•Photo: The Jonathan posters on display in Abuja
A group which identified itself as PDP Youth Council on Thursday condemned the Presidency over the posters "and the veiled ambition of the President to seek a second term in office."
This is coming just as Jonathan's Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Joy Emodi, announced that the President will sign into law "very soon" the N4.98 trillion 2013 Appropriation Bill despite the misgivings of the Presidency about some aspects of the budget passed by the National Assembly.
But the PDP youth group in a statement by its Publicity Director, Bala Usman, and National Director, Fidelis Uzoka, condemned the President for allegedly "making surreptitious moves at taking a shot at the Presidency for the second time after having promised all party leaders in 2011 that he would be spending just a term in office, before he was allowed to contest the Presidency on the platform of the PDP."
The group described the government of President Jonathan as a failure, "Which if not stopped on time will put paid to the party's dwindling electoral fortune."
It also advised Jonathan to resign from office if he was tired of leading the nation and convinced that he lacks the mental capacity to govern.
But National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, reacted swiftly to the group's comment, describing it as "a childish attempt by faceless, inexperienced and impotent persons using a non-existing name/body."
The group had said it was uncharitable of the President to make attempt under whatever guise to seek a second term in office, "When the one he's spending is a glaring failure in terms of delivery of democratic dividends to the electorate."
It urged the President to resign if he has run out of ideas on how to govern the nation rather than create tension in the country by his desire for a second term in office.
The statement insisted that Jonathan was yet to convince Nigerians that they (Nigerians) made a good choice in voting him as the President in the last election, and therefore should not be seen to be asking for a second term in office now.
The statement reads in part: "As a committed strong mobilisation body of veterans of the PDP struggle and umbrella body of all youth groups and activist groups in the PDP, we cannot sit quiet and watch the PDP, that our founding fathers laboured hard to build to be used in dancing the one legged dance of the spirits that leads to doom.
"The events of the last few days have ignited outrage and public condemnation because of the deliberate and well-calculated commencement of a Presidential campaign by President Jonathan even in the face of his so called ban on political activities: it is an unwarranted test of the will and patience of Nigerians who have tried to exhibit high level of tolerance to a regime which seems in the last two years to have lost the focus of true leadership and proper understanding of the ideals of our party's founding fathers.
"The choice of the midnight of the new year for such wasteful gamble of flooding Abuja with the President's campaign posters is very embarrassing and shows idleness on the part of the Presidential hawks.
"That we believe in the right of every member of our political party to seek for elective positions at all levels, including the Presidency but condemns such act when it is targeted at destroying the unity, stability, trust, fairness and future survival of our great party
"We wish to state for the records here: it is no longer news that getting to two years ago when our great party delegates gave their votes to Mr. President, including the years spent in office to complete President Yar'Adua's term, Mr President has not shown the will and competence to solve the many problems of our country for which Nigerians entrusted him with their mandate.
"Today under Jonathan, the labour and pains of democratic stability and intra party unity built by our party's founding fathers have gradually been destroyed to the extent that the picture emerging today if unchecked is that PDP will suffer its first Presidential electoral defeat under Jonathan Presidency."
But Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, insisted on Thursday that Aso Rock did not authorise Jonathan's re-election posters that surfaced in Abuja.
He said it was up to security agencies to decide on whatever action was appropriate to handle the matter.
According to Abati, "The security agencies have their jobs cut out for them. If they feel there is anything that is likely to disturb the polity, that is likely to affect the integrity of the state or they feel something has happened and they need information, that needs to be investigated, then of course they will do their job.
"They don't even need to wait for Presidential directive. It is part of their normal duty to find out what is happening in the environment particularly if what has happened is a matter of public interest.
"The President does not need to give any order. People whose job it is to ensure that nothing goes wrong within the Nigerian state will do their job.
"They will make their own assessment; they will do their own investigations. If they feel that there is any threat whatsoever to public peace, to rule of law and order, they will make sure that that is not allowed."
Abati reiterated that "President Jonathan has not launched any campaign for re-election in 2015. He has not asked anybody to go and paste posters around Abuja.
"Whoever those people are, they are acting on their own. They are not President Jonathan's agent. They are on to their own mischief."
He added that the President had been given assignment by the Nigerian people which is to see through the transformation agenda, to ensure the different changes he has promised in life and society, and that he remains committed to doing just that.
"Those who are bent to distract this government have brought out the posters. I repeat that President Jonathan knows nothing about it.
"The President of Nigeria has an office that is so important that he cannot behave in a cowardly manner. This is a man who is honest and has reputation of being honest," Abati said.
Also, after meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday, Emodi assured that all grey areas in the 2013 budget are being resolved for Jonathan to assent to the bill "very soon".
"I can assure you that it will be signed soon", insisted the former Senator, who explained that the delay in signing the budget was because the Presidency was still studying the details.
"Just the details. You know, details of the budget are usually very bulky. We need to get the details, once the details are sent to Mr. President, he will have to study it first, as nobody will just expect him to sign (straight away). They are just binding it," said Emodi.
She noted that the early passage of the 2013 budget was a clear indication that future relationships between the legislature and the executive arms of government will continue to be better, and that "this harmonious relationship between the Executive and Legislature will be sustained in 2013".
Admitting though that there were areas of disagreement between the Presidency and the National Assembly, Emodi pointed out that "there is no way that you cannot expect the two arms of government not to disagree, but the most important thing is how they deal with the issues at the end of the day.
"And you can see that in most of the issues, even after the disagreements, they always resort to dialogue and come to one position that will be acceptable to all in the interest of the nation."
On complaints by the lawmakers about the President's refusal to assent to bills and implement resolutions passed by them, Emodi said although these issues exist, the underlying reason is to promote what is best in the interest of the nation.
"There is no problem between the Executive and Legislature, they are all working for the people of Nigeria. So let us forget about the hypes. There must be issues, but the most important thing is that they are working for the common interest of Nigerians.
"On the resolutions, yes, there might be issues but at the end of the day those issues were also resolved or are in the process of being resolved," she added.
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