The gulf between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governors Forum Chairman, Rotimi Amaechi, widened further last weekend as the Presidency and the Rivers State Government locked horns yet again.
“If he has an agenda, he is entitled to pursue his agenda. He is a Nigerian. He is qualified to hold the highest office in the land. He is a politician and he is entitled to pursue his agenda but he should stop making frivolous allegations about the President.”
This time, the Presidency was reacting to a recent claim by Amaechi that Jonathan was after him. The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, who spoke to Punch implied that Amaechi had an agenda.
Amaechi had said Jonathan was after him because he had opposed the fraud in the fuel subsidy regime, the Sovereign Wealth Fund and the Excess Crude Account.
But Gulak warned the governor to pursue his agenda without accusing Jonathan wrongly. He said, “The President is a man who follows the provisions of the constitution. The President is a man who consults robustly before taking decisions.
“The governors are members of the National Economic Council and that council, though advisory to the President, takes a lot of decisions about the Sovereign Wealth Fund, Excess Crude Account and everything. If they don’t agree, such decisions are not implemented.
“It is wrong for Amaechi to say the President is after him because of that. People should not play to the gallery. If people have agenda, let them pursue their agenda but let them not point fingers at Mr. President."
Reacting to Gulak’s statement on Friday, Governor Amaechi said Gulak had turned himself to the “Wada Nas of President Jonathan’s administration.”
Speaking through his CPS, Amaechi said “With each passing day, it is becoming too clear that Gulak is certainly an adviser that Mr. President does not need. Instead of building bridges for his principal, Mr. President. Gulak has embarked on a self-imposed, suicide-like mission of burning bridges for his principal and picking fights where none exists.
“Adviser Gulak has turned himself into the Wada Nas of this administration with his unguarded and uncouth statements. We will not condescend to his (Gulak) level or join issues with him."
The relationship between the President and the governor has deteriorated in recent times with several reports saying the feud is all about 2015 politics.
Checks by Olufamous.com with political sources indicates that the months ahead will sure throw up a lot of surprises as the President finally make public his decision to run or not to run in 2015
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