Don’t leave PDP, President Jonathan begs Akala, Maku, Obanikoro, others

President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who lost at the primaries to remain in party in the interest of democracy.

Mr. Jonathan made the appeal on Saturday night while speaking at the PDP fund raising dinner held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said that the leadership of the party was working to resolve all outstanding issues in the congresses and primaries.

“We all appreciate that throughout the congresses where primary elections were conducted there have been some outstanding issues.

“The party is working to resolve these issues; definitely, in such situation all may not be resolved to the satisfaction of everybody,” the president said.

“But my plea to party members is to remain committed to the party; stay with the party.

“I know other parties are wooing some of you to contest elections on their platforms, but if you believe in democracy then you will contribute to strengthen it.

“The only way you can strengthen democracy is for you to stay in your party,” he added.

Some prominent leaders of the party have either left, expressed intention to leave, or expressed their dissatisfaction at the manner of conduct of primaries in their states.

In Benue, a former PDP National Chairman, Bernabas Gemade, has already joined the All Progressives Congress, APC, after expressing anger at how Governor Gabriel Suswam picked the PDP senatorial ticket of his zone to displace the former who is the incumbent. Mr. Gemade is expected to be the APC candidate in the zone.

In Oyo, former governor Alao Akala and his supporters have joined the Labour Party after expressing their dissatisfaction at the PDP governorship primaries that produced Teslim Folarin as candidate.

In Lagos, the immediate past Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has rejected the primaries that produced Jimi Agbaje as the PDP governorship candidate. A similar situation is playing out in Nasarawa where immediate past Information Minister, Labaran Maku, has rejected the PDP governorship primaries.

Mr. Jonathan, however, told the aggrieved members that if there were issues they felt were not too correct, it was better for them to stay within the party to correct them. He added that staying together to settle those issues was the only way democracy can grow.

“If out of anger or frustration, you leave the party because you didn’t get what you wanted, then you are not contributing to the growth of democracy,” he said.

Mr. Jonathan thanked members of the party, the business community and other supporters of the PDP for contributing to the growth of the party.


(NAN)