There are growing indications that President Goodluck Jonathan will announce a decision to contest the 2015 general elections at the end of the ongoing zonal rallies embarked upon by the Peoples Democratic Party.
Informed party sources confided in The PUNCH in Abuja, on Wednesday, that the “President is close to making an announcement.”
The President is expected to attend the South-East rally of the party on Friday (tomorrow).
This is even as a pressure group within the PDP under the aegis of the National Coalition for Jonathan/Sambo Presidency, has asked the party to hand the President an automatic ticket to contest the election.
The group’s position was presented to the National Secretary of the PDP, Professor Wale Oladipo, by the national secretary of the coalition; Mr. Benjamin Irikefe, at the party headquarters.
Irikefe urged the PDP Board of Trustees and the National Executive Committee, to convene a special emergency meeting of the two organs and pass a resolution adopting the President as the party’s candidate for 2015 presidency.
He said, “After a meticulous X-ray of the monumental works and achievements, the dexterity with which President Goodluck Jonathan has piloted the affairs of our country and taking a cue from the presidential system of government of the United States from where we copied ours, we want to unequivocally call on you, to convene an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee, and the National Working Committee of the PDP and take a unanimous decision to grant President Jonathan an automatic ticket to contest the 2015 presidential election.
According to the group, subjecting the President to primaries should he declare an intention to contest the election would amount to a waste of time.
Oladipo, who received the delegation on behalf of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, assured them that the party leadership would forward their request to the appropriate quarters.
Oladipo said, “I thank you for your support for the leader of the party, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
“Your message is very clear and we shall communicate to the PDP Board of Trustees and all other organs of the party.
“We believe in the rule of law and we will be guided by two things: the Nigerian Constitution and the PDP constitution.
“I am from the South-West and as early as last year, the leader of South-West had endorsed Dr. Jonathan.
“I can’t extricate myself from the wishes of my people. We are on the same page.
“This country must continue to grow. We commend the leadership of the country under President Jonathan. We shall do the needful to make sure that the transformation agenda of Mr. President continues.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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