The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) went emotional yesterday in the bid to woo the north to support President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term.
The party said that the Southsouth zone from where President Jonathan hails has always been a political ally of the north, and now looks up to that part of the country to reciprocate the gesture in next year’s elections.
The PDP has endorsed the president as its sole candidate ahead of the National Convention where he will be officially named as the party’s flag bearer.
Influential groups from the north including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the northern Elders Forum (NEF) are uncomfortable with the endorsement which, in their view, has shut out Northerners in PDP from contesting the Presidential election next year.
Spokesman for the NEF, Professor Ango Abdullahi had boasted in a recent interview that the North would make PDP pay for its alleged anti-North stance.
But speaking at the Southsouth Unity rally of the party in Benin yesterday, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, pleaded with the North to back President Jonathan the same way the Southsouth supported northern candidates in the past.
Chief Anenih also drew attention to what he called the sacrifice made by successive Southsouth leaders towards the nation’s stability.
“The Southsouth has played a unifying role in this country. It has made supreme sacrifice for the development and stability of Nigeria with people like Anthony Enahoro, Okotie-Eboh, Isaac Boro, Dennis Osadebey,” he said.
“The Southsouth has always been an ally of the North and now we call for their cooperation. We have fought political battles together, contested elections on the same political platform. We have given support to the North when it matters most.
President Jonathan said at the rally that PDP is in surpport of politics of stomach infrastructure as part of effort to check poverty he said power can only be meaningful by puting food on peoples table.
He called for unity among party members for the PDP to win the 2015 general elections.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Ikimi who formally returned to the PDP at the rally begged the party’s leadership for re-integration.
He recently left the All Progressives Congress (APC) after losing out in the bid to become the party’s national chairman. Chief Ikimi who claimed that the APC was ‘clinically dead’ in Edo State said: “You will help us to speak to all the branches in the Southsouth to agree to incorporate all our members who are now leaving APC.“ National Chairman of the PDP, Mallam Adamu Mu’azu dismissed allegations of rancour in the party. He urged those criticizing the endorsement of President Jonathan to ‘shut up’ and bring out their best to contest against Jonathan.
He vowed that the PDP would win back Edo and River States.
He said: “Elections are coming. At every level of elections so many people will be interested but only one person will go at a time. We should do it decently.
“When we continue to unite, we will get our states back. When I took office as deputy governor, we were all PDP in the Southsouth. Today, two states have k-leg. From 2015 to 2016 elections we will get all our states back. We will win Edo. The only party in River State is PDP. Others exist only on sign boards. We will allow their signboards to stay. All what we need is unity.”
He said his administration believes in stomach infrastructure because of its belief in food security.
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i wil never re'elect jonarthern becouse becouse Johnathern is tire hi should Go and retire becouse we don't like any fucking extra tyre to move this country forward we discent since the tyro of his tenure he showed no mercy to northerner
ReplyDeleteWhy begging, either they like it or not PDP must win as usual unless the rigging tools are no longer in place.
ReplyDeletenobody wl vote for APC candidate either they beg or not bcs i did not see any sign that all those ones want to do anytin other than propagander
ReplyDeleteYes you are right, as you people feel that you can do with out the Northners find. Ga fili ga me doki PDP is going no where with Jona around. So for that I don't think theirs any need for south south, to beg the North anything with present situation in the country we the Hausa/Mallam don't want die again please.
ReplyDelete