Presidency In Disarray Over Single-Term Agreement Claim

Muazu-Babangida-Aliyu1The recent revelation by Niger State governor, Babangida Mu’azu Aliyu that President Goodluck Jonathan signed an agreement with PDP governors in 2011 to serve a single term has reportedly put the presidency in a quandary as it has been battling to come up with a face-saving measure days after Aliyu dropped his bombshell.

Governor Aliyu in a live radio programme, ‘Guest of the week’, on Liberty Radio, said given the circumstances of President Umaru Yar’adua’s death coupled with the PDP zoning arrangement, “it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one term of four years and we all signed the agreement.”

Part of measures the Presidency came up with include conniving with some of the governors, preferably from the North, who are die-hard loyalists of Jonathan to issue a denial saying there was no such agreement, but the idea was dropped as soon as it was mooted. Some of the governors who reportedly bought into the plan recanted when it emerged that they could have credibility issues after the document is made public.

Another option was to allege that the signature of the President as well as that of others was forged, but it was considered that that would have more untoward consequences as it would imply that those that came out with the revelations have resorted to criminality and the attempt to fight back and prove otherwise may heat up the system.

Information Nigeria learnt that the Presidency is even more careful about making any wrong utterance on the issue as this may force some of the governors to make the content of the agreement public.