Jonathan Scheming To Become Life President, Kwankwaso Alleges

Governor of Kano State, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan is scheming to be life president of the country. Speaking in an interview with journalists in his office at Government House, Kano at the weekend, Kwankwaso said President Jonathan, being the biggest beneficiary of democracy, is trying to truncate the system by further deepening divisions in the country. “We are praying for the best in 2015 and working to have a free and fair election and we want to see one united country but with the way they are working now everybody, both locally and internationally, is worried because they want to take it by force. People are desperate and they want to continue by all means and that is the whole idea of the divide and rule, he wants to rule forever, he wants to be life president”, Kwankwaso said. The governor noted that the tense political atmosphere in the country is as a result of moves by the president to remain in office beyond 2015 and urged him (Jonathan) not to seek re-election in 2015. He also said the ongoing national conference has further deepened divisions in the country along religious and ethnic lines. “The government is using the usual way of divide and rule, this country is now being divided further by the confab. We have people talking about Muslims on the one side, Christians on the other side, people are talking of the North on one side and the South on the other side,” he said. On his rumored presidential ambition, he said he would be happy to fly the ticket of the APC if given the opportunity. “I have not told anybody whether in this country or abroad that I want to contest for any election because we have to build the party first. We have to present the constitution and what the party can do to do for the people through our manifesto. But I want to assure you that if my party finds me worthy of flying the ticket I will gratefully fly it”, he said. On Boko Haram activities in the Northeast, Kwankwaso was worried that Jonathan, as president and Commander- in-Chief of the Armed Forces, had failed to assert himself and bring the killings and destruction of property to an end. The governor suggested that the president should either negotiate with the sect or use force to stop the incessant killings. He said: “This stoppage should either be by negotiation of by the use of force on any of them. I tell you that most of the confusion is coming from Mr President’s handlers; the people around him just want to cause more problems”.