Only voters can remove elected leaders –Jonathan

JULY 21, 2013 

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday in Lagos restated the opposition of Nigeria and the African Union to the unconstitutional removal of any democratically-elected government.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted the President as speaking while granting audience to Ambassador Raouf  Saad, Special Envoy of the Interim President of Egypt, Mr. Adly Mansour, at the  State House, Marina, Lagos.

Jonathan, who arrived Lagos on Friday for the inauguration of the Idimu Police Housing Estate named after him, had travelled to Togo after the inauguration and returned to the former nation’s capital where he has been having private meetings with individuals and groups.

The President was said to have told the special envoy that the Federal Government maintains its stand that only the electorate in any country have the constitutional right to remove an elected leader.

Welcoming the assurance by Saad that the Egyptian military were not currently involved in the day-to-day administration of the country, Jonathan reportedly advised the interim government to do everything within its powers to return Egypt to democratic rule as quickly as possible.

The statement read, “The President told the special envoy that Egypt was very important to Africa and that Nigeria and the African Union will, therefore, give the country all necessary support to ensure that it returns to the path of constitutionalism and political stability as quickly as possible.

“He condemned recent terrorist activities on Mount Sinai and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s full commitment to working with the rest of the world to combat terrorism, saying that no person or group has the right to intimidate others with acts of terror.”

Saad was said to be in Lagos to brief Jonathan on the current situation in Egypt against the background of the opposition of Nigeria and the AU to the unconstitutional change of government in Egypt and the country’s suspension from the continental body.

The Egyptian envoy was said to have praised Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa and sought Jonathan’s advice on how Egypt could best overcome its current difficulties.