Jonathan lambasts APC over ward congress, candidates’ selection

    
President Goodluck Jonathan has described the Peoples Democratic Party as more democratic than other political parties in Nigeria.

Apparently referring to the opposition All Progressives Congress, Jonathan said the PDP was more democratic because it would not cancel ward congresses across the states without considering the wish of its members.

The President spoke at the South-East PDP rally held in Enugu, on Friday. The rally was tagged Unity Rally.

He said the party was not like another party, where a local government chairman can cancel a ward congress for no justifiable reason and without the peoples opinion.

Jonathan said the PDP is the only political platform in Nigeria where the voice of the people could count and decisions were taken based on the majority and popular vote.

“We are not like one party in this country where one man or a group of people determine how the party is run,” said the President.

He said, “The national chairman of the PDP or any of its governors can’t cancel a ward congress of the party just like that and with impunity. I, as the President, don’t even have the powers to do so, but it is happening in a political party in this country.”

According to him, he does not see anything ‘progressive’ about some of the opposition political parties.

He said, “One party tags itself as progressives but where are they progressing to. It is only in such progressive party that you find an ex-governor determining who gets what and how. Is that what you mean by progressives?”

Jonathan, therefore, urged Igbo people to support the PDP, saying, “The PDP would not disappoint you.”

He said the PDP was the only democratic party that could take Nigeria to join the rest of the democratic world.

“It is the only party where the President would not impose a candidate. It is the only party where people like me from a non-privileged background can stand here and talk,” he said.

The President vowed that the PDP would capture Imo State in 2015 and complete the circle in the South-East.

He said, “In the South-East, the PDP is total. Every state has a maximum of three senators and a minimum of three senators. It is now clear the South-East is a PDP zone.”

He added, “We will take over the governorship seat of the other state in the South-East come 2015. We have been very magnanimous but we are going to clear the seats totally.”

The Senate President, David Mark, however, urged the President to ignore criticisms of his government and remain focus in the transformation programme of his government.

Mark appealed to him not to be distracted by criticisms, as they would only make him better.