Exclusive:Jega should proceed on annual leave now say Ezeife , Intersociety Boss, Umeagbalasi

President Goodluck Jonathan has been asked not to look in the direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its apologists undermining the office of the president with their utterances and decide what he does with Professor Attahiru Jega’s terminal leave reports www.odogwublog.com.

Former Governor of Anambra state , Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and the Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman of International Society FOR Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, yesterday said if they are President Jonathan, Prof Jega would have been on his terminal leave before now.

Ezeife who was in a meeting as at the time of this report squeezed out time to answer Nigerian Pilot on the issue saying, ‘’ Prof Jega should go immediately, if I am the President. There is no need of asking if .....?

‘’I am not the President but if I am the President of Nigeria , Prof Jega the INEC Chairman should be going on annual leave from tomorrow (today) being Monday. Why should anybody query my decision on that when I have right to hire him, then I do not have right to fire him? This is not even firing but on a terminal leave because I do not want him to continue in office. But that is the prerogative of President Jonathan and nobosy else. Let me get back to you in 20 minutes..............so that we exhaust this matter because right now I am in a meeting.’’

They pointed out that civil service and public service procedures should not be subject of noise making by those who do not know the rules and regulations.

On his part, Umeagbalasi that section 153 of the Nigerian constitution gives the President the power to hire and fire and those making noise and threatening fire and brimstone are empty cans.

Umeagbalasi said : ‘’ the truth is that rules are blended when they do not favour certain section of the country. These section with media exposure embarks on campaign of calumny, false alarm , media propaganda to actualize their desire which is to intimidate the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria but I am happy that despite the human face President Jonathan applies to his administration, he knows what is right for the country and doing his best in that direction.

‘’ The truth is that if I am the President of Nigeria, I will tomorrow ask President Jonathan to start immediately to embark on his terminal leave without apologies because from those panicking over a constitutional matter has shown that the suspicion that there is an unholy alliance with the office of the APC and INEC Chairman , Prof Jega in collaboration with the Civil Society Groups to undermine the office of the President.

Umeagbalasi insisted that the APC, and CSO’s , media and Lawyers in their payroll  made such noise to undermine the military in carrying out its constitutional roles , engaging in blackmail and media propaganda as well as court actions to derail the military but failed.

‘’There is rules guiding civil service and public service , the same rule applies to Prof Jega of INEC as applicable to CBN when Alhaji Sanusui was asked to proceed on annual leave. President Goodluck Ebere Jonathan has the sole power to ask Jega to proceed on terminal leave or to continue and once he takes a decision for or against , nothing would happen, even if APC and its cronies in the media and NBA shout from today to kingdom come.

‘’ If CBN is governed by the rules , INEC should too as well as other offices the President has rights to appoint and dismiss. APC and the noise makers are only trying to bend the rules because of their unholy alliance with INEC chairman but I regard that as noise making because the entire thing is at the discretion of Mr President.

‘’The noise is to undermine the President,  intimidate his office and cow tow his personality. I ask again , is Prof Jega’s office different from that of Prof Maurice Iwu, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Ayo Salami , the President of the Court of Appeal, why would Jega’s case be different. The noise making could continue but whatever decision President Jonathan, takes stands on the issue of Jega and there is nothing anybody can do about that. The noise they made on Salami and Sanusi amounted to nothing and so this one would be. The APC said if election is postponed heaven would fall but has heaven fallen?

The Intersociety BOT Chairman continued: ‘’APC is raising false alarm and propagating lies. This is not illegal removal but in line with natural justice and constitutional right. So no matter the quantum of noise, what matters is process and procedures and if these two are followed , no court upturns the decision of the president and nothing will happen. Democracy is procedures and process , so let the CSO’s , Media, lawyers under the APC pocket continue their propaganda . ..............’’.