CNPP tasks Jonathan on Uwais report, presidential race

THE Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to live to the promise of the administration and muster the political will to make Nigerians’ votes count in accordance with the Justice Muhammed Uwais report in the 2011 elections and beyond.

The body also urged the President to resist the temptation of vying for Presidency in 2011 and moves without further delay and submits the three bills therein in the report of Uwais panel to the National Assembly for adoption.

It stated that the feat was feasible using his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has over 800 out of 990 members of state Houses of Assembly nationwide, over 260 out of 360 Members of Federal House of Representatives and over 90 out of 109 Senators.

To achieve this however, the body in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, urged the President to resist the temptation of contesting the 2011 elections.

He said: “He should disregard sycophants and place history above pecuniary gains for the late General Murtala Mohammed’s six months reign is more glorious than the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s 11 years; for not how long but how well.

“Our morbid fear is that if President Jonathan enters the hectic presidential race, he will not only crush the rotation convention cultivated since 1999; but will consign the Uwais report to the dust-bin of history, pay lip service to provision of electricity and will be thoroughly distracted from implementing the post-amnesty programme in the Niger Delta.”

Explaining that the Uwais report is an article of faith, CNPP also frowned at a situation where the President can single-handedly appoint the key officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).