FROM LEFT: VICE PRESIDENT NAMADI SAMBO; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF PDP, SEN. ADAMU MUAZU, AT THE NORTH CENTRAL PDP ZONAL RALLY IN MINNA LAST MONTH
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s fate as running mate to President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 presidential election is to be decided by the president himself.
But the party, however, hinted that since both men had been working together harmoniously since they assumed office more than three years ago, the president might continue with him.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, who stated this while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja on Sunday, added that President Jonathan had yet to accept his adoption as the party’s sole candidate for 2015.
Metuh also addressed the journalists on the planned nationwide tour to be embarked upon by the party’s national leadership where he said the party’s achievements would be showcased.
It will be recalled that the National Executive Committee of the party at its 66th meeting in Abuja on Thursday, adopted Mr. Jonathan as its sole presidential candidate for the 2015 election.
In his response to the adoption, which was endorsed by all organs of the party including the party national caucus, Board of Trustees, and the PDP Governors Forum, the president said he was humbled by the decision.
He, however, did not say whether he was responding on behalf of himself only or him and Sambo. This is even as speculations are rife that Governors Ibrahim Shema and Isa Yuguda of Katsina and Bauchi States respectively, are jostling to edge out Sambo.
The general perception within the party is that Sambo’s electoral value in his Kaduna State base has continued to witness a steady decline, a situation which they believe could adversely affect the party’s electoral fortune in the zone.
But Metuh warned against “unhealthy speculations” regarding the choice of Jonathan’s running mate.
According to him: “The President is yet to communicate his acceptance of the endorsement to the party and the nation.
“We should wait for the President to announce his running mate instead of jumping the gun. I believe the incumbent Vice President enjoys the confidence of the President”.
On the nationwide project tour, which is expected to start from today and would cover insurgent-ravaged Yobe and Borno States, Metuh said it is meant to showcase the achievements of the party at the local, state and federal levels.
“Indeed, there is no state, local government or ward in Nigeria that has not been positively affected by projects executed by PDP governments at federal, state and local government levels.
“Such projects abound in non-PDP states and many Nigerians erroneously give credit to the opposition, which they eagerly accept.
“Also, in states formerly controlled by the PDP, such as Edo, Rivers, Nasarawa, Kano, Sokoto, Kwara, among others, the opposition parties, now in control are laying claims to our projects.
“This tour will ‘recover’ our projects claimed by the opposition and return the credit to the PDP.
“We therefore urge all Nigerians to be part of this laudable project as we catalogue our collective successes under the PDP-led administration.
“In this regard, we wish to state that as we embark on our performance tours, we will no longer focus on answering to diatribes of the opposition.
“Our answer to such is that we meet at the polls in 2015. All members of the party are by this directed to comply accordingly”, Metuh said.