Wednesday 25 September 2013

Ex-PDP governors, ministers back Jonathan for 2015 presidential election


The participants also want the crisis in PDP resolved.
Some former governors and governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Friday, kicked against plots to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2015 presidential election, saying it would be against natural justice to deny him that constitutional right.
The governors and governorship candidates, under the aegis of G13 Candidates/Former PDP Governors Forum, also said after their meeting in Abuja that Mr. Jonathan should not be blamed for the mistakes and failure of the previous federal regimes before him.
The convener of the forum is the PDP governorship candidate in the 2012 election in Edo State, Charles Arhiavbere, a retired major general. Other members of the forum are former governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna; former governor of Zamfara State, Umar Shinkafi; former Education Minister, Dauda Birmah; former Minister of Sports, Damishi Sango; former Sports Minister, Abdulminu Aminu; former deputy governor of Ogun State, Salimot Badru; and governorship candidate of PDP in Ondo State, Olusola Oke.
John Dongi and Fidelis Seri are also members of the group.
According to Mr. Arhivbere, who spoke to journalists after the meeting of the forum, “The constitution provides for eight years for every office and I believe that going by natural justice, if there is a tenant in a house and it is going for sale the first opportunity of refusal should go to the occupant.
“And I believe that based on the midterm report of president, we believe that he should be given a second term in office to finish his project. President Jonathan has the right. It has not been published anywhere that he signed an agreement that he signed an agreement to run for one term. He should be given support and peaceful environment to implement his projects to completion.”
He said the forum was in support of Mr. Jonathan to seek re-election because of the achievements he had recorded in the last two years.
“The achievements recorded within the space of two years in office are highly commendable and the need to effortlessly support Mr. President to continue the good work through national consensus becomes imperative,” he said.
“To this end, we salute Mr. President for the resolute leadership demonstrated in the face of adversity to put Nigeria on the part of greatness. Who else, if not Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Jonathan?
“Once again, the group is ready to support Mr. President uncommon Transformation Agenda through the unveiling of a pet project to this effect. Goodluck to Goodluck is possible come 2015, that is to say Goodluck must handover to Goodluck.”
It asked all PDP members to embrace peace and return to the mainstream of the party under the leadership of Bamanga Tukur.
The former governorship candidate said that the forum had studied the raging crisis and concluded that it was a family affair, which must be resolved accordingly.
He said, “We studied the political impasse, horse trading and war of attrition and belligerence in recent times within and outside the context of our great party, PDP, the intra party conflict classified as family affair must be resolved within the party conflict resolution mechanism of the PDP Round Table Dialogue Initiative, put in place for the reconciliation and all well meaning PDP members should embrace peace and avail themselves of the opportunity given to return back to the mainstream under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as one indivisible PDP.”
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