excuse themselves from the case. The ruling on whether to excuse themselves is scheduled for Friday September 3rd 2010 in Awka, Anambra State.

As gathered, Jonathan has concluded talks with the tribunal Judges on allowing the status quo remain. Through the involvement of Rochas Okorocha, the head of Red Cross, it was facilitated for Governor Peter Obi reach out to the Tribunal Judges at the residence of Rochas Okorocha in Asokoro in Abuja in the first week of July 2010. Following this, the Tribunal delivered a highly controversial ruling that raised many eyebrows as to the suspicious nature of the ruling. The Tribunal Judges ruled that Governor Peter Obi won the required 25% votes in 2/3 of the local government area [LGA] against the INEC guidelines which inferred that Governor Peter Obi failed to reach the requirement. According to INEC's documented stipulations, percentage votes are determined using total votes cast and not total valid votes. And in using the total votes cast to calculate the percentage votes, it shows that Peter Obi failed to win the required number of LGA. But the Tribunal Judges in a puzzling manner simply waved it aside and delivered a ruling in favor of Peter Obi. A ruling which a highly placed source within the INEC indicated was suspect.

Following the purchased ruling, ukpakareports.com was informed that a pact was reached between Peter Obi and Jonathan. The pact was for Peter Obi to deliver Anambra to the win column for the PDP in the 2011 presidential elections – and for Peter Obi to join the PDP at the conclusion of the Tribunal case. To this end, the South East governor's forum under the leadership of Peter Obi released an immediate Press Statement stating that none of the South East governors will join the 2011 presidential contest.

In return, Jonathan opened his arms of friendship to Peter Obi a little wider. Peter Obi and Rochas Okorocha were dispatched to Haiti to officially represent the President at a recent conference held in Haiti. Ever since, Peter Obi has remained a regular visitor to the presidential villa in Abuja.

Ukpakareports.com investigations further found that the President's quest to remain at the office of the presidency past May 29th 2011 as the determinant factor that gave 'victory' of the Anambra gubernatorial elections of February 6th 2010 to Governor Peter Gregory Obi of the All Progressive People's Alliance [APGA]. It was gathered that as it became evident that the late President Yar'Adua was irreversibly decapitated, the then acting President Jonathan immediately began mapping out the geo-political regions that are winnable for him against 2011. And the ongoing Anambra elections at the time presented a perfect opportunity for him to strike. Of the gubernatorial candidates fielded by the various political parties, three were said to be the major candidates that stood a chance at winning – Prof. Chukwuma C. Soludo [PDP], Dr. Chris N. Ngige [AC] and Gov. Peter G. Obi [APGA].

On normal reasoning, a victory for PDP in Anambra State gubernatorial tussle would have been favorable for the ruling party but the Anambra election served a twist. Charles Chukwuma Soludo's emergence as the PDP candidate did not auger well with the then pending presidential aspirations of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. As ukpakareports.com was reliably informed, the Federal Minister of Information and Communication in the person of Prof Dorothy Nkem Akunyili had cautioned Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan that Prof. Chukwuma C. Soludo's emergence as a candidate was as a precursor to joining the presidential race in 2015. While cautioning the President of Soludo's emergence, she reiterated that Soludo was an in-law of hers and that she is certain that if allowed to win the gubernatorial election that Soludo will find the platform with which to contest for the presidency in 2015. And Jonathan was reported to take Akunyili's caution to heart.

To this effect, Jonathan repositioned his stance towards the politics of Anambra. He knew a PDP win in Anambra will spell a political suicide for his presidential ambition, and an Action Congress [AC] victory was not going to be advantageous either – being that AC could pose a threat nationally if allowed victory in Anambra State. APGA automatically presented a better choice since it presented no threat in terms of national politics. With this, Jonathan pulled out of all the pre-scheduled campaign engagements in Anambra in support of the PDP candidate. A source close to the activities at the Independent Electoral Commission [INEC] told ukpakareports.com the President Jonathan gave directive for Governor Peter Obi to be returned as the Governor – which explains why President Jonathan was first at congratulating Governor Peter Obi on February 7th 2010 before Prof Chukwuma Soludo.

Even as the ruling at a federal high court holden in Lagos on February 4th 2010 [two days before the Anambra elections] declared that the INEC is illegally constituted to conduct elections, President Jonathan acted to not enforce the ruling. The election was allowed to be conducted by the illegally constituted INEC body and results accepted.

The tribunal currently seating at Awka is believed to have been paid for by the trio of Jonathan, Peter Obi and Rochas Okorocha. It is not expected to deliver on justice.

| Article source