Goodluck Jonathan - capitaltimesnews.com

CapitalTimesNews / 1 day

4 min read

A close ally of former Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has confirmed that Jonathan will be a leading candidate to confront incumbent President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. The ally, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), stated that plans to draft Jonathan onto the PDP platform are advanced and that he has accepted. Jonathan reportedly aims to address Nigeria’s rising poverty, hardship, and widespread suffering. The source revealed that key Nigerian leaders and elders, believing Jonathan stabilized the country and its economy during his six-year administration, are driving the project to bring him back. PDP leaders and elders initiated the move, pleading with Jonathan to run against Tinubu to rescue the country and restore its economy. Some proponents see Jonathan running for a single four-year term as the clearest path for power to return to the north in 2031 for a potential eight-year tenure. Jonathan, having served one full term after completing late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s term, is constitutionally limited to one more term if elected in 2027. Jonathan has begun behind-the-scenes consultations. His ally confirmed he met last weekend with former military president General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.) at his Minna Hilltop Mansion in Niger State, briefing him on his desire to run. While Babangida’s response wasn’t disclosed, the source expressed optimism about selling the idea to the north. Jonathan is also currently consulting stakeholders in the South-South, including meetings in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The PDP is actively courting Jonathan to contest under its banner. Deputy National Publicity Secretary Mallam Ibrahim Abdullahi confirmed the party’s efforts, stating they respond to growing calls from Nigerians who now believe Jonathan’s past administration was under-appreciated. “Many Nigerians have come to realise the mistake they made in not re-electing Dr. Jonathan. They now acknowledge his achievements and are even apologising, pleading with him to return and rescue the country,” Abdullahi said. He added that since Jonathan remains a PDP member, the party felt compelled to approach him. Sources revealed high-ranking PDP stakeholders recently travelled to The Gambia to persuade him. Abdullahi disclosed Jonathan has shown interest and is laying down conditions, including clarity on whether he would participate in primaries or receive the ticket outright, and whether the party genuinely recognises his capacity to lead. “He has started listening to the emissaries and is consulting with his inner circle,” Abdullahi stated. PDP National Financial Secretary Daniel Woyengikuro described Jonathan as the party’s national leader and central to its strategy for zoning the presidency to the south. “Is he not the best candidate for us at this moment? He is not just a former president; he is the leader of the party now. Aside from Obasanjo, the next person in line is him. Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader of this party,” Woyengikuro said. He endorsed giving Jonathan an automatic ticket: “For me, that’s what I firmly stand for. You can quote me anywhere: I want him to come. An automatic ticket for him, as it stands now. Because we must salvage both this party and the nation. If Goodluck finally accepts, you will see that the entire dynamics will change.” Jonathan’s eligibility under the amended constitution is debated. Sections 137(3) and 182(3), effective June 8, 2018, state: “A person who was sworn in to complete the term for which another person was elected as President (or Governor) shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term.” Lawyers are divided on whether this applies retroactively to Jonathan, sworn in twice before the amendment (completing Yar’Adua’s term and serving his own elected term). Senior Advocate of Nigeria Dayo Akinlaja argued Jonathan is not barred: “The provision of Section 137(3) cannot be applied to President Jonathan, who was sworn in and did a term under the old constitutional dispensation.” Lawyer Elekwachi Nnabuihe agreed, stating laws aren’t retroactive. This position was upheld in a May 27, 2022, Federal High Court judgment in Yenagoa (Justice Isa Hamma Dashen), ruling Section 137(3) couldn’t bar Jonathan from the 2023 race as it couldn’t apply retroactively. However, human rights lawyer Johnmary Jideobi contended that if Jonathan won in 2027, he would exceed the constitution’s maximum eight-year tenure intent, citing the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence in MARWA v. Nyako. Former PDP Deputy National Chairman Chief Olabode George dismissed eligibility concerns: “It cannot because he was sworn in when Umar Yar’Adua died to continue his tenure… He did not contest any election; he was sworn in to complete Yar’Adua’s tenure.” George added Jonathan is “eminently qualified” and has a strong track record to sell to Nigerians.

JONATHAN, IT’S TIME TO GET BACK!

CapitalTimesNews / 2 weeks

4 min read

by Frank Tietie Cowards die many times before their deaths;The valiant never taste of death but once.Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,It seems to me most strange that men should fear;Seeing that death, a necessary end,Will come when it will come.”― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar President Goodluck Jonathan will not be the first President to be reelected after defeat as an incumbent. However, he could probably be the first to cower in fear in the face of another clear, good-luck chance to be reelected as the 17th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is time for Goodluck Jonathan to get back at his detractors who hounded him out of office despite his avowed commitment to national unity and entrenchment of enduring democratic values in Nigeria. That’s not being ‘foolish’ and laid back, it’s a show of strength and courage as a leader to make sacrificial decisions against self in the national interest. The odds cannot be presently better for a man whose onetime enemies across the North and South of Nigeria have not only repented and begged him for forgiveness but have become so disgruntled with Bola Tinubu’s presidency that they wish him to return as President. Whether or not it is for their selfish political agenda, the question remains which political agenda is not driven by self-interest, except the agenda that is less of self-interest and far better than barefaced lying, but deceiving and divisive kleptocrats who masqueraded themselves as messiahs. Never in Nigeria’s politics has one man been so lucky as Goodluck Jonathan, even when he was said to have blown up his first time as president, the present political conditions have now, by the unseen hand, orchestrated his comeback to be inevitable. Just imagine, entrenched Northern political bigwigs crying and begging for Jonathan to return as president to complete the Southern presidential turn because he would only serve one term? Thus, Northerners prefer Jonathan ten times to Peter Obi, who is not only seen as having utopian ideas but cannot be trusted to sustain interests. And when you think Southern governors, especially the chicken-hearted defecting ones, won’t support him, then remember that, like in the FCT-Abuja, there is less herd mentality in the politics of Southern Nigeria Therefore, if Peter Obi truly wants a better Nigeria that is realistically possible, he should be at the forefront of rooting for a Jonathan comeback, where he would be sure to play a revolutionary role with his ‘Obidient’ political economy. When a good man has a second chance to make amends after years of reflection, he will most likely do a better job. Politics with careless disregard for human rights and the rule of law, and an economy that inflicted pains and suffering after the Jonathan presidency only grew to worse at steroid-like speeds in the following years, has prepared the hearts and minds of Nigerians to receive a man they were deceived into working against in 2015. It’s indeed time for Jonathan to get back as President to do a better job than he once did before, and by so doing, punish his critics with pain and regrets for the lost years of what could have been a better Nigeria than the present. Therefore, Jonathan should not be afraid to contest in 2027 for the Presidency. It is rather the presidency that is presently afraid. He is not a coward and as Ijaw man can only die but once. He must therefore exercise that courage under fire and once again seize upon luck and turn the fortunes of Nigeria around with another round of massive goodwill from Nigerians. Frank Tietie, Esq.Nigerian Lawyer, Media Personality & Social Entrepreneur, writes from Abuja

FORMER PRESIDENT JONATHAN PLOTTED TO SACK ME AS GOVERNOR, SAYS SHETTIMA

CapitalTimesNews / 4 weeks

1 min read

Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s Vice President, has disclosed that he was almost removed from office as Governor of Borno State by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2014. Speaking at a book launch event in Abuja, Shettima revealed that Mohammed Adoke, the former Attorney General of the Federation, and Aminu Tambuwal, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, intervened to prevent his removal. Shettima claimed that his disagreements with the Jonathan administration over the handling of insecurity in Borno State had made him a target for removal. However, Adoke’s legal expertise and Tambuwal’s intervention ensured that the plot was foiled. Shettima praised Adoke’s bravery in standing up to the president, saying he was told that the president did not have the constitutional power to remove an elected governor. The revelation provides insight into the challenges Shettima faced during his tenure as Governor of Borno State and highlights the importance of Adoke’s role in upholding the law. The event was the launch of Adoke’s memoir, which details his experiences as Attorney General, including the OPL 245 scandal.

PRESIDENT TINUBU’S STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION: A CASE OF POLITICAL DOUBLE STANDARDS?

CapitalTimesNews / 5 months

2 min read

President Bola Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State has sparked controversy, particularly given his past criticism of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s similar actions. In 2013, Jonathan had declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Yobe, and Borno States, citing security concerns. At the time, Tinubu, then National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), had vehemently criticized Jonathan’s decision, describing it as “a dangerous trend in the art of governance” with “political undertones.” Tinubu had argued that such actions could “give root to radical ideologies and extremist tendencies” and were “unwarranted and unintelligent meddlesomeness.” However, Tinubu’s current decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing a prolonged political crisis, has raised questions about his consistency on the matter. Critics argue that Tinubu’s past criticism of Jonathan’s actions was politically motivated, and that his current decision is a case of double standards. The similarities between the two situations are striking. In both cases, the presidents cited security concerns and a breakdown in governance as justification for declaring a state of emergency. However, Tinubu’s past criticism of Jonathan’s actions suggests that he may have been motivated by political considerations rather than a genuine concern for the welfare of the people. The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State has significant implications for the state’s governance and the rule of law. The suspension of the state’s elected officials, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has raised concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions and the potential for abuse of power. Ultimately, the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State highlights the need for consistency and transparency in governance. As the nation watches the unfolding events in Rivers State, it remains to be seen whether Tinubu’s actions will be guided by a genuine commitment to the rule of law and democratic principles, or by political expediency.

BAYELSA STATE GETS NEW OLYMPIC-STANDARD STADIUM PROJECT

Nicolas Adekeye / 6 months

2 min read

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Olympic-standard 25,000-capacity Bayelsa stadium project at Igbogene, Yenagoa, as part of the activities marking the fifth anniversary of the Senator Douye Diri administration. The project is expected to be completed within 24 months. The Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, said the stadium project aligns with Governor Diri’s Assured Prosperity mantra, which prioritizes urbanization, sports, and youth development. Alabrah stated that the project will not only add value to the sports sector but also generate economic opportunities, provide jobs, and stimulate local businesses. Daniel Alabrah noted that the government recognizes the cost implication of the project but is determined to make it a reality. Dr. Jonathan expressed delight over the project, saying as a Bayelsan, he was duty-bound to celebrate with the state government for the progress so far achieved. He lauded Diri’s developmental strides, urging him not to rest on his laurels and that the contractor and the state government should ensure the project met the highest standards. Jonathan also called on the state and federal governments to set up a sports fund to cater for sportsmen after their active days and encourage younger ones to be involved in sports. Governor Diri called on oil multinationals operating in the state, as well as other government and private agencies, to support the project in line with global practice where big business brands support sports. He said, “This facility will serve as an inspiration for our youth – a place where dreams can take flight, talent can be cultivated, and champions can arise.” The Federal Government, through the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation, endorsed the project, with Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, pledging the Commission’s support to make the project a reality. The NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, and his predecessor, Amaju Pinnick, also pledged support for the project, describing Diri as a man of his words.

BETWEEN ROTIMI AMAECHI AND JUDAS ISCARIOT, WHO WILL SELL JESUS AGAIN?

CapitalTimesNews / 6 months
0
5 min read

By Richard Onazi Chibuike Rotimi the son of Amaechi is not a very happy man. He is queasy and beating about the bush. He is always unsure of his direction, always afraid of his destiny. He has failed in his usual vocation, committing political self-distraught this time, so he is an extremely very sad man. Rotimi want to be heard once more, unfortunately, this time, he is no longer talking, he has lost his composure, and his followership and his political game is over. This game he has been playing did not start from today. It is just that few people noticed, but those that noticed refused to do anything about it, but paid dearly for it. Rotimi has been a betrayer all his life, he even betrayed his parents while in the womb. He is not just chronic but ardent, sophisticated and born-with-it betrayer. It is said, and it is true, that Amaechi has a pathological attachment to betraying people. A senile attachment, a memory repression, dissociative starts and other cognitive control processes’ failures of his childhood days, leading to an involved in adult sequelae of childhood trauma, so he readily goes about betraying anybody close to him. Betrayal is always a breach of trust. Trust as reliance within collaboration. Amaechi therefore does not believe in loyalty neither does he work collaboratively. To him that attitude and associated pattern of conduct that is constituted by an individual’s taking something’s side does not exist. He has a pathological affinity to entitlements, an excessively possessive attitude, and can never be committed. He is also full of himself, egoistic, with a strange exclusivity of knowledge within every relationship. Rotimi Ameachi showed his first finger when Peter Odili made him the Governor of Rivers State and the man became his first casualty. Sir Peter Odili groomed him, mentored him, beginning from making him the Secretary of the National Republican Convention in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State during the Transition to Nigerian’s Third Republic. Not done with him, he transformed him into the Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Rivers State. He believed and trusted him so much and took him completely into confidence, making him in 1996, the Rivers State’s Secretary of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) Caretaker Committee during the Transition Programme of General Sani Abacha. He subsequently made him a Member of the Rivers State House of Assembly in 1999 and Speaker of the House of Assembly. Amaechi was elected chairman of Nigeria’s Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies. In May 2003, he was re-elected speaker. Unfortunately, after leveraging on Governor Peter Odili clout and wide political Kingdom, he subtly, like the Biblical Absalom usurped the relationship between the Executive and Legislative Arms of the Government of Rivers State, and launched a campaign against the State Government, viciously and verbally attacking the image of the State Governor, in an effort to succeed Odili as Governor in 2007. The rest of the story is on record. Not done, Ameachi swiftly sold his brother, Goodluck Jonathan for a miserable plate of porridge in November 2013, decamping alongside five members of the G-7 to the then new opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he shamelessly became the Director General of Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Campaign working directly against his own brother Goodluck Jonathan, who was also at the same time vying for the position of the President. His pervasive inclination to betraying those close to him, will soon lead him unfortunately, to sell his own very wife without a blink of an eye. He does not understand gratitude. His betrayal is often deliberate. Always hurtful. Breaking confidence and trust. He has no object of betrayal or even a cause. So his recent tirade against President Tinubu is well understood. Ameachi is looking for who to sell. Like Judas Iscariot. If Judas case of the betrayal of Jesus Christ is an extreme one, then Amaechi Rotimi’s case is even more extreme. David, in his Psalm 55 understood this well “If an enemy were insulting me I could endure it, if a foe were raising himself against me I could hide from him…but it is you a man like myself, my companion, my close friend.” Psalm 55 v12-13. Unfortunately for him this time, he is not in the position to sell President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. So he wants to instigate the youths to do the work for him. This is a classical case of shame and betrayal. He has suddenly become a common citizen after all his atrocities as a member of the ruling class. In John 2 v24, we read that Jesus “would not entrust himself” to a group of believers. So also will President Tinubu not entrust himself to Chibuike Rotimi the son of Amaechi Judas Iscariot as recorded in Luke 22:4-6, 22:47-48, was always vulnerable to the rich and powerful, and pretty much undoubtedly also betraying himself. Like Amaechi, he did it for the money and because he thought it would help him to be part of the ‘in-crowd’. To feel accepted and lauded as the one who dealt with a troublemaker. He sniffed fame and fortune and it smelt good. But he soon felt the consequences and it cost him his life. However, the youths are wiser and ready. They have realized the importance of breaking Amaechi’s cycles of suspiciousness and hyper-vigilance. They can and will no longer fall easy prey to the misguided pillory and subtle mechanization of selfish politician, who after losing out in the power equation will seek for the support of the youths to ride back. Chibuike Rotimi the son of Amaechi, the youths said, “We will not listen to you. We are wiser than you.” Richard Onazi wrote this piece from the United Kingdom.

NIGERIA ON THE BRINK:...

TURJI SURRENDERS ARMS, RELEASES...

TRUMP AND PUTIN TO...

CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS PRAISE...

GOODLUCK JONATHAN GEARS UP...

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR STEALING...

NIGERIA ON THE BRINK:...

TURJI SURRENDERS ARMS, RELEASES...

TRUMP AND PUTIN TO...

CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS PRAISE...

GOODLUCK JONATHAN GEARS UP...

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR STEALING...

GOODLUCK JONATHAN GEARS UP TO CHALLENGE TINUBU IN 2027 PRESIDENTIAL RACE AS PDP PUSHES FOR CANDIDACY

JONATHAN, IT’S TIME TO GET BACK!

FORMER PRESIDENT JONATHAN PLOTTED TO SACK ME AS GOVERNOR, SAYS SHETTIMA

BAYELSA STATE GETS NEW OLYMPIC-STANDARD STADIUM PROJECT

BETWEEN ROTIMI AMAECHI AND JUDAS ISCARIOT, WHO WILL SELL JESUS AGAIN?

CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS PRAISE TANTITA SECURITY.

GOODLUCK JONATHAN GEARS UP TO CHALLENGE.

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR STEALING NEWBORN BABY.

NIGERIA ON THE BRINK: FORMER MINISTER.

Pages

Categories

Recent Posts

GIRL CHILD EDUCATION AND SANITARY PAD SENSITIZATION CRUCIAL FOR FUTURE – PRINCESS JOY IDAM

Friday Lines (37) With: Dr Abubakar Alkali. An Open Letter to Ms Kemi Badenoch