Jonathan accuses Buhari of gay pledge to world powers over election

Jonathan accuses Buhari of gay pledge to world powers over election

President Goodluck Jonathan has accused his main
challenger in March 28 election, Muhammadu Buhari, of
assuring western nations of his preparedness to support
same-sex marriage if he wins the forthcoming polls.
Mr. Jonathan, who spoke through his campaign
organization, said Mr. Buhari made the pledge to secure
the support of the countries to win election.
Femi Fani-Kayode, the Spokesperson of President
Jonathan, said four western countries extracted a
commitment from Mr. Buhari, who represents the All
Progressives Congress, to support a legislation enabling
same sex marriage.
Amid a flurry of apparently election-fuelled allegations,
the claim by the Jonathan camp Wednesday seemed one
of the most serious.
Still, Mr. Fani-Kayode, reputed for making
unsubstantiated allegations against political opponents,
refused to give the names of the four countries he was
referring to.
Mr. Buhari, seen by his supporters as a non-nonsense
former military leader, whose brief administration in
the 1980s waged campaigns against indiscipline and
corruption, has not given any hint suggesting he would
condone same-sex relationship, already outlawed in
Nigeria.
Nigeria’s National Assembly has already passed a bill
making gay marriage a criminal offense, and offenders
risk spending 14 years in jail if convicted.
But addressing a press conference on Wednesday in
Abuja, Mr. Fani-Kayode said the proposition was made to
Mr. Buhari by the representatives of a number of
western governments when he was in the United
Kingdom recently.
Mr. Fani Kayode said Mr. Buhari had appealed to the
western leaders for support and to get their
endorsement.
“He had talks with the representatives of at least four
western countries. The leaders of those countries made
an offer to General Muhammadu Buhari and we are reliably informed that
he has put the offer under consideration.
“The proposition and offer was that if he was prepared to support legislation
in Nigeria to allow same sex marriage and if he was prepared to repeal the
anti-gay laws in Nigeria they will, in return, endorse, support and fund him,
initially covertly and eventually publicly, at the right time,” he said.
He also said that instead of out rightly rejecting these offers and spurning
this proposition, Mr. Buhari “apparently refused to rule it out and has put
the matter under consideration.
“Instead of him to say NO he assured them that he would consider these two
things.
“We believe that this is a matter that ought to be brought to the attention of
the Nigerian people as a matter of urgency,” he said.
Mr. Fani-Kayode added that the APC are so desperate to ensure that Mr.
Buhari becomes the President of Nigeria that they are actually prepared to
consider the scrapping of all anti-gay or anti-homosexual legislations and at
the same time, endorsing and supporting fresh legislation that would allow
same sex marriage in the country.
“They are considering this despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of
the Nigerian people find same sex marriage and, indeed, homosexuality
repugnant and unacceptable.
“We are using this occasion to challenge General Buhari to come clean and
to tell the Nigerian people whether this is true and whether, in the unlikely
event of his being elected President, he is seriously considering scrapping
the anti-homosexual laws in our country and pushing through new
legislation which would allow same sex marriage,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.