JONATHAN TO TELL GOVERNORS OF HIS INTENTION FOR 2015.

"Key governors, PDP leaders absent at TAN’s grand finale rally
There are strong signals that President Goodluck Jonathan will formally announce his intention to contest the 2015 presidential election in a meeting tonight at the State House with all the elected governors of the People’s Democratic Party.
According to one of the PDP governors, who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity, a circular for the said meeting had just been sent to them by the Protocol Office of the President.
"We just received signals that the President would be meeting all PDP elected governors at the State House at 9pm,” the governor said.
The source also said that the governors would use the opportunity of the meeting to discuss the outcome of their consultation with the leadership of PDP over their resistance of the National Working Committee’s ratification of the governors’ endorsement of their successors.
The PDP governors had earlier endorsed President Jonathan to contest as the PDP sole presidential candidate, a situation that led to the National Executive Committee (NEC) adopting the President as the party’s sole presidential candidate at its meeting.
Meanwhile, the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria’s grand finale rally ended on Saturday at the Eagle Square with major stakeholders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including key governors elected on the platform of the party conspicuously absent.
No reason has been given for their absence.
But this development is considered worrisome, because it occured despite an earlier directive by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh urging party members to attend.
But the PDP had last month warned all members of the party to distance themselves from the rally, but Thursday, Metuh had in another statement urged all the party’s members to attend.
The absentee governors at the TAN rally are Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, Babangida Muazu of Niger State, Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Jonah Jang of Plateau State, Gabriel Suswam of Benue State and Emmanuel Udughan of Delta State.
This is despite the fact that most of the PDP governors were in Abuja.
Among the governors present, however, were the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and the Akwa Ibom State governor, Goodswill Akpabio; the Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, Adamawa State Governor Bala Ngilari, Taraba State Acting Governor Garba Umar, Kaduna State Governor Yero Ramalam.
The earlier advertisement that President Jonathan would officially attend the rally to declare his intention to run in 2015 turned out to be false, as he was nowhere close to the venue of the grand rally in Eagle Square.
The Secretary to the Government of Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim said that there are 17.8 million Nigerians under TAN urging President Jonathan to contest the 2015 presidential election, adding that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock.
Similarly, Governor Akpabio said that the PDP has not disappointed Nigeria and Nigerians since 1999. He also commended TAN for mobilising Nigerians towards supporting President Jonathan.
He said that President Jonathan has risen above all storms and established new federal universities, almajiri schools, adequate fuel supply for all, adequate power, stating that there are 17.8 million members of TAN calling on the President to contest the 2015 presidential election.
Among the dignitaries at the rally were the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Anyiam Pius Anyiam as well as some National Assembly members.
The opening prayers were said by the Minister of Power, Prof. Nebo and the Minister of state for Power, Mohammed Wakil for the Christian and Muslim Prayers, respectively. They asked God to touch the heart of President Goodluck Jonathan to accept the invitation to contest for the 2015 presidential election.
Also in attendance were members of the Federal Executive Council, including those who have resigned last Wednesday.
The TAN’s Director of Communications, Udenta Udenta in his opening speech enumerated the various achievements of President Jonathan in various spheres of life including agriculture, employment, aviation, road construction, education among others.
He described the TAN’s grand rally as a moment its time has come, saying, “this is a clarion call on the President to heed call of Nigerians to declare and contest the 2015. Mr. President carry go”.
Among the throng of people joined in the plea with the President to declare interest and contest the 2015 presidential election were representatives of people living with disabilities, women’s group, Nigerians in the Diaspora, Nollywood and the geopolitical zones of the country.
The Deputy Senate President, Ekweremadu, in his address, said that the opposition All Progressives Congress cannot afford to muster this initiative as the TAN’s rallies are doing. He also said that the kidnapped Chibok girls would soon be back. He said there is a working partnership between the President and the National Assembly, which he describes as “a partnership that is working.”
Source: ‪#‎Thisday_News‬.