I won't Run In 2015 - President Jonathan

I won't Run In 2015 - President Jonathan

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said he would not seek another term in Year 2015 should he be elected as President in the April elections.

Jonathan made the declaration during an interactive session with the Nigerian community in Addis Ababa , a group comprising mostly diplomats.

Jonathan spoke in response to the wish of members of the community to vote in the April elections.

Admitting that the wish was unrealistic at the moment, Jonathan said, “I would have loved that the Diaspora will vote this year, but to be frank with you, that is going to be difficult for now. For the Diaspora to vote you have to be resident first. It was not planned and presently the law does not allow for voting outside Nigeria. This year, Nigerians in the Diaspora will not vote inside Nigeria but I will work towards in 2015, even though I will not be running for office.”

He went ahead to say that if Nigerians in Diaspora were to vote in the April elections, he was certain to get more than 50 per cent of their votes.

“I would have been happy for the Diaspora to vote because whenever I travel out, there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm among Nigerians in the Diaspora; unless they are like politicians who say, ‘we are loyal' but they are not. If they (Diaspora) vote, I will be sure to get more than 50 per cent of the vote.”

Jonathan also informed Nigerians in Diaspora that new universities approved by government would only focus on research and development studies, saying that the institutions would admit only 500 students for each session. He promised that out of the five universities, the vice-chancellors of at least three would be selected from Nigerians in Diaspora.

“The new universities would focus primarily on research and development; they will not admit more than 500 students each year. This makes about a total of 2500 for the five of them,” he said.

Commenting on the security situation in Nigeria , which some members of the Diaspora said had made them afraid to return home, Jonathan said Nigeria , like other countries, was not immune to terrorism.

Describing the security situation as ‘worrisome,' he gave an assurance that the present government would do its best to stem the tide.

NP/Margaret/Yinka