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President Goodluck Jonathan will on Thursday at
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national
secretariat pick his re-election nomination form.
Already, it has emerged that governors on the
platform of the party, Transformation Ambassadors
of Nigeria (TAN) and other well-wishers have paid
the sum of N98.66 million for Jonathan’s
nomination and Expression of Interest forms.
The president’s spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, made
the disclosures while briefing State House
correspondents on Wednesday in Abuja.
Abati said the money was received by his boss as
donations from Nigerians to assist him pay the
required N22 million presidential nomination fee
and Expression of Interest form.
He noted that the president expressed gratitude to all
the persons, groups and communities that donated
as well as those who made pledges to assist him in
paying the required fees.
He quoted the president as thanking all Nigerians,
members of the PDP, friends, associates and all
groups who, in sincere appreciation of the
achievements of the administration in the last four
years, have been urging him to seek a second term in
office.
The president’s spokesman said Jonathan
acknowledged and accepted with immense
gratitude, the following donations and pledges that
he had received from a broad section of Nigerians:
Mr. Kennedy Ikenna Odoeme, N5,000; Mr. Ezemagu
Sunday Nnamdi, N10,000; PDP governors, N22
million; TAN, N22 million; Ogbia Local Government
Area stakeholders, Bayelsa State, N5 million; Otuoke
community stakeholders, N2 million; Brass Local
Government Area stakeholders, Bayelsa State,
N50,000; Bayelsa State PDP stakeholders, N5 million;
Northern Youths Forum, N2 million; Central Market
Traders Union, Kaduna State, N1 million; PDP
stakeholders, Zaria Local Government Area, N500,000;
PDP stakeholders, Yobe State, N500,000.
Other donors were PDP stakeholders, Kaduna State,
N2 million; Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, N5 million;
the Goodluck Support Group, Gombe State, N1
million; Adamawa State PDP stakeholders, N3
million; Ebonyi State PDP stakeholders, N2 million;
Kogi State PDP stakeholders, N5 million;
Still on the list of donors are: Rivers State PDP
stakeholders, N5 million; the 2015 Project, N1
million; Team Goodluck, Ondo North senatorial
district, N5 million; Middle Belt PDP Women Support
Group for GEJ 2015, N500,000; King David Generation
Foundation, Jos, N200,000; Behwong Weneng Yere
Duk, Jos, N200,000; Redemption 3 Youth
Organisation, Plateau State, N500,000;
Others are Plateau State Indigenes Association,
Abuja, N300,000; Gombe Youth United for Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan 2015, N500,000; Gombe Youth
Vanguard for PDP, N500, 000;
Yamahu/Deba Goodluck Support Group, N200,000;
Coalition of Gombe Support Groups for Goodluck
Jonathan, N2 million; Hinna Youth Coalition for
Goodluck, N500 000; Nigerian Women Pray for
Jonathan, N1 million; National Association of
Widows, N100,000; National Council of Women
Societies, N500,000; female members of the PDP Board
of Trustees, N500,000; Joint Association of Persons
with Disabilities, N100,000; National Association of
Market Women, N500,000; and Community
Awareness and Development Network, N1 million.
Abati said the president was greatly encouraged by
the overwhelming outpour of goodwill and support
as well as the confidence of the generality of
Nigerians in his ability to continue to transform the
country for the good of the people.
According to him, the president assured the donors
that he would continue to do his utmost best at all
times to fully justify the great confidence reposed in
him.
Meanwhile, as the sales of forms end today, the
ruling PDP has raked in more than N6 billion from
the sales of governorship, National Assembly (Senate
and House of Representatives), state Houses of
Assembly and sales of ad hoc forms for the election
of delegates.
According to a statement issued by the National
Organising Secretary of party, Abubakar Mustapha,
the sales of delegate forms are expected to end today
by 12 midnight. Each delegate form is expected to
cost N5,000.
“Also, all completed delegate forms of those who have
returned their duly completed forms should be
returned to the state headquarters of PDP.
“All completed delegate forms shall be displayed at
the ward levels on November 1,” the National
Organising Secretary of PDP said.
According to a top member of the PDP National
Working Commission (NWC) who spoke in confidence
with THISDAY, the president will pick his presidential
nomination form on Thursday before noon.
“This is what the PDP guidelines says and this must
be obeyed by all members of PDP seeking elective
positions respectively,” the PDP NWC said.
The NWC official said there would be elections at the
more than 8,000 wards across the country for the
purpose of electing the three member delegates who
are expected to elect the states and national
delegates.
On the revenue generated by PDP through the sales of
nomination and Expression of Interest forms, the
source said: “So far, over N2.2 billion has been
realised from the sales of the governorship forms. We
have sold no less than 200 governorship nomination
forms from the national secretariat.
“Each governorship form is sold at N10 million and
the Expression of Interest form is sold at N1 million.
“We are not talking about the senatorial and House
of Representatives forms, on that, we have more than
a thousand aspirants who have purchased the
senatorial forms. The senate form is sold for N4
million while the House of Representatives form is
sold for N2 million with N500,000 each for senate
and House of Representatives aspirants Expression of
Interest form.
“I have not included on the sale of nomination forms
for the House of Assembly aspirant which sales at
N100,000 with Expression of Interest form sold for
N200,0000 per aspirant. From the state assemblies,
we have more than 2,000 aspirants from more that
700 seats.
“In some states like Oyo, aspirants are paying N3
million as development fee, in Delta State, all the
state Houses of Assembly aspirants are made to pay
a mandatory development fee of N500,000 each.”
“In the election of ad hoc delegates, which covers
more than 24,000 aspirants as each ward is expected
to elect three delegates at N5000 from which we
garner over N150 million.
“If I say over N6 billion, I am just being conservative
as in 2011, we had more than, N6.5 billion after cost
have been reduced,” the NWC source said.
Meanwhile, the National Vice Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-south, Cairo
Ojuogboh, on Thursday berated the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,
saying he used the party to elevate himself and later
dumped the platform.
“The PDP is a disciplined party, if you come and
steal into the PDP and use it to elevate yourself and
get into office, when the time comes, God will get you
out, like the issue of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
“You can see how God have exposed them, and the
PDP will do everything within the law to regain its
seat and that is what we are going to do in both
Edo and Rivers States,” he added.
He explained that the party would go to the South-
south to regain its seat.
Commenting on the denial of sale of presidential
nomination forms to son of former Prime Minister, Dr.
Abdul Jahlil Tafawa Balewa, and widow of the late
Chief MKO Abiola, Professor Akasoba Duke-Abiola,
Cairo said: “The issue is that the party has taken a
decision on the issue of the presidency at the
National Executive Committee (NEC) and if they have
paid, the matter will be addressed, it is a disciplined
party,” Ojuogboh said.
He was however not emphatic whether the party
would refund the money back to Balewa and Duke-
Abiola.
Balewa and Duke-Abiola before they were denied the
presidential nomination forms, paid N22million
and N2million respectively paid into Zenith and
Diamond Banks respectively.
The PDP chieftain also expressed optimism that the
alleged boast of the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi
Amaechi at the 2015 polls does not intimidate the
party.
“Come May 29, 2015, I can assure you that Amaechi
will not be there to hand over, some people boasted in
Adamawa State, where are they?
“He has a home in Ghana, I am sure he is preparing
his home in Ghana,” he added.
Thisdaylive
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