3rd term: US gives conditional supportTHE United States government has given conditions for endorsing
third term in office for President Olusegun Obasanjo. Sunday Tribune was
reliably informed by a top presidency official that the American government
actually wants President Obasanjo to continue in office for another four years
but, White House is reportedly insisting that Aso Rock should prove that the
actualisation of third term would not lead to conflagration in
Nigeria.
White House is said to be particularly worried about Islamic
militancy in the North that is now openly opposed to the third term bid and the
emergence of insurgency in Nigeria, requesting that Aso Rock should prove that
these two major threats can be contained if third term sails through.
The fear of the White House is that the third term bid may
heighten seccessionist bid in the oil rich Niger-Delta, thereby jeopardising
multi-billion dollar western interest in the Niger-Delta. The presidency
official told Sunday Tribune that the White House directly urged President
Obasanjo to break the backbone of the Niger-Delta insurgence, as a way of
securing its endorsement, a demand said to have motivated the recent rapid
development plan recently unfolded by the presidency.
Further investigation showed that the Americans further
requested the presidency to push through the constitutional amendment in
comformity to due process, as much as possible as was done by Yoweri Museveni of
Uganda as well as Blaise Compraore of Burkina Faso. If the constitutional change
is effected without distruption Sunday Tribune was told that the Nigerian
leadership was assured that the White House will look the other way as it did in
the case of Uganda, Burkina Faso and Chad.
Sunday Tribune was further told that while the White House was
eager to retain the Otta farmer, it had also urged that the Aso Rock should work
on an alternative plan so that any failed bid for third term will not lead to an
unexpected president-elect in 2007. The American government was reported to have
specifically asked Aso Rock to shortlist possible successors, with particular
request that the capacity and clout of the nominees should be taken into
account.
Tribune
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