President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday in Sokoto state, declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would kick off a national tour of different states.
This is even as he stated that the party would use Sokoto State as an example to send a strong signal in the political circle that the ruling party remains the major party to beat in Nigeria.
The President was speaking when he formally received the former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa who defected from the All Progressive Congress to the PDP in a grand rally attended by a mammoth crowd at the Shehu Kangiwa Square in Sokoto on Saturday.
However, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal who is an indigene of Sokoto State and still a PDP member was conspicuously absent at the grand rally Tambuwal and did not send any representative to the event.
Bafarawa had earlier urged the President not to loose sleep without over Sokoto State in terms of the 2015 general elections, saying it was the people of the state who had decided that he should decamp from the APC to the PDP.
Speaking at the rally, President Jonathan who urged the people of Sokoto not to allow themselves to be deceived, said they were in the state to bring a message of hope to the people that the PDP government must change the state for the better.
Noting that the party will use Sokoto as an example, he said, “Bafarawa joining us with his formidable supporters, with Shagari and other strong politicians here in PDP, Sokoto state is for PDP. We want to use Sokoto as an example to show all others that PDP is still the major party in this country.
“We are going round after this rally in Sokoto state. Next saturday we will be going to Imo state. The other week, we will go to Kano state. We may also go to other states, but the national committee is also working out our zonal rallies”.
Jonathan carpeted legislators who had defected from the PDP to the APC, saying they did so without the backing of the people of their respective constituencies, adding that some of them would be jittery to go back home to test their popularity among their people with an early election the way it is practised in the parliamentary system of government.
According to him “In fact, I was telling some people when we were coming in this morning and I saw the crowd left and right that if we were running a parliamentary system where the prime minister will look at the political environment in the country and call for early elections, I would have called for early elections let us see where this noise is coming from, whether they are supported.
“Some people are afraid to go back and contest the seats because in a normal setting, if a parliamentarian leaves his seat and cross to another party, the assumption is that you have consulted your constituency and they agreed that you should cross over. Such a parliamentarian would want to call for early elections to show that he is going with his constituency but in Nigeria, the story is different. Well, time will tell.
Announcing that the PDP will go round the country as from next week to stage similar rallies, the President said, “We want to go round the country, all the zones to tell Nigerians that PDP is still the number one party. And we want to do this before we start election because from the middle of this year people will begin to become aspirants, because PDP has not turned to anybody.
“So, there is no any aspirant yet for any position. And this is the best time we are going round, we are going round to showcase PDP, what the party has done over the period and what it will continue to do. The PDP government is the only one that can bring stability; it is the government that obeys the rule of law any day in court- from the smallest court be it customary court or area court, high court or magistrate or appeal court.
“Whenever they give judgment, we obey. We don’t disobey any judgment. We obey the rule of law; we obey the constitution. We have seen some people disobeying some clear provisions in the constitution and are disobeying with impunity. And we believe that this will soon be history. This is the only party that will continue to hold the tenets of democracy. PDP just dey ‘gidigbam’; no shaking”.
Noting that PDP is the only party that belongs to every Nigerian void of anything like gender factor, Jonathan noted that the international community when it talks about Nigerian political parties, recognises just PDP and other political parties.
He said, “We don’t discriminate based on anything. That is why in every polling unit you go, you see formidable support for this great party. You go outside Nigeria and ask, how many political parties you have in Nigeria, they say hmm, PDP and others. So PDP is the symbol of democracy in Nigeria today. And that is why all Nigerians, even those who are not in partisan politics believe in the PDP. When they notice certain goings on in PDP that are not so good, everybody get jittery because the feeling is that if anything happens to PDP, it will affect the country.
“Religious leaders, business leaders men and women who are not partisan politicians believe in PDP because it is the only party that can stabilise this country. The reasons are obvious; PDP is the only party that is stable. It has undergone its changes”.
The President further noted that the PDP had remain stable , while other parties are still undergoing changes, stating that “Other parties are still passing through maybe what in Biology they talk about Metamorphosis, other parties are still evolving. In earth sciences they talk about metamorphic rocks; we don’t know what the metamorphic rocks will lead to, but it is changing.
“Other parties are still changing, we don’t know where they will change to but PDP is stable at all levels and we promise that PDP will continue to give leadership at all levels in that regard”.
Explaining that the party was not in Sokoto to campaign, the President said, “Today, we have not come to Sokoto to campaign for any position, councillor, local government chairmen, House of Assembly or National Assembly or any other office. We have come because we need to reassure our great followers in Sokoto and indeed the whole country that PDP is still united, it is still the party to beat, it is sill the party that can lead this country to where we want to go.
“Specially, we have come because we have a great son of Sokoto state, a great politician of the state that you know more than I do, a formidable person whom most of the characters that are talking about politics today came through him, and he has seen that the interest of Nigeria as a nation is superior to his own personal interest. He believes that if this country gets to crisis, all of us will lose. PDP is the only party that have that vision to lead this country to stability, to lead this country to economic revolution.
“And he and his teeming supporters have today declared for the PDP and to join the party totally and we have come to receive him in your presence, to tell you that in Sokoto state now, we are waiting for the next election, that all people from Sokoto will deliver PDP in all the elections.
“So, when you see Bafarawa and Shagari, you know that in 2007, this is the young man that won the PDP primaries, but for one thing or the other, some adjustments were made. And of course you know this has been your great political leader (Bafarawa) who has run this state and created men and women. So, if you see these two people coming together in PDP, do you have any other party? Where are the others? They are no where.
“So, we have come to show clearly that PDP has taken the right leadership of this state and we will not disappoint you. We will come back to Sokoto state for a formal campaign, when the time reaches. Then, we will enumerate the great things we have done. We are told that some people are deceiving the great people of Sokoto State. But when we flagged off the Almajiri programme, it is in Sokoto state that I personally came that day with the Sultan to flag it off”.
Speaking further the President identified himself with the common Nigerians from peasant background when he said, “If probably I was from Sokoto state, I would probably have been an Almajiri because I also belong to the peasant. In some quarters they call them the Talakawas. And that is the encouragement we are giving to every body. If from that I am today the president of this country and can stand before the highest persons in the world, not just to discuss but to debate, that means that any of you hear can do that.
“And I was able to get to this position because despite the fact that I came from the peasant group, I was able to go to school. That is why my commitment to education is to make sure that we liberate every Nigerian. We can only do that if we make sure every Nigerian go to school. That is why we support that Almajiri programme very well so that tomorrow, we will be a great country”.
Bafarawa was first received by the National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu who presented him to President Jonathan and other parties chieftains including, the National Working Committee of the party.
Speaking earlier, Bafarawa who urged Jonathan to go and sleep without losing sleep about Sokoto come 2015 said, “Mr. President, I don’t want to tell you too much stories. As far as Sokoto is concerned, you go and sleep. You don’t have any problem. We have been winning the elections and then we have been rigged out and manipulated out.
“Today we are back to the mainstream of PDP; there is no other party that would get even Councillor in Sokoto, Insha Alau, except PDP. This is a message I’m delivering on behalf of my people and the entire people of Sokoto State. Mr. President, I want you to go with a clear mind that you don’t have problem in Sokoto State”.
Bafarawa further asked the president not to be bothered about those who betrayed him in the party adding that he too had been a victim.
He said, “Forget about those who betray you. You are not the first victim; I was the first victim. Everyone in the National Assembly, up to the state level, I helped them to become who they are. But for reasons best known to them, you have seen it today.
“We are joining PDP today, not with councillors, not with House of Assembly members, not with National Assembly members; but we are joining PDP with the people who are going to deliver all the elected officers in 2015. That assurance, I’m assuring you we are going to deliver. If you have any doubt in Bayelsa, and I believe you don’t have any doubt in Bayelsa; so, don’t have any doubt about Sokoto.
“PDP as a party, with the leadership of our great chairman, we are always the amending the constitution. This time around we are going to amend the manifesto of our party. In the last 15 years when PDP was registered, I believe there had not been any amendment attached to the manifesto. Therefore, to see that they are implementing what is the manifesto of our party”.
Assuring the president of support in 2015, Bafarawa said, “Mr. President with us, by the grace of God, we are going to help you by 2015 if you decide to declare. That is your own personal interest, but if the party decides to give you support and you become the candidate of PDP, I’m assuring you, we are going to work for you for the success of our party.
“Therefore my appeal to all Sokoto people, as I have told you earlier, we joined PDP in principle to build democracy, to build our state and also to build our nation. Therefore, if Mr President with his entourage, for the first of its kind, decide to come and see one person on behalf of Sokoto people, what else do you want? Mr. President, thank you very much. We are assuring you that we are going to deliver, Insha Alau, by the grace of God”.
On his part, national chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu said PDP is a party that cannot be defeated in the next 60 years.
He said, “The reason for coming to Sokoto is well known to all of you. It is because we have come to take one of you, yours son, my very dear friend and brother, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa who has declared with his own people and supporters to join the greatest party in Africa, the winning party, the party of Nigerians, the party that is synonymous with the development of Nigeria, a party to beat in the next 60 years. I assure you, our party is growing from strength to strength each day. We do not need to preach to you about what we have done.
“With what we have done on ground, I assure you that if a foreigner comes to Nigeria and drives his car from one state to the other, our states (PDP states) stand very distinctively different in terms of development, progress and what have you. Today, I want to assure you that our party, with due consultation with all stakeholders, is going to come up with very clear programmes that will enhance the quality of our manifesto for us to even perform very very well. At the moment, I want to assure you that the party under my leadership with my colleagues would continue to make sure our party grows even stronger than it has ever been before”.
Muazu noted that the party has no regret losing five of its governors. He said, “Despite the loss of some our governors, I want to assure you that we have not lost the people. Our followership, as you can see from the people here who have come in very great number and I’m sure that Sokoto State has been PDP and is still PDP”.
The PDP governors present at the event were those of Akwa Ibom, Niger, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi
Other dignitaries present were Vice President Namadi Sambi; Senate President, David Mark; Minister of ?special duties, Taminu Turaki; former defence minister, Bello Haliru, National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, former Niger governor, Kure; former Kogi governor, Ibrahim Idris; former Senate President, Ken Namani among others
