PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, on Sunday, observed that the idea of an interim national government is alien to the Nigerian constitution; therefore, to contemplate it would be treason.
He said such government could only be instituted by the military and would be unacceptable to the international community, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN).
Speaking on Sunday at the opening Mass for the plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki, Abuja, he also reassured that the general election would hold as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said his ambition could not take precedence over national interest and could not, therefore, as an elected president, press for an interim national government and jeopardize national interest.
The president said: “There is no way Goodluck Jonathan elected by people with clear mandate will now go and head an interim government.
“The only interim government anybody can constitute is that of the military government, which, of course, will not be accepted.
“ECOWAS, AU, UN won’t accept it. And Nigeria will not be a pariah state. Clearly, the insinuation of interim government, to me, is treasonable.
“Elections will be conducted as scheduled by INEC,” he said.
The president further explained that the postponement was a blessing in disguise, as he believed that the action reduced the possibility of crisis with high casualties had the election held on initial dates.
He added: “Look at what happened in Gombe on February 14. If the elections had been held, the casualty figure could have been alarming.
“It is better for us to conduct elections that will not be contested, elections that are credible, free and fair.
“We believe no criminal element can come and prevent us from conducting our elections.
“I will not do anything because of personal interest that would jeopardise the interest of this nation.”
The president noted that the whole world was going crazy because of the blood-shed carried out by terrorists, including the Boko Haram and thanked Nigerian Christians for their prayers for the nation.
He commended the theme of the conference centring on the family, which he described as unique, noting that even the Bible acknowledged that if the foundation was not right, the righteous cannot do much.
The president restated his condemnation of unguarded utterances, especially in the social media, which was overheating the polity and expressed hope that the nation would overcome its present challenges.
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In his homily, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, urged President Jonathan to discourage his aides and supporters from poisoning his resolve to conduct elections at the scheduled dates.
Regretting the rivalry among political parties, he urged them not to forget national priorities and justice.
Cardinal Onaiyekan spoke against the use of personal insults and caricature by politicians, which he said should give way to national discourse that would benefit all.
Speaking on the values of the family, he noted that the truth should be sacrosanct in politics, adding: “Good families make a good nation. We can go even further to state that a good nation should be a family of families. The diversity of our nation is well known, but that is no reason we cannot see ourselves as belonging to the same national family.
“Aside the fact that the things we have in common far outweigh our differences, even those differences need not be causes for conflict and friction. If we acquire the habit of respecting one another, then our differences can become beauty to celebrate in harmony.
“Politics is very much in the air. It is a notable and sacred task meant to serve the common good of the family, that is, the nation. The hot competition between political parties should not make them forget common objectives that everyone should be pursuing— justice, peace, prosperity, harmony, good order and building of a nation we can all be proud of.
“The differences are in strategies and priorities. These are what should be presented to us, positively and transparently, to guide our free choice at elections.
“There should, therefore, not be room for negative campaigns. Personal insults and caricatures should give way to rational discussion of issues that concern us all. Truth must be sacrosanct even in politics. Lies, deceit, calumnies cannot move us forward.”
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