After months of subjecting Nigerians to speculations over his second term bid, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday accepted his nomination by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its sole candidate for the 2015 presidential election.
Accordingly, the president, who set between November 7 and 15, 2014, for his formal declaration, also set up a declaration committee to be chaired by former defence minister, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed.
Jonathan made his intention known while presiding over a meeting of party stakeholders, including PDP governors and the party leadership, at the Presidential Villa.
National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh said that the adoption of Jonathan as the PDP sole candidate by its National Executive Committee (NEC) last month did not exclude the president from buying a nomination form.
According to Metuh, there was no way anybody could be adopted as a presidential candidate during the December 6, 2014 national convention without having formally purchased a nomination form to that effect.
“The constitution of the party stipulates that there will be a national convention where decisions or memos from the national executives will either be approved or rejected and there is no way that you can go to a presidential election and say you are adopting or electing someone who has not bought a form. The 30th of October for purchase of forms will not be extended and it is applicable to all candidates.
“The NWC today (Wednesday) decided that the issue of the closing date for the collection of the nomination forms cannot be extended. It will not be extended beyond 6:00 p.m. of the 30th of October, 2014. No party member can obtain forms for our congress and convention 2014 after the deadline. The last date is 30th of October and it will not be extended,” Metuh added.
Credit: The Guardian
