President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said the gang up against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of 2015 general elections would fail.
Jonathan, who said this while assuring his supporters that the PDP would retain Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna and Kebbi states, predicted that the party would win back Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto states from the opposition.
The President, who stated this during a rally organised by the party’s North-West Zone in Kaduna, said that the PDP remained the only party that was yet to change its name since its formation in 1998.
He described the North- West as a special zone, which had seven states, stressing that the event was not a political campaign but a unity rally for PDP family members.
“PDP is the only party that whatever is happening to the PDP is happening to Nigeria. PDP is the only party that you can say is for the people, by the people and of the people. We have been told that some people are ganging up in some different names.
“I can assure you, don’t be bothered about any gang up. This is not the first time that there has been a gang up. From 1999 there was a gang up. Two, three political parties came together. They brought presidential candidate from one and vice-presidential candidate from one party. The gang up will fail. And I used to tell people that if you put oil in a container, then pour kerosene in that container, then pour sulfuric acid in that container, you bring petrol and pour in that container and then hydrochloric acid, what will come out of the that container? It is a disaster.
“So the gang up will fail. It is just as you mix acid and other things in a container. So don’t be worried, it is not a new thing. They will continue to gang up, but will fail.
“And you ask yourself – look at the history of great political parties all over the world – parties that we know as great political parties. Look at their histories throughout the world; they don’t change everyday like rocks going through metamorphosis.”
“The nearest party to us is ANC – African National Congress of South Africa. The ANC is over 103 years old. It is older than Nigeria as a state. It is still ANC today. So, when you see parties changing colours, changing names, know that that is not where to go. Be committed to PDP, you are in the right place to be.
“PDP is the only party that can lead us to where we want to go. PDP is the only democratic party that anybody can rise up to the highest level in the party.
“It is the party that gives me and you the opportunity to be what we want to be. So continue to support the PDP, continue to be with the PDP. I want to thank the North- West people, we have security challenges because of your commitment working with government, we have been able to control these security challenges.
“Continue with your commitment to our great party, don’t be worried. Some people say they are changing – yes people can change. If today, you carry a cob of corn on your head and the next day you drop the corn and pick a pen on your head because you have changed, so allow people to make changes, but PDP will remain stable.
“We don’t know where they are taking Kano State. But with Shekarau and others joining PDP, we will take Kano back. Kano State will surely come back to PDP. The same thing with Sokoto State. PDP will take over Sokoto State, and will continue to rule Sokoto State. The only state that has never been in the control of the PDP is Zamfara State. But it is a friendly state, and we have been assured that we will win Zamfara come 2015.”
The PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, said the party had brought about positive changes to Nigeria and Nigerians in the past 14 years.
Mu’azu accused the APC of copying PDP manifesto, saying since the advent of political dispensation in 1999, his party had provided the dividends of democracy throughout the nation.
He said: “I want to assure you that our party remains the only party in this country, it is the only party to beat because our records speak for us.
“Even our critics know that our score card is an excellent one; that is why if you take the manifesto of the party that is opposing us today, you will notice that the manifesto is just a section of our manifesto. They just copied parts of our manifesto and therefore that tells you, even in action and governance they will only do part of what we are able to do.
“I will soon call a conference of all our party leaders and elders, past and present as well as members of the party to update our manifesto to make it conscious of the needs and aspirations of our people.”
Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, appealed to Nigerian youths to be law abiding.”We want peace in this country, we want peace during the election, we want peace before the election and we want peace after the election. I appeal to leaders of PDP to imbibe the spirit of sincere reconciliation and embrace unity.”
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