President Goodluck Jonathan is set to hit the North-East with his
campaign train to seek the people’s support for his re-election bid.
It’s been 266 days after the President shunned the troubled region
following the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls by terrorists in Chibok, Borno
State.
The Peoples Democratic Party National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, who
spoke during the week in Abuja, said that the President would visit all parts
of the country, including the North-East, to seek the people’s support.
The President had cancelled his supposed trip to Chibok on May 16, 2014
to sympathise with the parents of the abducted schoolgirls, who have been
missing for the past 257 days.
Though his aides, in a statement, later said the President was not meant
to visit Chibok that day, the President’s advanced team, according to reports,
had visited Chibok in preparation for Jonathan’s visit.
But Oladipo told one of our correspondents that no part of the country
would be left out by the PDP and Jonathan to campaign for support.
He said, “We will visit all parts of the country to campaign. There is
no state in Nigeria that the PDP and the President will not visit, including
the North-East.
“We believe in the sovereignty of the country and that is why we are
taking every part of the nation seriously.”
Asked if this would not be seen as daring and contemptuous of the people
of the North-East, who the President refused to visit even when their towns and
cities were being bombed almost every day, he said, “The President does one
thing or the other on daily basis. He could be busy attending to issues, some
of them if not all, could have positive effect on the lives of the people of
the region.”
Also the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr.
Reuben Abati, reinforced Oladipo’s comment, saying notwithstanding the security
challenges confronting Nigeria, Jonathan would visit all the states affected by
the Boko Haram violence to campaign ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Abati said, “I have no doubt that the President is going to campaign to
all Nigerians. A campaign timetable will be issued and the President will visit
all parts of the country because he knows that we are facing another election.
“He is not taking any Nigerian for granted because he has served
Nigerians faithfully and he is coming to them again in humility to ask for
their supports and votes.
“We have no doubt that Nigerians will stand solidly behind him.”
Abati, however, flayed claim that Jonathan had not visited the
North-East, saying he did so many times before now.
He said as Nigeria’s President, Jonathan was not afraid to visit any
part of the country.
Abati said, “This is the period of politics and the President’s message
and campaign will be for all Nigerians.
“It is not true that the President had not visited the North-East. Go
and check his itinerary in the last one year, he had gone there for programmes.
“The Presidential Initiative for the North-East was launched in one of
the states in the region. He has visited many parts of the North-East.
“He is the President of Nigeria. He can travel to any part of the
country. So, those who are asking whether he will campaign in the North-East
should just check his itinerary.
“He has visited many of the states in the North, not once, not twice. I
don’t see why there should be any anxiety.
“In any case, the Independent National Electoral Commission, security
agencies and other relevant stakeholders have made it clear that they remain
committed to ensure that no Nigerian, for any reason whatsoever, is denied the
right to vote.”
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Politics