FOLLOWING the delisting by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Professor Chukwuma Soludo, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that the electoral body cannot stop the ruling party from fielding a candidate in the election slated for February 6, 2010.

Speaking on Thursday at the 49th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP at its national headquarters in Abuja, he observed that going by previous Supreme Court judgments, it was purely the decision of the political party to choose any person to represent it in any election.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had restrained INEC from parading the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the party’s candidate for the election, pending the determination of the suit brought before it by some aggrieved members of the party.

But the vice-president has allayed the fears of members of the party over the possibility of not having a candidate, following the expiration of INEC’s deadline for the substitution of candidates for the election.

According to Dr. Jonathan, who is also the chairman of the Professor Soludo Campaign Committee, “to me, I am not really worried about the Anambra election, because if you look at the INEC position, PDP is contesting the election. They are not saying that PDP will not contest the election.

“The issue is that we are yet to sort out our candidate and I believe this is a classical case and Nigerians are watching how this case will progress and my conviction is that PDP will contest the Anambra election and, luckily, PDP’s name is there as one of the parties that will contest the election. Let us see how it will progress and I am the chairman of the campaign committee.

“My conviction is that INEC cannot stop PDP from contesting the election. PDP’s name is there. Somehow, we will have to contest the election and nobody should be worried; nobody should be discouraged on whatever that is happening.

“When you look at some of the judgments that have been given by the Supreme Court over the period, you will know that the party is supreme and the decision belongs to the party and I believe that there is no way that PDP will not contest the election,” he said.

Vice-President Jonathan also said that the PDP would continue to win any presidential election conducted in this country as, according to him, it had more membership in the country.

He added that “I always tell people that if you conduct presidential elections 100 times and bring angels from the moon to conduct, PDP will still win. Though as a human system there might be some errors or flaws or perceived discrepancies in terms of the management of the elections, there is no other party today in that can say that they have a bigger following than PDP.

“If politics is a factor of the people, if the number matters, then there is no reason any other party will say, we were supposed to win,” he remarked.

In his opening address, the national chairman of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, condemned calls for the resignation of ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua, saying that even though he was undergoing medical treatment abroad, the president’s ability to continue to rule was not in doubt.

According to him, “let me, therefore, use this medium to condemn, in strong terms, the negative utterances of some Nigerians over the health of our dear president. As a human being, it is not unusual for the president to be sick.

“The president’s competence and ability to run the affairs of this nation is not in doubt. The PDP maintains that Mallam Umaru Yar’Adua, GCFR, still remains our president.

“The good news is that our amiable president will return home soon. I, therefore, urge our detractors to stop playing God; rather, we should always pray for the quick recovery of the sick.”

The communiqué released at the end of the meeting declared NEC’s support for Professor Soludo and called on all stakeholders of the party in Anambra State to rally round the candidate while also warning against what it called anti-party activities.

While expressing total confidence in the recovery of President Yar’Adua and his ability to continue functioning, the communiqué warned “those playing politics with his health to have a rethink.”

Similarly, the commu-niqué, which said President Yar’Adua would soon return to the country, also added that “NEC condemned in strong terms, the call by some disgruntled opposition politicians on the president to resign from office.

“NEC particularly frowned on the dirty antics employed by some of these politicians in forging the names of some prominent Nigerians in an attempt to gain unmerited legitimacy.”

Source

And thats the simple truth!

Soludo is the Solution.

Even Goodluck sabi talk like this?lol Na wah o. Yar'adua's absence has given him lever.

Emperoh:

I can't believe PDP is sounding stranded?
Their Spin Dogs have left them. . . . and surprisingly, the INEC/Iwu they so believed in is pitching his tent with Uba?
Isn't that surprising? Their rigging machinery has moved and i hope they can nip that in the bid.

If only they know how to do it, the can cripple the Ubas
Sack iwu and get someone to do their bidding. . . .that not withstanding, the scenario is getting more interesting
All i am sure of is that if anyone tries to rig this one, he will get far more than he bargained for.
I am dead sure about this. . . . , but expect the court to decide the next Anambra Governor!!

I think what is rather suprising is our refusal to welcome a situation where the rulling party is now thinking in a new and more civilised way.

I thought Jonathan Goodluck was spot on in all he said.

Jonathan Goodluck was not scared of anything. I just think he understands times are changing and the only way PDP can be relevant going forward is to lead the effort in changing Nigerian politics for the better.

Chris Uba or Andy Uba dont mean much without the power of incumbency.

The Supreme Court will reaffirm the legal right of political parties to choose candidates they like. Soludo will eventually contest in 2010 in Anambra.

All Soludo needs to do is to have PDP stalwarts in Anambra going around town making the case why the party should be voted in the next election. They will not be breaking any court injunctions if they dont mention Soludo's name at these events until the Supreme court reaches a decision.

Iwu and the Ubas are wasting their time.