PDP BOT adopts Pres. Jonathan as 2015 sole Presidential candidate

The PDP Board of Trustees (BOT), National Executive Committee (NEC), and PDP Governors forum have thrown their weight on the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the 2015 sole presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

This has however crushed the 2015 presidential ambition of  the Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who has no option but to finally dropped his ambition and joined other governors of the party to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the PDP to contest the 2015 election.

The NEC meeting kicked off about 12:45 pm on the arrival of the president, begins with the presenting of the resolution made by PDP governors by Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu.

Gov. Aliyu told the meeting that the decision of the governors in adopting Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the party was unanimous as there was no opposition.

In affirmation to his claim that there was no dissenting voice, Aliyu introduced Lamido who in turn stood up to acknowledge the statement and received a standing ovation from other members of the NEC.

An overwhelmed President Jonathan, described his adoption as the 2015 sole presidential candidate as an “atomic bomb”, stating that he was humbled and overwhelmed by the unanimous endorsement.  

             “I will only promise members of NEC and all members of the party, and like the                       saying goes: to whom much is given, much is expected. For you to have that                         kind of confidence in me is a big challenge. That means that God willing,we will go                 through and whatever we have achieved, we will get it three-fold.”

The NEC meeting was attended by the governors of Enugu, Benue, Delta, Abia, Niger, Akwa Ibom and Kogi, among others, as well as the acting governors of Taraba and Adamawa States.

Others in attendance included the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, former national chairmen of the party – Amadu Ali and Barnabas Gemade – former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na'Abba, and several members of the National Assembly.

While the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who is rumoured  to defect to the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC), was as usual notably absent.

Also, speaking on behalf of the BoT, the former Deputy National Chairman of PDP and a member of NEC, Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, informed NEC of the decision by the trustees of the party to adopt Jonathan.

According to Oyedokun, PDP’s BoT decided to adopt Jonathan because he had stabilised the party and also performed creditably by taking Nigeria to the next level.