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Lagos — As Acting President Goodluck Jonathan prepares to meet President Barack Obama in his first historic visit to the United States (US), information emanating from the White House indicates that Obama has denied ever suggesting to his guest that Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, should be sacrificed to assuage the feelings of the Save Nigeria Group and other opposition elements in the country.

Indeed, Daily Champion learnt that President Obama told his deputies at White House that how Nigeria addresses its electoral reforms, was not part of his worries.

An online publication had claimed that Obama had received assurances from Jonathan that Iwu's tenure would not be renewed adding that the assurance was one of the conditions demanded by the US leader to allow a meeting with Jonathan.

But denying the claim, a White House source said Obama "laughed off" the insinuation adding that electoral reforms are part of Nigeria's internal problems and not one the US would want to dictate on.

The Source said Obama will rather want to discuss international issues as they affect the Gulf of Guinea, Niger Delta, terrorism and not petty issues of who chairs the nation's electoral body.

Our source said: "It is doubtful if President Obama would disrespect and embarrass a visiting foreign leader with such an intrusive request, especially when he believes that Nigeria's problems go well beyond that."

Asked to comment on a similar statement credited to Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson, the source said: "Ambassador Carson was most probably just speaking his mind, not necessarily stating the US official policy on the issue of who runs Nigeria's elections.

"Though the US believes that Nigeria requires reforming her elections, we also know that credible election is not necessarily a function of who chairs the election board. It encompasses the entire society. So, if we make any demands at all, we will go beyond the minor issue of routine personal changes that squarely lie within the sole prerogative of Nigerians," said the source.

Speaking further, another Obama aide wondered why "Some Nigerians believe that all their problems as a nation will disappear once their election chief is removed. That sounds funny to most of us here."

"As for Ambassador Carson, we believe that he spoke out of his close friendship with some Nigerians with a political interest in who chairs the country's national election board. Officially, that is none of America's or Obama's business.

"I doubt seriously that personnel changes at Nigeria's national election board will figure at all, except for some general concerns Obama may express on reforming Nigeria's national institutions, which happen to include her election board."

Meanwhile, a Presidency source, who is on the trip to Washington, has said insinuation that Obama will dictate changes in Nigeria is annoying and myopic. "Since when did Nigeria start clearing her political appointments with Obama" he asked noting that "we all must realise what sovereignty means. People should be wary of the actions they take as regards nation building. Does it make sense to think that Obama will order a visiting head of state and government to sack or retain one official of state or the other? Why are we incapable of reasoning properly? If anyone has problems with Iwu, he should go and sort it out with him and not to embarrass our country with such baseless stories.

"If you believe that the acting President will get permission from Obama before re-appointing or not re-appointing Prof Iwu, then you also have to believe that Jonathan took permission from Obama before he reconstituted the Federal Executive Council (FEC)."

The Nigerian Embassy in Washington, which has been working hard to ensure the visit was successful also dismissed the report as baseless.

An embassy official who was confronted with the report blamed it on Ambassador Carson's romance with opposition figures in the country.

He said: "It is Johnnie Carson's undue and single-minded interest in this matter that is fuelling these baseless and embarrassing rumours of Obama dictating 'left and right' to Jonathan. We, at the Embassy feel embarrassed by all these; and sometimes we wonder if these people believe that Nigeria has suddenly lost her sovereignty to America when it comes to the man Iwu".

"Prof Iwu is not even on the cards of issues we will advise Jonathan to touch on with Obama; and we don't even think that their private meeting will last that long for such petty matters to be brought up. As far as we know, Obama will be more concerned with Gulf of Guinea security, peacekeeping, Abdulmutallab, Niger Delta; and of course, he will worry a bit about how stable Nigeria is in view of recent political developments".

Pitching in his last words, the Nigerian diplomat added that "appointing chairman of INEC is a joint constitutional responsibility of the Presidency and the Nigerian Senate that must give its consent. So, if it is true that Jonathan has promised anything to Obama, then at some point Jonathan also has to get the consent of the Senate before he can keep that promise."