Some of the things Pres. GEJ said in his media chat

President Goodluck Jonathan addressed the nation yesterday in a media chat with a panel of top media personalities, Adesuwa Onyenekwe, Deji Badmus, Ibanga Isine and Ibrahim Sheme, and he addressed several issues.
Here are some of the highlights of what he said:

About Jega

I wish Jega were here, I could have asked him to answer whether I have confidence in him Yes those who called for his sack may be close to me, but they express their own opinion. More than 80 per cent of those who sponsor messages on our behalf we don't even know them. People use the reschedule of election to misinform Nigerians.
I have never thought about removing INEC Chairman, though I have the constitutional power to do so.''

  "I have not told anybody that I will remove Jega," he said. He explained that if there are obvious reasons to remove Jega, he would rely on "constitutional" provisions that gives him powers to sack whoever he appoints.

On Attacks

''The level of misinformation, especially from young people is high. Attempting to attack the president is treasonable offense.The president is protected by soldiers, not just the police. People get carried away and make some provocative statements.
Those who pelted my convoy during my campaigns in the Northern part of the country were ignorant. If INEC conducts the election poorly, it will be on my head."

About the war of words by opposition and the ruling party

The president explained that "some people" get carried away by the political play and exude these violence. He blamed aides and associates of key political actors for the hate speeches and political violence. He did not categorically condemn the hate speeches or war threats or politically-motivated violence.
"We will make sure things are done so that nobody goes to war," the president said when he pressed for categorical stance on the war threats by ex-militants should he lose the elections. He argues journalists have responsibility to ensure the unity of the country.  

On Boko Haram

The president was asked why he thinks the war against Boko Haram can be won in six weeks even though the war had raged for six years. The president said he has just acquired new weapons, and
gotten support of neigbhouring countries to fight Boko Haram. He mentioned that Chad waited for African Union approval, which they recently got too. He also mentioned that the issue of security is beyond Boko Haram. The president said it runs into dangerous signals of youth restiveness. In the next four weeks Nigerians will see the difference in the security intervention in the North, he said.

Why going to only churches and not mosque?

"I’m united by different people. I can’t attend ceremonies that I’m not invited to.

If military fails to eliminate Boko Haram in six weeks, will elections hold?

 He said the new dates are sacrosanct and a new president would be sworn in by May 29. He argued that the goal is not to totally eliminate Boko Haram but to make adequate security arrangement for the election.

  Missing Chibok Girls

I believe the story of Chibok Girls will get better in the next few weeks, but don't quote me. We are working with our neighbours, we will comb the whole of that place Partying after abduction? It's unfortunate that people play politics with the issue of Chibok girls. It's not like that elsewhere. In other countries, political boundaries collapse in the face of terror attacks, not so in Nigeria.

With regards to his weakened political base, the president said "in politics, there are only permanent interests."

"I believe the story would be different in a few weeks," the president said. "We would recover them alive."

Will he hand over power if he loose?

"If the elections are conducted and I lose, of course, another president would be sworn in," the president said. He argued that Nigeria is more important than any individual. 

Finally

 President Jonathan assured Nigerians that elections would be conducted and a new president sworn in on May 29. He argued that it is better for INEC to conduct an election everyone would be happy with.