THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday declared that there was nothing wrong if President Goodluck Jonathan decides to run for a second term.

“Let me tell you: that is in order in politics. Jonathan is the President under our party and what is wrong if he decides to run?

“The others have the same opportunity to promote their candidates, if they have,” Mr Tukur said, in response to a question on whether the creation of the PDP Governors’ Forum was meant to foster Jonathan’s presidential ambition in 2015.

When asked to clarify if the party had agreed to field the president as its candidate for the 2015 presidential election, Tukur merely retorted, “But the Governors’ Forum isn’t the platform for electing a candidate; we have our own system.”

He also debunked the speculations making the round in some quarters that the party’s newly inaugurated Governors’ Forum headed by the Akwa-Ibom State Governor,Godswill Akpabio was hurriedly put in place to boost the Presidential ambition of President Jonathan in the 2015 for his re election.

Alhaji Tukur assured that come 2015 all the party’s candidates including that of the presidency would emerge through all known democratic processes and that neither the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) nor the PDP Governors’ Forum (PGF) would dictate to the party on who should be its Presidential candidate or other candidates at the polls.

Alhaji Tukur who lauded the formation of the new body by the PDP Governors along with the existing Nigeria Governors Forum, pointed out that such groups were needed in a country like Nigeria with different religious and ethnic backgrounds as would afford them the opportunity of blending and working together towards achieving the common goals of delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.

Meanwhile, smarting from a successful whittling of the strong influence of the Governors’ Forum, the presidency has moved to the next stage, this time with a strong drive to boost the state of finances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to take it away from the grips of state governors, the major financiers.

Indications to this effect emerged as President Goodluck Jonathan last night held a crucial meeting with some top PDP members, including key ministers at the presidential villa, during which they brainstormed on how to lift the PDP from a state of financial incapacitation, which they concluded could make the party susceptible to corruptive influences.

Insiders at the meeting told Nigerian Tribune that Jonathan and others at the meeting explored the possibility of re-enacting the old synergy which the PDP had with a group of Nigerian billionaires as was the case during the regime of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

The meeting was said to have advised Jonathan to wake up to the necessity of funding the PDP adequately, more so against the backdrop that the party had suffered some casualties financially since he became the president, a reason the PDP could no longer function as effectively as it used to be during past regimes.

The financial incapacity of the NWC, according to a national officer, was the reason the state governors had been riding the party roughshod in which case they constituted a higher authority over the party, while under their larger forum, they had been subverting the authorities of the ruling party.

Jonathan and the party members were also said to have brainstormed on how to kick-start the idea of e-registration for members as part of a means of raising legitimate funds for the PDP.

The National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Tukur said his party was seriously planning to embark on e-registration, meant to buy the confidence of every member in the party, while returning the authorities of the party to ordinary members as financial contributors.

Efforts by the past leadership of PDP to introduce the idea of e-registration were met with stiff resistance from the state governors, who were of the view that membership registration would take away the firm grip of the party from them in their respective states.

The governors, of late, have been the main source of finance to PDP at the state level, even as they had attempted to muzzle the party at the centre with the control they had being the main source of financial bailout in some cases.
Link: http://odili.net/news/source/2013/feb/28/601.html

Do you think President Jonathan should contest, or should he leave the field for others?

ehn hen?

Of course, he can contest, there is no reason what so ever to disenfranchise him from the race, he has done well so far. Forget APC, they will fail woefully in 2015, even Oshoimhole knows this already.

Dp!

CFCfan:

Insiders at the meeting told Nigerian Tribune that Jonathan and others at the meeting explored the possibility of re-enacting the old synergy which the PDP had with a group of Nigerian billionaires as was the case during the regime of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Link: http://odili.net/news/source/2013/feb/28/601.html

Do you think President Jonathan should contest, or should he leave the field for others?

I do hope this is not another avenue for some unscrupulous billionaire cronies of the PDP to perpetuate heinous economic crimes in large scale against the people of Nigeria, simply because they are trying to finance the PDP. The fuel subsidy fraud is still fresh on our minds! Surely, the PDP shouldn't complain of financial incapacity, since they've plundered nearly all our resources. Thievery corporation!

When these people are telling lies, they don't blink.

As long as the Governors are against his re-election he is not coming back,no matter the infernal scheming.