‘Jonathan’s Enemies Want Election Postponed’

FORMER Senate Deputy Leader and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Adamawa Southern Zone, Jonathan Silas Zwingina, has said that those that are campaigning for postponement of elections are not only enemies of the country, but also on the way out to portray President Goodluck Jonathan, as a leader that has no respect for the provisions of the Constitution and the rule of law.

   Zwingina, who spoke to The Guardian Friday in Yola, said that any attempt to postponed elections would amount to gross abuse of the Constitution, adding that Nigerians would see such action as anti-democratic.

 “The constitution is very clear on the conduct of elections. The Constitution stated that elections must be conducted 30 days before

the expiration of the tenure of any elected person. You can only shift the election, but the shifting must be within the 30 days the constitution stipulated. Anything outside this will amount to gross abuse of the Constitution and Nigerians will not accept this kind of impunity”, he stated.

   He dismissed the argument of some of the campaigners that because of the crisis in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, elections in those areas should be postponed, pointing out that the campaigners of election postponement failed to tell Nigerians when the crisis in the three affected states would be over.

“ I can only support those calling for elections to be postponed in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe if they can convince me that such a time the crisis will be over”, he said.

  Zwingina maintained that those that are benefiting from government should use legal means for campaigning for such government or the office holders to return to such offices,adding that  such  handlers  should not to use illegal methods to keep their bosses in the office. 

 On President Jonathan’s unfulfilled promises to the people of Adamawa state, he blamed the ousted governor Murtala Nyako, for not abiding to the oath of his office ,which is to defend the interest of the people ,and not personal interest.

  “Nyako refuse to accept Federal projects in the state. Those he Selectively accepted are those he was a direct beneficiary,” he said.

  He  diverted agricultural projects to his farm. I took a letter from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for him to sign, so that CBN would carry out a project in the state. He refused to sign it because his private farm cannot benefit from the project. He refuses to pay counter-funds for projects.But he wants the money to come so that he will pocket it for private use. A good example is the N500 million Federal Government flood disaster fund. There is no victim who got more N200,as the chunk  of the money went into his farm”, Zwingina said.