President Goodluck Jonathan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday differed in their assessment of recent elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
While President Jonathan insisted that his administration had so far ensured free, fair and credible elections, Tambuwal said recent elections in the country were not different from the ones conducted by military junta.
The two nation’s leaders spoke at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), held at the International Conference Centre, Owerri, Imo State.
The president, who was represented on the occasion by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke (SAN), also explained the decision of his administration to negotiate with the family of the former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, over money looted by the late maximum ruler.
Adoke said the Federal Government’s option of negotiation for the recovery of Abacha loot was not only transparent, but had also become a standard for the world to adopt.
The annual conference of legal practitioners, which was presided over by the former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, also saw the NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN) rendering the account of his two-year stewardship, saying his administration had been able to advance the goals of the body.
Wali listed his administration’s achievements to include infrastructure development and fighting for justice for Nigerians.
In his speech on the conference, President Jonathan insisted that his administration had achieved much since coming to power.
According to him, his government had entrenched a culture of transparency, free and fair election and respect for the rule of law and human rights in the country.
The president, however, regretted that despite the huge achievements of his administration, insecurity was still a serious problem across the nation. He urged lawyers to support the security agencies in fighting terrorism in the country, stressing that the nation’s security officers were fighting crime under very difficult circumstances.
Also speaking, Tambuwal asked lawyers to lead efforts to save the nation, saying poverty had worsened across the country.
He alleged that Nigerians were yet to be given the opportunity to freely choose their leaders, insisting that elections so far conducted under the current civilian government had not been different from the style adopted by the military.
In his speech, Gowon also admitted that the nation was yet to achieve its potential as a sovereign country.
But he urged lawyers and other Nigerians to refrain from apportioning blames. Lawyers, he counselled, should rather come up with ways to rescue the nation from its challenges.
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, on his part, said the nation could not grow until those with vision and passion for development were allowed to assume leadership positions.
He, however, challenged lawyers to provide direction for the country as people with great training.
In another development, the Attorney General of the Federation, Adoke, condemned critics of the Federal Government’s decision to negotiate with the family of the late General Abacha with a view to recovering the former military ruler’s loot.
The criticisms that greeted the arrangement, he insisted, were provoked by ignorance.
Saying the process was transparent and credible; he claimed the strategy had received the support of international organisations, including the World Bank.
He urged Nigerians to take advantage of the Freedom of Information Act to get information on the processes and activities of public officers before making comments on government’s decisions and policies.

At NBA conference, Jonathan, Tambuwal differ on elections