PPA CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT GOODLUCK AND PDP ON A WELL DESERVED VICTORY AT THE 2011 POLLS- PRINCEWILL OUTLINES SIGNIFICANT LESSONS DERIVED FROM THE VICTORY

The eagerly awaited historical 2011 Presidential election has come and gone and the majority of Nigerians through their votes have elected President Goodluck Jonathan to preside over the affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the next four years. Much as we acknowledge that the tasks before President Jonathan in the next four years may appear to be challenging, demanding and albeit arduous, we believe that with the support of the good people of Nigeria he would be able to surmount them.

Much as we applaud the President and join all other well meaning Nigerians to congratulate him on this well deserved victory, it would be most irresponsible for the PPA as political Watchdogs to fail to comment on the worrying trend of South/North evident in the results announced by INEC. It is also reported that incidents of violence have erupted in certain areas in the North following the announcement of Jonathan as winner of the polls. As a body, we fear that the above does not augur well for the sustained unity of the Nation. We therefore urge Mr President to recognize this for the red flag that it is and do all in his power to avert any imminent danger that can result in far reaching albeit negative consequences for our Nation.

We once again commend the INEC under the admirable leadership of Prof Attahiru Jega for delivering on its promise of ensuring credible elections as witnessed in this second leg of the 2011 polls. Like all well meaning Nigerians we are hopeful that the same feat will be recorded on the 26th of April when the State Assembly and gubernatorial elections will be conducted.

From the results so far in the ongoing elections, it is plain to see that the fortunes of PDP has dwindled immensely, with ersthwhile PDP incumbents in the National assembly losing their seats to opponents in other parties, especially in areas of the country that were once PDP strongholds. Saturday's election also witnessed offsets in areas that were also once PDP strongholds. The South-South and the South-East should be commended for keeping fate with the party with its massive support at the polls. But suffice it to say, that with the kind of votes that came out from the South-West, it is no surprise that political analysts had predicted that a Jonathan victory would ride on the back of his personality and his commitment in the past 10 months to ensuring a restoration of the lost glory of Nigeria and not out of a wide acceptance of the PDP.

With the South West's conduct at the last polls, it will be in order to say that the prophecy of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who speaking in a rally in the town of Warri in 1983, said that one day an Ijaw man will preside over the affairs of this nation, has come to pass.

This notwithstanding, it is expedient that just as Mr President has a mandate of returning the nation to “The Motherland”, he should also as party leader of the PDP, do all that is within his power to ensure a smooth return to the basics of what the founding fathers of the PDP birthed at the beginning in 1999 that made the PDP a party that was embraced by the majority resulting in the popular election of President Olusegun Obasanjo in the transition election to civil rule. We hope Mr President would assemble those amongst the Founding fathers of the Party who still believe in the progressive ideology that was the foundation of the party as well as inject new blood into the scheme of affairs of the party to enable it forge forward.

Speaking to the press on Jonathan's victory, Prince Tonye Princewill, the amiable leader of the PPA, congratulated Mr. President, the entire Ijaw nation and all Nigerians who turned up enmasse to vote for a Jonathan Victory. He stated that the significance of Mr President's victory lies in the lessons he hoped Nigerians have learnt in the cause of the past few months leading up to the victory. He dared to state that beyond the celebrations the significant lessons are: that Zoning is dead; PDP is now genuinely popular thanks to Goodluck and Amaechi; The North is divided while the South is not; Mr President has no godfathers and can lead in peace; Ethnicity has been thoroughly demystified; Religious sentiments have been overcome; Politics is too important to be left to politicians.

Princewill further stated that he wasn't in doubt that the best man won and that for the first time in its history, Nigeria will officially be under the watch of a democratically elected President and while he is sure that there will be some people up North who will find the victory hard to swallow, Mr President should also endeavour to still reach out to them in his moment of triumph. Such a legacy according to him will be Jonathan's to leave behind.

Finally, we would like to congratulate all Nigerians for exhibiting matured commitment during the elections and having confidence in the electoral process.

We urge all those who lost their seats in the course of this election, to toe the same line as Rt Hon. Dimeji Bankole, speaker of the house of representative, whose preparedness to accept defeat and honourable gesture of congratulating his contender is worthy of emulation.

We also suggest that President Jonathan's government should be all inclusive and he should not hesitate to draw from the pool of human resources that are available in the other parties principally for the process of moving the country forward.

We pray God to grant the President elect Solomon's wisdom as he steers the affairs of State. Even as we assure him of our unreserved support and commitment to joining hands to taking the Nation to greater heights.

Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
Media Consultant, PPA