He said the committee had embarked on routine consultation with
relevant stakeholders with a view to ensuring stability in the country.
The National Peace Committee on Tuesday, August 11, dismissed reports that it was lobbied by former President Goodluck Jonathan to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from probing his administration.
Jonathan
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, a member of the committee chaired by retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar,
dismissed the report while answering questions from State House
correspondents after the committee’s closed-door meeting with Buhari in Abuja.
According
to him, though everybody is free to contact the committee to intervene
in promoting peaceful coexistence in the society, the former president
never talked to the committee for any form of intervention.
"Anybody
is free to come to our committee, but President Jonathan never by
telephone or by any other means sought to see the committee.
"We
went to see him, but that was after we had already seen members of the
political parties; we saw a few members of the civil society; we planned
to see the speaker because we couldn't see him yesterday.
"So
this was a planned series of intervention essentially just to hear out
everybody and I think the good news is that Nigerians are committed to a
new nation.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
"We are committed to ensuring that the gains and the blessings God has given us come to fruition.
"So, it was a very wonderful conversation that we had."
He
said the committee had embarked on routine consultation with relevant
stakeholders with a view to ensuring stability in the country.
According
to him, the committee will continue to support and cooperate with
government in its fight against corruption and injustice.
He said: "Again, our own commitment is not to intimidate or fight anybody.
"The
former president’s commitment and what he did still remains spectacular
and I think that President Buhari himself appreciates that.
"So, our effort really is to make sure that the right thing is done.
"This is not an intervention; it is not a hearing out process.
"When we had election it was like a wedding; the reality of government now is the marriage and people need to be encouraged.
Goodluck Jonathan
"We need
to reaffirm that this is our country and the only thing we can
collectively be opposed to is injustice, iniquity, corruption and in
that regard we all had one single conversation."
Some members of the peace committee at the meeting are: the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Alhaji Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar; Cardinal John Onaiyekan; and the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.
Others are: Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh; Justice Rose Ukeje (rtd); Prof. Ameze Guobadia; Publisher of Vanguard Newspaper, Sam Amuka; Dame Priscilla Kuye; Sen. Ben Obi; Dr Yunusa Tanko; and Dr Arthur-Martin Aginam.
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