We Will Reclaim Kwara,Nassarawa In 2015...Says Goodluck At PDP Rally In Minna

In a stern voice, President Goodluck Jonathan Saturday said good riddance to some prominent politicians, who recently defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to All Progressives Congress, calling them retrogressive elements.

Jonathan said this in Minna at the PDP North-central rally, where he also boasted that his party would reclaim Kwara and Nasarawa states from APC in the 2015 general election. But PDP National Chairman Adamu Muazu warned there will be not automatic tickets for the party’s aspirants ahead of the election.

While Nasarawa was originally governed by APC, the Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, was among the five PDP governors that defected to APC on November 26 last year. The others are Governors Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano).

The defections had followed a walkout by some state delegates, including former Vice president Atiku Abubakar and seven PDP governors, from the special national convention of the party on August 31 last year in Abuja. They had first formed a splinter group within PDP, New PDP, most of whose members, excluding Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, have joined APC.
But the president accused the defectors of being a problem to PDP, claiming the party is pleased that they have gone.

“Some people have been in the PDP for 14 years holding various offices. They were ministers, they were commissioners, they were speakers, they were governors, they were this, they were that.
“Two years to go, they now said PDP is not good enough and they are leaving PDP. And they are now telling us they have something to tell you. They said they are progressives, where are they progressing to?” Jonathan said at the rally held at the Trade Fair Complex, in Minna, in apparent reference to those who recently left the party.

He added, “People formed parties and you leave your party to go and snatch parties from the owners and you said that is the way to progress.

“If you enter a boat, and you have partners. If some of you are paddling to move the boat forward and some are paddling to move the boat backward, will you go anywhere?

“So people who have been with PDP for 14 years and they are telling you they left PDP because they are progressives, that means that all these years, they have been practising anti-progressive activities in the PDP and they were problems to us.

“You will agree with me that now that these anti-progressive elements have left, PDP will even progress more.

“Even with them, we still maintain our status as dominant political party. Now that they have left, PDP will even move faster and faster and it will become bigger and bigger.”

The president described the defectors in even harsher words before the crowds in Minna, saying, “Chameleon is an animal that changes colour anywhere it goes. If people call you a chameleon that means nobody should trust you. PDP is the only party that has not changed colour. From the beginning, the name is PDP. From the beginning, the slogan is the same. From the beginning, the logo is the same.

“So if some people tell you today that they are your political leaders and ask you to join them to go to Red Party, the next day, they move to Blue Party, the next day, they move to Green Party, they are chameleon and chameleon is never trusted.”

The president boated that PDP would romp to victory in the North-central in 2015.
He said, “Today, we are in the North-central and we can say boldly that we will retain Niger State come 2015, no shaking. PDP will retain Kogi State, no shaking. PDP will retain Benue State, no shaking. PDP will retain Plateau State, no shaking.

“PDP will surely recover Kwara State. We won that state and some people have surreptitiously taken the state somewhere, as they are changing from one colour to the other like chameleon. PDP will surely take over, recover and reconstruct Kwara State, no shaking.

“PDP will surely recover Nasarawa State. When PDP ruled Nassarawa State, there was no crisis in the state. We are witnessing all kinds of crisis now. PDP will surely recover and reconstruct and rebuild Nasarawa State.”

Speaking at the rally, Muazu said all the PDP candidates ahead of the 2015 election will be picked through a primary election.

“The PDP is the most democratic and organised party in Africa and it will continue to wax stronger. We, in the PDP are democrats and we don’t believe in automatic tickets for our members. PDP is the party owned by all its members and is not being solely controlled by any individual. PDP is Nigeria and Nigeria is PDP,” he said.

Other prominent PDP members that attended the rally included Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, chairman of PDP Board of Trustees Tony Anenih, PDP state governors, deputy governors, members of the National Assembly, and members of the Federal Executive Council.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal was conspicuously absent.