2015: PDP adopts Jonathan as sole candidate

The Peoples Demacratic Party (PDP) has adopted President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole candidate for the 2015 general elections in spite of its presidential primaries scheduled for December 6.
This means that other aspirants within the party have been shut out of contesting for presidency on the PDP platform.

The decision was taken on Thursday by the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party at their national secretariat in Abuja.

Premium Times reports that the governor of Niger state, Muazu Aliyu, who was first to speak, told the meeting that all PDP governors had in their meeting on Wednesday “unanimously without any reservation decided to endorse the sole candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election”.

Aliyu also called on the Jigawa state Governor, Sule Lamido, to stand up and recognise the decision of the governors. Lamido stood up and nodded his head in agreement with his Niger state colleague.

Lamido had earlier been reported as nursing a presidential ambition and believed to be enjoying the backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The new decision has not put paid to that ambition
In a brief remark, Senate President, David Mark, informed the gathering that if there is any arm of government that is interested in continuity, it is the legislature.

He said:“At the PDP Caucus of the National Assembly, we have decided that a sitting and performing president should be given a chance to continue to perform even better‎,”

In his speech, former national chairman of the party, Bello Haliru, who moved a motion for Jonathan’s adoption,  said the PDP had an important decision to take, arguing that “we have never taken a wrong decision before”.

His words: “We cannot change a winning formula that has been working for us since 1999,” he said. “In PDP we have a tradition of queuing up behind our leaders. President Jonathan has performed creditably well‎ as attested to by all the organs of the party.

“Therefore, for the good of Nigeria and for the good work that the PDP is doing for the country; I move that the NEC endorse the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s candidate in the 2015 election”.

‎The motion was seconded by a former governor of old Anambra state, Jim Nwobodo.