PDP'll win 2015 presidential election, says Aliyu

Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, who is also chairman of Northern Governors' Forum, has said that it will still win the 2015 presidential election, nothwithstanding the debilitate internal wrangling the party has gone through.

Aliyu, who was a key member of the group of seven (G-7) governors that walked out the PDP convention last August, said: 'PDP shall form the next Federal Government.'

While five of his counterpartsin G-7 defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress, himself and his Jigawa State counterpart, Sule Lamido, remained in the PDP.

Speaking  at the presentation of take-off grants to beneficiaries of the Subsidy Reinvesting Empowerment Programme in Minna, Niger State capital, on Thursday, Aliyu said the PDP would overcome its crisis and win the 2015 poll.

He added  that what the party needed was prayer to do the right thing by nominating the right candidate for the election.

Aliyu added, 'PDP will win the governorship election in Niger State in 2015, and we will do it by God's guidance and by our clean minds.

'If anybody is with clean mind, God will assist the person no matter what people say. Even people who slaughter donkeys and vultures may need to go to Senegal or Mali. That is a long way to go to get these animals. So, whether you slaughter vultures or donkeys so that nobody will be liked, I am happy my people like me, and I can go anywhere and say 'we did all we did with your support because we let you know what is happening and you advised'.

'A leader must always be ready for criticisms because most times when people criticise it is because they don't know the basis of the decision that has been taken, but if they know, they may advice on how to correct it and how to make it better. Criticism is one of the ways to make leaders be in the know.'

Aliyu admonished Nigerians to always pray for the country to have good leaders 'because when you have bad leaders the environment will be saturated with bad people.'

Meanwhile, a group known as National Coalition for Jonathan/Sambo Presidency on Thursday warned Nigerians against wasting their votes 'for those who see nothing good in the present administration.'

According to the organisation, voting the APC into power would lead to the destruction of the country.

Director-General of NACOJSP, Mr. Fred Umoren, said this at the inauguration of the youth wing of the group and public presentation of a book entitled: 'One hundred reasons why the entire youth of Nigeria should support President Jonathan.'

'The party whose national executives are from one particular place, is that a progressive party? I want to speak the truth to all of you here to ensure that you do not waste your vote on this come 2015 because a vote for APC will be a vote for the destruction of this nation,' Umoren said.