The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Alhaji Adamu Muazu has warned the All Progressives Congress to stop meddling in the affairs of the PDP saying that the opposition party should focus on its problems rather than being disturbed by the activities of the PDP.
Muazu said this on the heels of comments by the APC following the PDP unanimous adoption of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate of the party for the 2015 presidential race.
He said, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been accepted by all Nigerians as a great man. What bothers me in the last few days was that after the adoption of the president by our great party, the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC has been has been making comments. I don’t know when they(APC) know our (PDP)constitution more than us
“They should shut up and mind your business. It is not their business how we choose our candidates. It is up to you (APC)to bring out your best candidate to contest with our own(President Goodluck Jonathan). We are sure that our candidate will defeat yours”.
The PDP national chairman declared this today at the PDP South south Unity rally held in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Muazu who also boasted that the PDP was a party to beat insisted that the rumours making rounds that the party is divided was not true.
“PDP is the party to be beat. We have stabilized the party. We are committed to building enviable democracy.
“The leadership PDP has no problem. We have no rancor within our party. We are strongly united behind our president.
“We are the only party that does not believe in rigging that is why we have always projected the mantra of ‘One man, One vote’, Muazu declared
President Goodluck Jonathan who mounted the podium alongside bigwigs of the ruling party said his administration had delivered on various electoral promises to Nigerian people.
Jonathan, “We are not here to campaign but to hold unity party. When we are struggling for positions, we should not create enemies within ourselves. We will get all our states back. No discrimination in PDP, no imposition, no Godfather, no Godmother.
“This is the only party that can allow you to attain any height you want. Ikimi and others have come back to us. They leaving APC , means that the last oxygen on APC has been removed.
“We know Rivers State belongs to the PDP. The other party (APC) only exists on billboards. We should allow their bill boards to stay. All we need is unity. One thing is very clear, before coming for this rally I commissioned a segment of Benin-Okpuso road .
“The Governor (Comrade Adams Oshiomhole) though not a PDP Governor appreciated the work done. We want to assure Nigerians that we will improve our roads.
‘We cannot do all the roads the same. Even people who don’t like us agree that we have improved our roads. We have improved the quality of our airports.
“There was somebody who said the PDP believes in stomach infrastructure. Yes, PDP must ensure food security, every president in the world talks about food security and job creation.
“This is key. International bodies have ggiven our government award for reducing extreme hunger by 50%.
“Our detractors don’t even want Nigerians to know that we are working but those we monitor what is going on in the whole world know that we are working. Even the World Health Organization recently recognized our effort in fighting Ebola disease.
“Anybody who is saying we should not talk about food security is not ready to lead people. You can lead hungry people’
Senate President David Mark who also spoke at the rally urged the people of south-south to support the re-election bid of Mr. President adding that the Goodluck Jonathan was a good product which would be easy to market.
In his own remarks, Vice President Namadi Sambo said President Jonathan had approved a new maritime Academy for the region adding that the “Goodluck Jonathan administration has constructed power plant in Calabar, Cross rivers state capital and other parts of the region to improve the power supply in the region”.
A former leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC Chief Tom Ikimi who formally defected to the party described the rally has an epoch event. The former minister of foreign affairs said with his exit from the APC, “The party (APC) is critically dead in Edo State”
Ikimi’s words, ‘Today is a great day for me that this very grand occasion gives me opportunity to declare that I have withdrawn my membership from the APC that I am now being integrated into my original family.
“The APC is critical dead in Edo. The south south is 100% behind president Goodluck Jonathan. I know you have difficult problems but there is no nation without difficulty. You are the first president of Nigeria who is a graduate. You have plans for Nigerians”.
The former opposition leader also dismissed insinuations that he returned to the PDP to seek elective positions. “I have come back because I want to contribute my quota. I have not come for appointment or ministerial position but to contribute my quota to the development of the Nigeria”, Ikimi said.
Abubakar Momoh, who is representing Esako North Federal Constituency (Governor Oshiomhole’s constituency), assured the president that Edo will be delivered to the PDP in the next year general elections.
