Jonathan picks presidential form

By Samuel Ogidan
Abuja

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday picked his nomination and expression of interest form to re-contest for the office of the President.
This is even as the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided to give automatic ticket to Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson, Gombe state governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Kaduna state governor, Ramalan Yero and others seeking for second term.
Jonathan, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat, expressed gratitude to PDP governors and others who contributed to the purchase of his nomination and expression of interest form.

He pledged not to let the country down for the unequalled confidence and support the countrymen from all parts of the country have reposed on him, adding that Nigeria is a great nation that deserved to be continually promoted towards its vision of being a critical global player.
The President said that the country has demonstrated its greatness to the admiration of the world with the way it successfully handled the Ebola pandemic that hit the country recently making her a global reference point on managing the disease that has killed hundreds of people.
“Let me thank the leadership of our party and all member of our party for believing in me and for giving me the right of first refusal.

“I could have still picked the form if they did not give me. But giving the me the right of first refusal has attracted more people that ordinarily it would have had.
“Let me use this unique opportunity to thank PDP governors forum for providing the two million for the procurement of the expression of interest form and the 20 million for the procurement of nomination form.
“Let me also thank members of TAN for providing 2million for the expression of interest form and 20million for the procurement of nomination form,” he said.

Appreciating Nigerians, President Jonathan said “What I can say is to reassure them that I will work will all Nigerians, all Nigerians and I will always maintain that no matter how strong a president is all over the world, the president is only one individual and you alone can’t anything; you alone cannot change the society.”
He added that “for you to succeed, you work with people. So if you are succeeding that means we have a team that is working to transform this country. So I will work with all Nigerians to make sure that we move our country to the next level.
“I always say that the days will continue to say Nigeria is a potential great country are over. Nigeria is a great country. And we just demonstrated that in the way we collectively handled the Ebola case. And the whole world is happy with us. For us this is the time to do more in the years to come to really move the country where we want Nigeria to be.”
The National Chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu expressed joy
that President Jonathan actually came to pick form.

“I am happy today that he (Jonathan) has made history, that he has come to pick his form himself. I sometimes wonder why people want to dabble into family affairs that is surely not theirs.
“PDP is PDP and PDP is a family. We have decided that our governors, President running for a second term that have performed creditably well will be given the right of first refusal and all of us know that Mr. President has done so many things,” he said.