President
Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), who lost at the primaries to remain in party in the interest of
democracy.
Jonathan
made the appeal on Saturday night while speaking at the PDP fund raising dinner
held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said
that the leadership of the party was working to resolve all outstanding issues
in the congresses and primaries.
Jonathan said:
“we all appreciate that throughout the congresses where primary elections were
conducted there have been some outstanding issues.
“The
party is working to resolve these issues; definitely, in such situation all may
not be resolved to the satisfaction of everybody.
“But my
plea to party members is to remain committed to the party; stay with the party.
“I know
other parties are wooing some of you to contest elections on their platforms,
but if you believe in democracy then you will contribute to strengthen it.
“The only
way you can strengthen democracy is for you to stay in your party.’’
The
president also told the members that if there were issues they felt were not
too correct, it was better for them to stay together and correct them.
He added
that staying together to settle those issues was the only way democracy can
grow.
“If out
of anger or frustration, you leave the party because you didn’t get what you
wanted, then you are not contributing to the growth of democracy,” he said.
Jonathan
thanked members of the party, the business community and other supporters of
the PDP for contributing to the growth of the party.
While
recalling the “generous donation” of the business community to support victims
of the 2012 flood and to the Victim Support Fund in September, he assured them
that their donations would be judiciously utilised.
Jonathan
also assured the business community of more policies and programmes that would
promote enterprise and industry as well as expand the economy.
Citing a
beneficiary of the YouWin programme, who donated N1 million at the dinner, the
president stated that the party had made a number of millionaires and
billionaires in the country.
He said
that the PDP-led at the centre administration was working hard to make more
young millionaires through the YouWin programme and the recently launched Youth
Employment through Agriculture Programme (YEAP).
He
assured Nigerians that the PDP would do everything possible to keep the country
united.
Earlier,
the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu congratulated successful
candidates of the party for the 2015 general elections and urged them not to
let the party down.
He urged
the candidates to carry their fellow party members along during the campaigns.
He
appealed to aspirants who lost at the primaries to put the past behind and join
hands to take the PDP to victory.
The
chairman of the fund raising committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, warned members of the
party against complacency in the 2015 general elections.
Gana, a
former Minister of Information and member of the PDP Board of Trustees,
declared that the 2015 elections would be competitive.
He stated
that though the party had done well under President Goodluck Jonathan, members
must campaign and communicate his achievements to the electorate.
Gana
said: “the 2015 elections will be very competitive. Do not take it for granted.
We must never underestimate the opponent.
“PDP has
advantage because it has done very well in its 15 years in power at the centre.
“Besides,
our presidential candidate is very good and is one of the best in the world in
terms of delivery of democracy dividends.
“But
doing well or having good candidates is not enough; we need to tell the
electorate what we have done as a party.
“We must
endeavour to effectively communicate our achievements and candidates to the
people; the elections must be issue-based and the PDP is noted for that.”
Gana
warned the leadership of the PDP at all levels against imposition of candidates
on Nigerians.
Over
N21.2 billion was raised at the dinner which was well attended by past and
present government officials, politicians and captains of industry.
The fund,
according to the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’Azu, would be used to
complete the party’s new headquarters building and run its affairs (NAN)
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