President Goodluck Jonathan should call his supporters and aides to order, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan, said yesterday in his review of the political activities in the country.
Many Nigerians are worried about the manner government officials and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council members have been heating up the polity.
Contrary to President Jonathan’s statements, his campaign team has been pillorying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega.
Some of the President’s supporters have been making inflammatory statements, including saying Dr Jonathan must win the elections or the nation will burn.
But the President has always insisted that his ambition is not worth the blood of anyone.
Yesterday, the President said he would not be part of any Interim Government, an idea he described as treasonable and alien to the Constitution.
He also affirmed that the March 28 and April 11 dates picked for the general elections will remain sacrosanct.
Dr. Jonathan and Cardinal Onaiyekan spoke at the opening mass for the plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki, Abuja.
The President said he would not head an Interim Government, which can only be set up by a military government.
Besides, he said an ING will not be acceptable to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN).
He 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."
Stressing that the postponement of the elections was a blessing in disguise, he said: "Elections will be conducted as scheduled by INEC."
"Look at what happened in Gombe on February 14... If the elections had been held, the casualty figure after that attack in Gombe would have been great. 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.
Jonathan also faulted utterances that overheat the polity and portray Nigeria as being at a point of going up in flames.
"When I listen to how some of us politicians talk… but God is supreme, this nation will survive", he said.
He also thanked Christians for the prayers for the nation, adding that the whole world was going crazy because of the bloodshed by terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
Cardinal Onaiyekan urged President Jonathan to call his aides and supporters to order so that they will desist from poisoning his resolve that elections will hold on the new dates – March 28 and April 11 – set by INEC and to ensure that the May 29 inauguration of a new government remains sacrosanct.
According to the Archbishop, personal insults and caricature should give way to national discourse that will benefit all.
He said: "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 why we cannot see ourselves as belonging to the same national family.
"Apart from 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 the common objectives that everyone should be pursuing: justice, peace, prosperity, harmony, good order, building a nation we can all be proud of, etc.
"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.
"They are the hallmarks of the bad politics which have not allowed us achieve the high level that we deserve as a nation. These are what build tensions, heat up the polity, spread dangerous rumours and cause deep distrust among rival political groups. All this is not in the interest of our people", he said.
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