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POLITICS
March 15, 2014
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 ambition and commence campaign to that effect. The report was however denied earlier by Niger State governor, Dr. Muazu Babngida Aliyu. The North Central rally took place even before the dust raised by the visit of the president and the PDP national leadership to Kwara state settled. The president was in the state on a reconciliatory mission among members of the party in the state, following the defection of the state governor and some party leaders to the APC in the state. The same cannot be said of Niger State as there was no open defection from the ruling party to the opposition. Rather, the phe party’s leaders hammered on the need to strategise properly so as to reclinch Nasararwa and Kwara states that are in the grip of the APC. The essence, it was obvious, was to unite in order to win the 2015 election. Speaking at the rally, President Good luck Ebele Jonathan lambasted those( governors) that defected from the PDP to the APC, describing them as chameleons and retrogresive elements that should never be trusted. “If you enter a boat and some are paddling forward and some are paddling the boat backward will you go anywhere? So, if some people have been in the PDP for 14 years and they say they are leaving because they want to progress, it means that the 14 years they spent in PDP were in retrogression. “Where are they progressing to? That is not a good way to progress. If they call you a chameleon, it means no one can trust you. Chameleons are never trusted. PDP is the only party you can trust, it is the only one that is stable,” Jonathan lashed out at some defecting PDP leaders. He was not through with them. He further described those who defected as usurpers that took over the parties others had formed. According to him, now that the defectors had left the PDP, its fortunes had taken a turn for the better in the country. “They were a problem to us. So, you will agree with me that now that these retrogressive elements have left, PDP will even move faster, bigger and bigger,” he said. On the state of the party, the president explained that, despite the defection of some political leaders from it, the party had continued to maintain its dominant position. He urged Nigerians not to be disturbed by those that he said are currently dominating the media scene to intimidate others. He said as far as he was concerned, PDP is the only party that support one woman, one vote and one man, one vote in the nation. “I urge you not to be moved or frightened by anybody who uses the media to intimidate people, it is not the media that vote, but the people. And PDP is the only party that preaches peace,” he said. While observing that the North Central zone is special and central to the success of the party, Jonathan recalled how the presidential campaign was flagged off in Nasarawa in 2011, just as the PDP zonal rally kick started from Niger State. His words: “You will agree with me that this is a special zone. Today, we are
15
Day PDP took North Central by storm
Akpabio
A LOT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE PROPAGANDA OF THE OPPOSITION, OUR PARTY DOES NOT BELIEVE IN AUTOMATIC TICKET. ANYONE THAT WANTS TO ASPIRE TO ANY POSITION, LET HIM GO TO THE PEOPLE. OUR PARTY IS A PARTY OF THE PEOPLE not campaigning for any body - governor or president. We are here for a unity rally, to inform our people to continue to support PDP because it is the governing party in Nigeria.” He also boasted that going by the strong support the party enjoys in the zone, the ruling PDP would reclaim Nasarawa and Kwara states that are currently in the grip of the All Peoples Congress in the coming general election. According to him,”PDP will retain Niger State, Benue State, Plateau State, Kogi State and it will surely recover Nasarawa and Kwara states. No shaking about that. It is the only stable party not only appreciated by Nigerians, but other nationals across the world. It has not changed its colour, name or slogan.
While other parties change like Chameleon, the PDP has not changed its colour, slogan and name like others. Everything is the same.” Earlier, vice president Namadi Sambo noted with joy the he large turnout of people for the rally. He expressed belief that the zone would show same zeal for the party in the general election in order to re-capture Kwara and Nasarawa states next year. The PDP national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, before his address called for a minute silence in honour of former national chairman, Chief Solomon Lar. And while addressing some key political issues, he warned Nigerians to be wary of the opposition parties, as according to him, a lot of what they
say and do against the PDP were propaganda-based. He pointed out that the PDP needed not to give automatic tickets to anyone in the coming election, as he said, head been claimed by the opposition. “A lot has been said about the propaganda of the opposition, our party does not believe in automatic ticket. Anyone that wants to aspire to any position, let him go to the people. Our party is a party of the people,” he said. Despite the fact that the rally was a North Central zone affair, governors of PDP controlled states, led by the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpaibio, commended the host governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu for sensitising the mammoth crowd for the occasion designed by the party to show love to supporters of the party in the zone. He emphasized that the election would not be fought through propaganda, but through objective assessment of provision of infrastructure under the present administration in the country. “We want to thank you for not donating away the Government House, Minna, to the opposition – APC - like some others have done. Let the opposition continue with their propaganda and we will continue to provide infrastructure for the people,” he said. The host governor, and chairman, Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, in his address said the rally was not for campaign, but to let people know that the PDP is intact and not wounded and will continue to win elections. His words: “We are here to show unity and solidarity to galvanise our people to show that the PDP is intact; it is not wounded, but strong as ever. “God, in his mercy has already decided. When some people said you cannot be president, today, you are president. Your days are not yet over.” On his colleagues who defected, he told the party leadership to keep its doors ajar as those that defected from the party were surely returning to its fold, while efforts should be made by the ruling party to win the election. “Let us leave our door ajar because those who have gone to test somewhere else are likely return,” he said. Other party leaders who spoke stressed the need for the party to strategise and recover Nasarawa and Kwara states. They pledged the support of the zone to the PDP in 2015 election. Notable personalities at the rally include the Senate President, Senator David Mark; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed; former PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Ali; the 18 governors of the PDP controlled states; former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu; Senators Gbemisole Saraki and Zaynab Kure and Vice Chairman, PDP North Central, Yusuf Ayetoro.