Source: www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/173600-dont-leave-pdp-jonathan-begs-akala-maku-obanikoro-others.html
President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to
aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
who lost at the primaries to remain in party in the
interest of democracy.
Mr. Jonathan made the appeal on Saturday night
while speaking at the PDP fund raising dinner held
at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that the leadership of the party was
working to resolve all outstanding issues in the
congresses and primaries.
“We all appreciate that throughout the congresses
where primary elections were conducted there
have been some outstanding issues.
“The party is working to resolve these issues;
definitely, in such situation all may not be
resolved to the satisfaction of everybody,” the
president said.
“But my plea to party members is to remain
committed to the party; stay with the party.
“I know other parties are wooing some of you to
contest elections on their platforms, but if you
believe in democracy then you will contribute to
strengthen it.
“The only way you can strengthen democracy is
for you to stay in your party,” he added.
Some prominent leaders of the party have either
left, expressed intention to leave, or expressed
their dissatisfaction at the manner of conduct of
primaries in their states.
In Benue, a former PDP National Chairman,
Bernabas Gemade, has already joined the All
Progressives Congress, APC, after expressing
anger at how Governor Gabriel Suswam picked
the PDP senatorial ticket of his zone to displace
the former who is the incumbent. Mr. Gemade is
expected to be the APC candidate in the zone.
In Oyo, former governor Alao Akala and his
supporters have joined the Labour Party after
expressing their dissatisfaction at the PDP
governorship primaries that produced Teslim
Folarin as candidate.
In Lagos, the immediate past Minister of State for
Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has rejected the
primaries that produced Jimi Agbaje as the PDP
governorship candidate. A similar situation is
playing out in Nasarawa where immediate past
Information Minister, Labaran Maku, has rejected
the PDP governorship primaries.
Mr. Jonathan, however, told the aggrieved
members that if there were issues they felt were
not too correct, it was better for them to stay
within the party to correct them. He added that
staying together to settle those issues was the
only way democracy can grow.
“If out of anger or frustration, you leave the party
because you didn’t get what you wanted, then
you are not contributing to the growth of
democracy,” he said.
Mr. Jonathan thanked members of the party, the
business community and other supporters of the
PDP for contributing to the growth of the party.
While recalling the “generous donation” of the
business community to support victims of the
2012 flood and to the Victim Support Fund in
September, he assured them that their donations
would be judiciously utilised.
The president also assured the business
community of more policies and programmes that
would promote enterprise and industry as well as
expand the economy.
Citing a beneficiary of the YouWin programme,
who donated N1 million at the dinner, the
president stated that the party had made some
Nigerians millionaires and billionaires.
He said the PDP-led federal government was
working hard to make more young millionaires
through the YouWin programme and the recently
launched Youth Employment through Agriculture
Programme (YEAP).
He assured Nigerians that the PDP would do
everything possible to keep the country united.
Earlier, the PDP National Chairman, Adamu
Mu’azu, congratulated successful candidates of
the party for the 2015 general elections and urged
them not to let the party down.
He urged the candidates to carry their fellow party
members along during the campaigns. He
appealed to aspirants who lost at the primaries to
put the past behind and join hands to take the
PDP to victory.
The chairman of the fund raising committee, Jerry
Gana, warned members of the party against
complacency in the 2015 general elections.
Mr. Gana, a former Minister of Information and
member of the PDP Board of Trustees, declared
that the 2015 elections would be competitive.
He stated that though the party had done well
under President Goodluck Jonathan, members
must campaign and communicate his
achievements to the electorate.
“The 2015 elections will be very competitive. Do
not take it for granted. We must never
underestimate the opponent,” Mr. Gana said.
“PDP has advantage because it has done very well
in its 15 years in power at the centre.
“Besides, our presidential candidate is very good
and is one of the best in the world in terms of
delivery of democracy dividends.
“But doing well or having good candidates is not
enough; we need to tell the electorate what we
have done as a party.
“We must endeavour to effectively communicate
our achievements and candidates to the people;
the elections must be issue-based and the PDP is
noted for that,” he added.
Mr. Gana warned the leadership of the PDP at all
levels against imposition of candidates on
Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that over
N21.2 billion was raised at the dinner which was
well attended by past and present government
officials, politicians and captains of industry.
The fund, according to the PDP National
Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, would be used to
complete the party’s new headquarters building
and run its affairs.

God Bless Nigeria - Amen