Measures in place for PDP defectors to return, says Tukur

National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has said the party and the Presidency have put in place measures to ensure that members of the party that defected to All Progressives Congress, APC, return.

He also described the current problems rocking the party as a
rejuvenation process, rather than crisis.

Tukur spoke, yesterday, in London when a team of Nigerian
Professionals based in Europe, led by Dr. Edwin Olabamiro,
paid him a visit.

He said: "PDP is at home to contain all forms of harassment
by the opposition, either vaunted or intended.

"If it is a game of numbers in any election, you can always
count on it that PDP will win.

"The good thing is that if five people move out of PDP to
another party, even by dint of propaganda, the party takes in
more than 500 at a time as replacement.

"The electorate in Nigeria trust PDP more than many people
are aware of."

"As the Chairman of PDP, let me say that we may not be
having it smooth at the moment.

"The party and Mr. President are not relenting on holding
consultations with the aggrieved members."

… as 2015 Jonathan candidacy splits North

The Northern Elders Union,NEU, yesterday, dismissed the
assertion by Northern Elders Forum, NEF, that the zone will
not vote for People's Democratic Party, PDP, if it nominated
President Goodluck Jonathan as its 2015 presidential flagbearer, describing the threat as the wishful thinking of a
few privileged northerners.

Among the northern elements in NEU are former Minister of
Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed
Gusau; former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman;
Senator Garba Gada; a member of PDP Board of Trustees,
BoT, Alhaji Bello Dange; a former Nigerian Ambassador to
Morocco, Alhaji Abdullahi Ladan-Shinu and another former
Deputy Governor of old Sokoto State, Alhaji Azika Tambuwal.

The Secretary-General of NEF, Professor Ango Abdullahi,
said last week that the North had made its position on the
2015 presidency known to President Jonathan's emissaries
that the zone would not support Jonathan's ambition.

Abdullahi further alleged that the Presidency's political
tacticians have compiled a list of 151 key northern politicians
and leaders with a view to wooing them to work for the
President in 2015.

However, Alhaji Gusau said Abdullahi was on his own.
Rising from its meeting in Kaduna yesterday, Gusau advised
any NEF leader, who had presidential ambition in 2015 to
declare such, but not to beat the drums of war as Nigeria
belonged to all.

Gusau spoke in a telephone interview with Vanguard
yesterday.

He said: "The North or Nigeria does not belong to NEF
leaders alone. If any NEF leader wants to contest the 2015
presidential polls, let him come out openly and declare his
interest.

"For instance, PDP, under the leadership of the Deputy
Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Muktar Shagari, will win
Sokoto State. It will be like that in some North-West and
North-East zones.

"I do not know where the North met as a whole and decided
who we shall support or not. Let us wait and watch.

"I do not know the premise under which Professor Abdu-llahi
based his conclusion that the North has abandoned PDP.

"PDP has done so many good things for the North and we
shall tell the North those things when the time for campaign
comes. It is the only party that has national spread. The North
cannot leave a known friend and for an unknown friend or
enemy."

Via: Vanguard