President Jonathan has declared that the gangup against PDP is dead on arrival.The President made the remark during a Unity Rally for the North-West zone in Kaduna yesterday.
He noted that since 1999, several political parties had always connived to work against the fortunes of the PDP during elections, but have serially failed, stressing that no amount of gang-up by the opposition could erode the electoral fortune of the party.
“We have been told that some people are ganging up in some different
names. I can assure you, don’t be bothered about any gang-up. This is
not the first time that there has been a gang up. From 1999, there was a
gang-up. Two, three political parties came together. They brought
presidential candidate from one (of the parties) and Vice-Presidential
candidate from one other party. The gang-up will fail.
Jonathan also said and righly so that the All Progressives Congress
(APC) was like a combination of inflammable chemicals.
“I used to tell people that if you put oil in a container, then pour
kerosene in that container, then pour sulphuric acid in that container,
you bring petrol and pour in that container and then hydrochloric acid,
what will come out of the container? It is a disaster!
“So the gang-up will fail. It is just as you mix acid and other things
in a container. So don’t be worried, it is not a new thing. They will
continue to gang-up, but will fail,” the president declared.
Jonathan told the huge crowd, which trooped to the Murtala Square,
Kaduna venue of the event, that PDP remains the most stable and
democratic party which is working to develop Nigeria.
According to him, great political parties in the world don’t change
everyday like rocks going through metamorphosis, pointing out that the
African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa had existed for over 103
years and it still remains ANC today.
“So when you see parties changing colours, changing names, know that that is not where to go. Be committed to PDP, you are in the right place to be.
“PDP is the only party that can lead us to where we want to go. PDP is
the only democratic party that anybody can rise up to the highest level
in the party, other parties will not give me and you the opportunity to
be where we want to go,” he said.“So when you see parties changing colours, changing names, know that that is not where to go. Be committed to PDP, you are in the right place to be.
Jonathan noted that the North-west zone was very special to the party in view of the fact that it has seven states out of which PDP controls five.
He commended the people of the zone for their support for PDP and for
cooperating with the government to tackle the security challenges facing
the north.
The president stated further that he was in the North-west zone to tell
Nigerians and the rest of the world that the PDP remained the ruling
party in the zone.
“Come 2015, PDP is going to retain this zone… We will continue to
retain Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna and Kebbi States. Kano State is a PDP
state, but some people want to take the state from us. We don’t know
where they are taking Kano State to. But with Shekarau and others
joining PDP, we will take Kano back. Kano State will surely come back to
PDP.
“The same thing with Sokoto State, PDP will take over Sokoto State, and
will continue to rule Sokoto State. The only state that has never been
in the control of the PDP is Zamfara State. But it is a friendly state
and we have been assured that we will win Zamfara come 2015,” Jonathan
said.
Speaking earlier, the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, accused the opposition APC of adopting some parts of the PDP manifesto.
Speaking earlier, the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, accused the opposition APC of adopting some parts of the PDP manifesto.
“If you take the manifesto of the party that is opposing us today, you
will notice that their manifesto is just a section of our manifesto.
They just copied parts of our manifesto and therefore, that tells you,
even in action and governance they will only do part of what we are able
to do," he said.
Mu’azu disclosed that the PDP leadership would soon call a conference
of all its leaders and elders as well as members of the party to update
its manifesto to meet the needs and aspirations of the people.
“I want to assure you that we will continue to build internal democracy
under my leadership with members of the National Working Committee that
are my colleagues, we believe in deepening our democracy, we believe in
building internal democracy so that those people that want to be
elected to various positions should go and campaign to the people in
towns and villages when it is time for campaigns so that they remain the
people to beat so that whoever wins our primaries can be sure of the
support of the people,” he said.
Culled from Thisday
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