We Want Those Governors To Come Back, PDP Is Still The Party to Beat – President Jonathan

Goodluck
Jonathan
has said
despite the
crisis
currently
rocking the
Peoples
Democratic
Party (PDP),
it is still the
party to
beat in the
country.
The President stated this during an interview with
journalists in Paris, France, shortly before departing
for Nigeria at the end of two-day summit on peace
and security in Africa hosted by the President of
France, Francois Hollande.
President Jonathan commented to the
recent defection of five of the seven aggrieved
governors of the nPDP to the opposition All
Progressive Congress (APC).
The President said that while the party will
continue to pursue the path of reconciliation with
the aggrieved governors, their defection will not
hamper the success of PDP in future elections.
"We want those governors to come back to PDP,
but in an event where some of them feel that it is
better outside, they can also go and try.
"If they are leaving, we will work harder to make
sure that we get more supporters so that at the
end of the day, that equilibrium will be maintained.
"But I still believe that in Nigeria today, PDP is still
the party to beat. As they are leaving the ruling
party to the opposition, there are other key political
actors who are ready to come to PDP. At the
appropriate time, we will also receive them,'' he
said.
He noted that the game of politics is dynamic and
"a governor elected by the people must not see
himself as a king'' who could lord himself over the
electorates.
"I was elected by Nigerians and I will not say
because I am a President of Nigeria now, the 100
per cent of Nigeria are for me and when I am
moving to the left or right I will be moving with the
whole 100 per cent.
"Like the governor of a State, a faction of a state
elected you by simple majority and you are
declared as a governor.
"When you are moving you should know that you
are an individual, not all your supporters will want
to move with you.
"They are not your employees, therefore, some of
your supporters will stay," the President said.
President Jonathan hinted that "in some cases, the
deputy governors in the States are saying that they
are not ready to move.
"It will be an interesting thing, and I have said that
let us see how it will play out.
"However, in politics any party will want everybody
in its camp and in PDP we want everybody".
It would be recalled that the seven governors
included Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Babangida Aliyu
(Niger), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako
(Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Rabiu
Kwankwaso (Kano) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).
However, Lamido and Aliyu, who were note present
at the merger meeting, later declared that they
were not part of the merger.
The President, who has met with Messrs Lamido
and Aliyu since the other five governors decamped,
said not all the five aggrieved governors have
moved to the opposition party.
"Yes they said they have some grievances with the
party and some of them said they were going to
leave.
"But so far, two have openly declared that they are
not leaving the party and we are talking to them.
"Out of the remaining five, two appears that they
have actually moved to the other political party
while some are still on the fence.
"I believe in the couples of weeks, it will not be
too long. it will be very clear whether they are
leaving or not," he said.
Source: Premium Times
Sent From David Aniemeka