PDP Chairman Confirms Jonathan will Contest in 2015, Says He is the Party’s Candidate

For the first time since the beginning of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where five of its governors have defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, having failed among others issues to get President Jonathan to honour an agreement purportedly reached with them not to contest for a second term after the expiration of his first term in 2015, Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has declared the party has chosen President Jonathan as its Presidential Candidate for the 2015 election.

Mr Tukur said this on Thursday at a local event held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city where he urged party faithful not to be deterred by the exodus of some of its key members.

“Don’t be deterred by some people saying they are leaving the party. People leaving the party are individuals, not the party. It does not mean if they leave the party, the party leaves. No, the party remains. PDP is the only party in Nigeria that fields a candidate in every election that is held. Don’t be deterred; don’t be afraid, you are part of the ruling party,” said the party leader who further tasked officials to play their roles wisely in making sure that Jonathan wins the 2015 election.

The ruling party leader maintained that PDP remains insurmountable as the strongest and biggest party in Nigeria and Africa, according to Abuja-based local Leadership Newspaper on Friday.

This declaration, may, however, evoke another round of controversy in the West African country.

Although the president has not publicly announced his interest to contest in the next presidential election, concerns have been raised about his body language and political developments across the country which some members of the ruling party claimed reveal his ‘real interest’.

It is for this reason, some strong members of the ruling PDP including governors defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s strongest opposition party, with an aim to wrest power from President Jonathan and the ruling party.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has also joined in asking the president to shelve his plan to contest the 2015 election, despite the fact that the president has continued to keep mum on his second term ambition.

Obasanjo in his acerbic 18-page letter told President Jonathan to “pursue a more credible and more honorable path” by backing down from contesting the 2015 election.

Stay updated with Abusidiqu.com, a member of the NIGERIANEWSBEAT team.  Follow us on TWITTER or be our fan on FACEBOOK

Do not hesitate to leave your opinion in the comment section below.

To contact Abusidiqu.com for Article Submission and Advertisement or General inquiry, send a mail to info@abusidiqu.com