by Isi Esene

There are indications that president Goodluck Jonathan might run for a second term in 2015 as Doyin Okupe, the senior special assistant to the president on public affairs, said the president’s transparent leadership and concrete performance is enough to persuade Nigerians to seek his return.

According to him, although the president has not declared his intention to contest for a second term in 2015, he is convinced that the successful implementation of the various development projects and programmes of the government is enough for Nigerians to want him back.

Okupe reportedly said, “As an insider I know what he has been doing since he took over as president of Nigeria. I am very certain in my mind that Nigerians are going to applaud him and even if he does not want to run for election in 2015, Nigerians are going to force him to run again because of the level of his performance.”

He said the Jonathan has set a 2014 deadline for his government to deliver on several developmental metrics like uninterrupted power supply, job creation, insecurity and provision of infrastructure to enable the economy blossom.

Okupe went on to say that the “President Jonathan is not a theatrical or show man. He is not a man given to too much speech but action. I am very sure Nigerians will soon come to know more about his level of sincerity and commitment to the transformation of this country.”

He expressed his understanding of the cynicism shown by Nigerians to the stated intentions of the government pleading with citizens to be patient with the Jonathan administration in its bid to deliver on its promise.

“Nigerians have become use very cynical and skeptical about government because of past failures. But they should not judge Jonathan by the failures of the past. Mr. President is an innocent politician who is untainted by the politics of the past and not deeply entrenched in the principalities that have ruled us,” he said.

On the challenge of terrorism, Okupe noted that the government was in talks with the Boko Haram Islamic sect and was studying the conditions put down by the group. He disclosed that the government would make its position known on the matter at the appropriate time.