Jonathan’s re-election posters seen in Abuja

Posters announcing President Goodluck Jonathan’s intention to seek re-election in 2015 surfaced in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Tuesday.
 
The development came barely six weeks after the President, during a media chat, said it was too early for him to declare interest in the next presidential race.


There were indications that the posters sighted in some parts of Asokoro and Wuse, both highbrow areas of the FCT, were pasted in the early hours of Tuesday.
 
The big posters, with Jonathan’s portrait in his Ijaw traditional attire, did not however indicate the identity of the sponsors.
 
Apart from Jonathan’s portrait and the logo of the Peoples Democratic Party, the inscriptions on the posters read, ‘2015: No Vacancy in Aso Rock. Let’s Do More. One Good Turn Deserves Another. Support Dr. Goodluck Azikwe Jonathan for 2015 Presidency.’
 
In Asokoro, the neighbourhood that houses the Presidential Villa, the posters were pasted indiscriminately on street light poles, walls, dustbins and traffic sheds.
 
Similar scenario played out in Wuse as the posters were displayed on available spaces in the neighbourhood of the Wadata Plaza, the PDP national headquarters.
Jonathan had at several fora last year insisted that it was too early for him to declare interest in the 2015 election.
 
Jonathan had last November 18 said, “Four years is a very short time for someone to make an impact, immediately you start talking about elections, you will actually be heating up the polity. Before you ask whether Mr. President will re-contest for a second term or not, wait till 2014.”
 
He added that his major preoccupation was to better the lots of Nigerians during his current tenure.
At a time, he directed politicians, especially members of the PDP who had eyes in any public office in the next elections to stop their campaigns which he described as distractions.
 
Ahead of the 2011 presidential election while many Nigerians waited for Jonathan to declare his interest publicly, he made his ambition known via the social network site, Facebook.
 
Meanwhile, the Presidency has said the posters which surfaced in Abuja on Tuesday did not emanate from the president.
 
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, made the clarification in a telephone interview with our correspondent.
 
Abati said the President had not asked anybody or group to produce posters in his name, adding that Jonathan had not launched any campaign.
 
He said, “The posters are not coming from the President. He has not launched any campaign.
“The President made it clear during the last media chat that whoever wants to ask him question on 2015 election should come back in 2014 to ask the question.
 
“President Jonathan does not want to be distracted. Whoever is printing those posters is acting on his or her own. We have a busy year ahead of us.”