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Jonathan may declare his intention for 2015 on Saturday

Published

11 years ago

March 6, 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan will on Saturday continue with his
campaign shuttle as he storms Minna, the Niger State capital, with 18
governors and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for
a zonal rally.
Impeccable sources told New Telegraph that Jonathan may formally
declare his re-election bid on Saturday ahead of the February 14
presidential election during the North Central rally.
A competent source told our correspondent that all the 18 PDP
governors will meet on Friday evening in Minna where they are
expected to discuss development in the polity, the future of the party in
2015 elections, and Jonathan’s candidacy. The PDP governors met
last in Katsina.
The source added that the governors would on Saturday morning join
the president and PDP leadership at the rally where Jonathan is
expected to make his decision known on the 2015 election. The
Saturday rally is going to be the first major rally since 2011 election
where all PDP governors will be in attendance. Already,
arrangements are in top gear in Minna for the event.
Our correspondent reliably gathered that shortly after Governor
Babangida Aliyu announced that 18 PDP governors will accompany
the President to Niger State on Saturday, the State Security
Committee immediately went into closed-door meeting ostensibly to
perfect arrangements for the visit. The source, who pleaded
anonymity, also said the country’s first citizen choose to declare for
2015 presidential election in Minna because the governor is the
Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF).
It was also gathered that the presence of former military President,
Gen. Ibrahim Babangida; former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami
Abubakar and Prof. Jerry Gana in the state also informed the
choice. “We are in high spirit to receive Mr. President in Niger
State.
We will be honoured to have him declare his intention for 2015
Presidency. In Niger, we are 100 per cent PDP with the feeble
opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) whose some of its
members are going to defect to the PDP when President Jonathan
visits, on Saturday,” he added.
The source however refused to disclose the names of likely defectors,
adding that “Niger State is 100 per cent PDP and the APC is dead
on arrival”. Aliyu had earlier made the announcement after receiving
the North Korean Ambassador in Nigeria, Mr. Jong Yong Chol and
the Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority Board, Hajia
Ina Ciroma, who paid him courtesy visits in the Government House,
Minna.
The governor stated that all the 18 governors elected on the platform of
PDP will also accompany the President to the state. The governor,
however, did not give details of the visit but said “all of you are
cordially invited.” The Trade Fair complex in the state capital is also
being given a facelift ahead of the visit for the rally.
The governor was in Ilorin, Kwara State on Monday for a
campaign rally, where he welcomed some defectors to the PDP.
Kwara is part of the North-Central zone. A source said the
President is keen on securing majority of his votes from the North
from the North- Central states of Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Plateau,
Benue, and Nasarawa to neutralise that of the North-West where
the APC holds sway.