President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday recounted how the
results of the 2007 presidential election that produced the late Umar
Musa Yar’adua as the president of Nigeria caused him a lot of
embarrassment in the international community.
According to him, since public perception then was that the election was not free ans fair, people kept asking him embarrassing questions as the Vice President whenever he travelled abroad despite the fact that the Supreme Court had upheld the result.
Speaking when he received the outcome of the National Stakeholders Forum on Electoral Reform by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani at the presidential villa, Jonathan said it was as a result of the embarrassment he got from the international that he made a firm resolve to do better
than what was done in 2007 should he be given the opportunity to oversee elections in Nigeria.
He also faulted the idea of restricting campaign expenses, a trend which he said is not practicable in reality.
His words: “I was embarrassed when the international observers complained that there were certain bridges (in the 2007 polls). Even though after taking oath of office and the Supreme Court declared us winners, but each time one travelled abroad, people asked all kinds of questions that even got one angry. That was when I promised myself that if have an opportunity to oversee elections in Nigeria, no other President or Vice President should suffer that can kind of harassment by the international community.
“That is why the 2011 elections, even though I was candidate, I said nobody should manipulate elections for me. That my ambition and the fate of the country are two different things, the interest of the nation is much more superior than any other ambition and I kept faith with that. At least at the end of that elections, it was accepted by observers locally and internationally. And I promise that 2015 elections will be better.”
Jonathan added that the noise currently characterising the 2015 elections not withstanding, he would do his best to ensure that things are done rightly in the forthcoming general polls.
Observing that most of the recommendations presented to him by the Namani led committee were not strange as they were in tandem with the thinking of government, the president admitted that there must be a body dedicated to punishing electoral offenders.
He said, “We need this body so that people who commit electoral offences will not get away with it.”After elections, the matter goes to the tribunal, the only person who looses, is the person who contested that elections. Any other person who committed all kinds of atrocities get away with it and nobody punishes them.
“And that is why we continue to have that kind of impunity but if people create people for the electoral process those people should be punished and not just about annulling elections. That was why my committee at a time recommended this election offences commission, where we stated that whether elections or annulled or not, there must be process of bringing those who have done one thing or the other contrary to expectations to book.
“And when we practise this over a period of time, we will begin to get it right. We must be compelled to be rational as human beings. On the issue of funding INEC, we will continue to do our best.”
On campaign expenses, Jonathan who contended that in some countries, restrictions were only placed on individuals who get their fund from government added that restriction could not be placed on a fund generated through the effort of an individual.
He argued: “On campaign finance regulation, I think the electoral laws needs to be properly focused on that. I am a realist and I am a practical person and that is why I behave differently. I don’t pretend. I believe that even the laws or even regulations must not be designed in a way that it will pretend. In some countries, if you are getting funds from government then you must set restrictions but if you are generating your own funds then you have no restrictions.
“If you say a governor must not spend beyond certain amount of money when campaigning, how do you monitor? And sometimes the figures you put are too unrealistic because if you must campaign the media is very expensive. You cannot pigeon hole a candidate to spend within a budget. So I think people must come up with what is realistic and practicable because the law itself must not be a booby traps for anybody. We tried some restrictions in the past, the idea was to ensure no moneybags hijacked the party or the elected official.
“In 2007, it took us one and half months to move across the country from state to state, while in 2011 we did two states per day, so it’s damn expensive business because you move with people and the logistics is expensive.”
On the rule of law, the president insisted that whether the process is slow or not, Nigerians have it as a duty to obey laws in order to make for a sane society.
According to him, since public perception then was that the election was not free ans fair, people kept asking him embarrassing questions as the Vice President whenever he travelled abroad despite the fact that the Supreme Court had upheld the result.
Speaking when he received the outcome of the National Stakeholders Forum on Electoral Reform by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani at the presidential villa, Jonathan said it was as a result of the embarrassment he got from the international that he made a firm resolve to do better
than what was done in 2007 should he be given the opportunity to oversee elections in Nigeria.
He also faulted the idea of restricting campaign expenses, a trend which he said is not practicable in reality.
His words: “I was embarrassed when the international observers complained that there were certain bridges (in the 2007 polls). Even though after taking oath of office and the Supreme Court declared us winners, but each time one travelled abroad, people asked all kinds of questions that even got one angry. That was when I promised myself that if have an opportunity to oversee elections in Nigeria, no other President or Vice President should suffer that can kind of harassment by the international community.
“That is why the 2011 elections, even though I was candidate, I said nobody should manipulate elections for me. That my ambition and the fate of the country are two different things, the interest of the nation is much more superior than any other ambition and I kept faith with that. At least at the end of that elections, it was accepted by observers locally and internationally. And I promise that 2015 elections will be better.”
Jonathan added that the noise currently characterising the 2015 elections not withstanding, he would do his best to ensure that things are done rightly in the forthcoming general polls.
Observing that most of the recommendations presented to him by the Namani led committee were not strange as they were in tandem with the thinking of government, the president admitted that there must be a body dedicated to punishing electoral offenders.
He said, “We need this body so that people who commit electoral offences will not get away with it.”After elections, the matter goes to the tribunal, the only person who looses, is the person who contested that elections. Any other person who committed all kinds of atrocities get away with it and nobody punishes them.
“And that is why we continue to have that kind of impunity but if people create people for the electoral process those people should be punished and not just about annulling elections. That was why my committee at a time recommended this election offences commission, where we stated that whether elections or annulled or not, there must be process of bringing those who have done one thing or the other contrary to expectations to book.
“And when we practise this over a period of time, we will begin to get it right. We must be compelled to be rational as human beings. On the issue of funding INEC, we will continue to do our best.”
On campaign expenses, Jonathan who contended that in some countries, restrictions were only placed on individuals who get their fund from government added that restriction could not be placed on a fund generated through the effort of an individual.
He argued: “On campaign finance regulation, I think the electoral laws needs to be properly focused on that. I am a realist and I am a practical person and that is why I behave differently. I don’t pretend. I believe that even the laws or even regulations must not be designed in a way that it will pretend. In some countries, if you are getting funds from government then you must set restrictions but if you are generating your own funds then you have no restrictions.
“If you say a governor must not spend beyond certain amount of money when campaigning, how do you monitor? And sometimes the figures you put are too unrealistic because if you must campaign the media is very expensive. You cannot pigeon hole a candidate to spend within a budget. So I think people must come up with what is realistic and practicable because the law itself must not be a booby traps for anybody. We tried some restrictions in the past, the idea was to ensure no moneybags hijacked the party or the elected official.
“In 2007, it took us one and half months to move across the country from state to state, while in 2011 we did two states per day, so it’s damn expensive business because you move with people and the logistics is expensive.”
On the rule of law, the president insisted that whether the process is slow or not, Nigerians have it as a duty to obey laws in order to make for a sane society.
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