Jonathan, at the 62nd National
Executive Committee meeting of the PDP in Abuja on Thursday, said any
party or group that believed that the PDP would be rocked by crises
during the 2015 elections would be “terribly disappointed.”
But the APC, through its Interim
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the President
would wake up one day and realise that in politics, “there is a limit
to good luck. “
Jonathan had told the NEC members,
who resolved to shelve Saturday’s South-West congress of the party
that the early commencement of political activities was not
unconnected with opposition’s worry over the “intimidating
credentials” of the PDP.
The President also attributed the
formation of new political parties to the quest by some desperate
politicians to defeat the PDP in 2015. According to him, those
behind the new parties are “confused and would continue to be
confused.”
He said that the turnout at the NEC meeting was a clear reflection of the fact that the PDP was intact.
Jonathan said, “I was not expecting to
see so many people especially our senior party members but when I came
in and saw their faces, I thanked God because those who
believe that the PDP is divided, will all be disappointed.
“The chairman said it all; we thought
that political activities will not start so early in the country, but
because of the intimidating credentials of the PDP, people have started
meeting.
“Parties have started coming together,
and new ones are being formed. These are blessings to all of us
because those people behind them are confused about how they will
manage the PDP. They will continue to be confused especially in 2015.
“And those who continue to think that
the PDP cannot come together; that the PDP cannot manage success will be
terribly disappointed.
“We will go to the Eagle Square (in Abuja) and take the right decision for our party.”
He said that his administration would
continue to pursue its developmental agenda in line with the PDP
manifesto in such a way that by early next year, even those in doubt
would have nothing to say.
The President said his government would be able to achieve the feat with the expected cooperation of the PDP.
“A number of things that Nigeria almost
forgot like railways are being brought back. And I believe that by the
time we move into (early) next year, things will become very obvious so
that those who doubt us will not have anything to say. We promise that
we are going to do that with the assistance of the party,” Jonathan
added.
He admitted that while it was natural
to have disagreement in a political party, the important thing was the
ability of those involved to resolve their differences and then forge
ahead.
After the meeting, the Acting National
Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Tony Okeke, read a communiqué in
which he announced the suspension of the South-West congress of the
party.
He cited a court order as the reason
for the decision by the NEC. Okeke said that PDP was committed to the
rule of law and upholding the sanctity of the courts.
“INEC unanimously approved and ratified
31 August 2013 as the date for the Special National Convention of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). NEC commended the Special Congresses and
Convention Planning Committee for the efforts so far put in place in
the preparation for the Convention.
“NEC acknowledged the service of a court
order restraining the conduct of the South- West Zonal Congress
earlier scheduled for Saturday, August 24, 2013. In line with our
avowed disposition to upholding the rule of Law and in deference to the
court’s ruling, NEC unanimously approved the postponement of the
South-West congress.
“Consequently, NEC directed the National
Working Committee to follow through the court process and when
concluded, set a new date for the congress.”
The meeting had Vice- President Namadi
Sambo; the Deputy Senate President, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu; the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; the Chairman of
the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih; 18 state governors, past
chairmen, national secretaries and other party leaders in attendance.
Earlier, the PDP National Chairman, Dr.
Bamanga Tukur, had dismissed rumours of his imminent removal as a
creation of the media .
Tukur commended the National
Reconciliation Committee of the PDP for the job it had so far done and
appealed to all aggrieved members to “sheathe their swords and enthrone
enduring peace” in the party.
Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State told
State House correspondents that the cordial atmosphere in which the
meeting was conducted was a sign that members were now happy with one
another.
He spoke after he and his Gombe State
counterpart, Ibrahim Dankwambo, met behind closed-doors with Jonathan at
the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“The PDP NEC meeting shows that the
family is together and that everybody is working together. It is a sign
of good things to come. We are now happy with one another. The family
is together and if there was a problem, we would have stayed longer to
solve it,’’ Yuguda added.
Our correspondents learnt that the NEC
did not discuss the issue of automatic tickets for Jonathan and first
term governors in order not to create further crisis in the party.
A member of the party’s NEC confided in
our correspondent that the PDP leadership believed that discussing the
issue would deepen the crisis rocking the party.
Our source said a majority of the NEC
members felt that it was unwise to throw such a matter in the open on a
day several of the governors who had been refusing to attend the
party’s meetings were back in its fold.
According to him, it is the general belief in the PDP that there was enough time to handle the issue of automatic tickets.
He said, “Sincerely, I can tell you
that this issue of automatic tickets was not mentioned at the meeting;
the two issues were the ratification of the August 31 date for the
special national convention, and the suspension of the zonal ongress
for the South-West.
“You know that an issue as sensitive as
automatic ticket can not be discussed in that open place; it will deepen
the crisis in the party. How can you be reconciling and be putting
that on your agenda?
“The party believes that there is time; such thing is better handled in a strategic way.”
Reacting to the President on what
awaited the opposition, the APC Interim spokesperson advised him to
devote his energies to resolving the crisis in the PDP instead of
wishing other political parties ill-luck.
“Clearly, President Jonathan is still
relying on luck to defeat the opposition APC in 2015 and that is why he
says we will be confused and disappointed. On the contrary, the
President will wake up one day to realise that in this business, there
is a limit to good luck. Not only has his luck run out on President
Goodluck Jonathan, he has exhausted his good will with Nigerians,”
Mohammed said in an SMS to one of our correspondents.
According to him, the APC would rather
engage the President in meaningful issues of national development. He
added that the opposition party would continue to strategise on how to
get Jonathan out of power in 2015.
“If wishes were horses, beggars would
ride. The President should focus his energies to the crisis in his party
instead of wishing opposition parties ill-luck. We are strategising to
ensure that Nigerians vote for us in 2015; so we prefer to engage him on
meaningful issues.”
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APC, there's nothing on ground to suggest a challenge to the PDP. BTW, where's Tinubu? He's been missing in action this while. Is the knee operation preventing him from making any statement?
ReplyDeletena true talk u dey yan GEJ they no get mouth na only noise we know them for?
ReplyDeleteGEJ and others should wait till 2015 and see.
ReplyDelete