ABUJA (SundiataPost) – The Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Declaration Committee on Monday met and set up subcommittees that are to draw up programme of event based on their terms of reference.
The subcommittees are also to draw up their budgets, decide on venue depending on the format of declaration that would be adopted.
The Chairman of the Presidential Declaration Committee, Dr. Haliru Bello, disclosed this at the end of the meeting held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa with most committee members in attendance including the governors of Abia, Gombe and Ondo states.
Fielding questions from State House correspondents, Bello said, “We have set up subcommittees to do the various activities of the arrangement. We will get the copies of the subcommittees to the secretariat. The subcommittees will now make their programmes based on their terms of reference.
“They will get the budget and then we will start rolling. We are considering a number of venues. The nature of the organisation will determine the venue because there are events that are solemn that could be done in a room like a meeting, there are events that require razzmatazz that only could be done in an arena.
“We haven’t decided the format yet. It is one of the jobs of the subcommittees to decide the format and the procedure. When that is done, we will decide the appropriate venue for that kind of arrangement”.
Asked how soon before the venue would be announced, he said, “That one could be done as early as next week. Once the committees start, we have the event committee, we have the venue committee because we need inputs from various people, that is why we have the subcommittees. When they decide on their format, that is when we have the venue of the event because each event determines its own venue”.
Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji said the subcommittees are to ensure successful declaration of the President on November 11
On the advice by Sheikh Ahmed that both President Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari should not contest the 2015 elections based on the fact that they are both perceived to be leaders of their respective religions, the Abia Governor said the President was not under compulsion to take the advice.
Orji said, ”Well, every person can say anything. You can advise somebody, it is left for that person to take your advice or not. That is a personal advice, but the general advice is for the president is to contest”.