Insinuations About Interim Govt, Treasonable -Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday warned against insinuations making the rounds that he planned to put in place an Interim National Government (ING) instead of handing over to a democratic government on May 29, describing such comments as treasonable.
According to him, the only ING that could be put in place was that of the military which, he said, would not be accepted to the nation and the international community.
President Jonathan, who spoke during the opening mass for the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria held at the Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki, Abuja, assured Nigerians that the elections would hold as scheduled and the winners would be inaugurated on May 29, this year.
The President said “There is no way Goodluck Jonathan elected by the people with clear mandate, will go and head interim government.
“The only interim government anybody can constitute is that of the military government which, of course, will not be accepted. “ECOWAS, AU, UN won’t accept it. And Nigeria will not be a pariah state. Clearly, the insinuation of interim government, to me, is treasonable”, he said.
Jonathan described the postponement of the February 14 and February 28 elections as a blessing in disguise, saying there would have been a monumental loss during a recent attack on Gombe State on the same day earlier fixed for the Presidential election.
“Look at what happened in Gombe on February 14th; if the elections had been held, the casualty figure after that attack in Gombe would have been high.
“It is better for us to conduct elections that will not be contested, elections that are credible, free and fair,” he said.
President Jonathan promised “not to do anything because of personal interest that would jeopardize the interest of this nation”.