Presidential primary: Jonathan engages PDP delegates

By NBF News

As part of the strategy to demonstrating his commitment and belief in the power of Nigerians to freely choose their representatives, President, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday commenced interactive sessions with delegates and other stakeholders on the phone.

In doing this, the President was said to have sent over 30,000messages to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) delegates, including voice messages and Short Message Service (SMS). The Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation's Director of  Research, Planning and Strategy, Mr. Mike Omeri, who disclosed this in Abuja in a statement, said the strategy had proved to be very effective.

'The feedback and responses from delegates and other stakeholders, who profusely profess their love, support and solidarity with the President has been overwhelming,' he said.

Omeri added that the President believed that the beauty of democracy arose from the freedom and ability of the people to make informed and free choices and enjoined delegates and all Nigerians to refuse any attempt at appealing to base sentiments of ethnicity, religion, other primordial and pecuniary pressures to sway them.

However, former vice president and PDP presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, in Minna, recalled how he and other patriotic Nigerians fought former president Olusegun Obasanjo to a stand still over the issue of third term.

He warned that the Jonathan presidency was third term by another means.

Atiku, who was in Niger State to address delegates to tomorrow's primaries in Abuja, said 'the challenges of the third term was still visible and still very much with us.'

The former number two citizen particularly commended Niger State deputy governor, Ahmed Ibeto, whom he said, as a lawmaker, fought alongside other patriots to scuttle the third term dream of the former president.

He also praised former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, describing him as 'leader of leaders and general of generals.'

'The kind of unity the North has enjoyed in the recent time has never been since the days of the late Sardauna. The vacuum created by the demise of Sardauna has been filled by former president Babangida.'

In his response, Ibeto assured the aspirant that delegates from Niger State would follow the advice of their leader, 'and when we do that you will see the result.'

Meanwhile, the PDP in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State has nominated the former military president as national delegate to the national  convention of the party coming up tomorrow in Abuja.

This was conveyed to him via a letter signed by Alhaji Usman Mohammed who was PDP's Secretary in the local government.