2015: President Jonathan's re-election platform inaugurated in Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan has taken begun in more palpable manner his march towards 2015 election with inauguration of a new political platform his re-elction by his political allies.
The group known as Vibrant Transformation Awareness and Leadership Development Initiative (VITALDI) has been formed to replace the Goodluck Support Grroup (GSG), wich was formed in 2010 ahead of 2011 election.
Although from all indicative factors, President Jonathan's second term bid was as sure as death, he has refused to officially announce his intent.
VITALDI is led by Prof Jerry Gana as grand patron and Senator Saidu Kumo as national coordinator, with Hon Ifeyinwa Obegolu as secretary, it was learnt.
The inauguration of new group which first operated from PDP legacy office before moving to their new office was witnessed by some powerful politicians within the PDP persuasion, including the former Internal Affairs Minister, Dr. Mohammed Shata, former House Leader, Tunde Akogun, Hon.Yakubu Barde , Mr. Enonche Ugbabe, PDP BoT member, Dr. Christy Tafida Silas, AIG Felix Ogbuadu, former FCT Police Commisioner, Lawrence Alobi, former Defence Minister of State, Erelu Olusola Obada, former Chief of Air Staff, Marshal Ibrahim Alfa, former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Chairman, Police Service Commission, ex-I.G Mike Okiro , Sen. Stella Omu, Dr. Ifeyinwa Obegolu, among others.
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The inauguration of the new group in Abuja was attended by former Defence Minister of State, Erelu Olusola Obada, former Chief of Air Staff, Marshal Ibrahim Alfa, former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Chairman, Police Service Commission, ex-I.G Mike Okiro , Sen. Stella Omu, Dr. Ifeyinwa Obegolu, former Internal Affairs Minister, Dr. Mohammed Shata, former House Leader, Tunde Akogun, Hon.Yakubu Barde , Mr. Enonche Ugbabe, PDP BoT member, Dr. Christy Tafida Silas, AIG Felix Ogbuadu, former FCT Police Commisioner, Lawrence Alobi, among others.
Former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, the Political Adviser to the President, while speaking at the inauguration of the group at the International Conference Centre Abuja,
Said the group was born out of urgent need for all true citizens of the country to collaborate urgently and ensure that Nigeria remained on the path of sustainable growth and development.
He said that current challenges of national rebirth are not solely for the Federal Government to address but for all the critical segments of the Nigerian society starting from the led to the leader, the governed and the governing.
According to him, the time has come for all Nigerians irrespective of race, region or religion, creed or class, male or female, young or old, political party A or political party B.
He said, “It is for all Nigerians to rise and ensure that our collective destiny is not derailed by a common enemy attempting to seize the moment. It is for all patriotic Nigerians to ensure that they are driven by a common purpose to defeat the common enemy.
“Leaders must therefore emerge to lead at every segment of the nation. For such leaders to lead well, there should be a robust leadership recruitment process which also emphasises robust mentorship. This is what I find needful now and which the VITALDI group seeks to achieve. We fully support it.”
According to Gana, the recent Ekiti State governorship election in which the incumbent governor honourably accepted defeat was a direct outcome of the conducive atmosphere created by President Goodluck Jonathan's adherence to the principle of one man, one vote where free, fair, credible and transparent elections create peace, order and good governance.
“Mr. President's one man, one vote is a principle not only fashioned by a wonderful leader but that which works wonders. We can get things right in this country but that is only when and where the leadership offers good leadership. The recent Ekiti election outcome was made possible because the leader in Mr. President pointed to the right way. The challenge therefore is for all Nigerians of goodwill to point the right way. This is what makes the leader”, he said.
Other speakers at the event included the Political Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Prof. Ahmed Rufai Alkali and Kumo.
They all emphasized the need for sustainable ethical structure that can grow and nurture a robust purpose-driven leadership recruitment process where Nigeria's future leaders are mentored for governance excellence in all segments of the Nigerian society.
Alkali described Jonathan was a modern national leader who is fired by the vision and zeal to get the right things done in order to lift the nation from the low plains to the high pedestal.
For him, the ongoing Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government is a means of repositioning the country to become a leading politically-stable, economically-viable and socially-responsive nation within the comity of nations.
“A nation is a function of its leadership. True leaders in history emerged according to the demands of their era. Great leaders become great leaders when they do great things. What makes an ordinary man like President Goodluck Jonathan a great leader is because he is doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways and the highpoint of which is to pass the template to others to become leaders in their little corners. This is where this group VITALDI is a pleasant development in the evolution of the modern Nigerian nation,” he said.
VITALDI's National Coordinator, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo, who is a delegate at the ongoing National Political Conference, said the group was formed to raise the ethical bar in the country's march to greatness, adding that it willwould promote, project and preserve certain ethical values which President Jonathan has espoused toward developing positive leadership values in the country.
He said, “VITALDI aspires to take the lead in mobilising and galvanising massive support for Mr. President's re-election bid. It is his fundamental, justiceable and inalienable right to seek re-election under the constitution. His government has started to redress identified inequities and impurities in critical sectors such as electoral reforms, power, security, agriculture, health, education, telecommunications, youth development, oil and gas, water, diplomacy, public service, housing, solid minerals, etc.”
In 2010, President Jonathan used the Goodluck Support Group (GSG) to contest the PDP Presidential Primary election. All the suppoGSGrt groups campaigning for the President were directed to collapse their campaigns under the GSG.
It was headed by Stella Oduah and Ahmed Gulak who later became Minister of Aviation and Political Adviser to the President respectively