2023 presidency: ‘Jonathan free to contest PDP’s ticket’

Jonathan was the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2015 general election.

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said former President Goodluck Jonathan is free to contest the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 general election.

Secondus, who had an interactive session with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja on the occasion of his three years in office as head of the current National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, said the party was yet to reach any resolution on zoning.

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He explained that the party was waiting for the report of the Post 2019 Election Review Committee led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, to ascertain what led to the party’s defeat before it would reach any decision on zoning.

All Progressives Congress (APC) governors recently met with the former President at his residence in Abuja on the occasion of his birthday, but political analysts say the meeting had a political undertone.

Jonathan was the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2015 general election, but he lost to candidate of the then opposition party, the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari, thus, ending the reign of PDP at 16 years.

Secondus had cautioned APC leaders to stop approaching their members to defect, saying what should bother them most should be how to provide security of lives and property, improve the nation’s economy and deliver good governance to the people.

“I stand by my position that the Governor Bala led committee is still working.

“They are coming out with a report on why we lost and by the time they finish, we will take decisions and the decision is not for the National Working Committee (NWC) but for the entirety of our party.

“And I believe that whoever that is interested in the 2023, maybe including the former President (Jonathan), the chances are there because the PDP is a party of all.

“You can’t be talking of ticket when the country is in a bad shape and I think we should face that fact first and press the people in government to do better, to secure us and better the economic agenda for the good of the people.

“We are not going to talk about who will or will not get the ticket now.

“Everybody will have that opportunity but in clear terms, we have not taken any decision to give anybody ticket for now,” Secondus said.

Reacting to a question on why the PDP has not mobilised lawmakers to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari, despite the party’s consistent outcry over how the present government is run, Secondus said: “You are aware that just last week, the House of Representatives moved a motion for impeachment and you can find out those who killed that motion for impeachment.”

“We are strong, we are very constructive and we are moving ahead and of course, you know that in 2019 election we won the election, but the story is for another day because if you had supported, it could have been something else,” he added.

Speaking on what the PDP would do differently in the areas of security and economy if it reclaimed power in 2023, Secondus said: “We will come out with new digital security architecture for the country because security of lives and property is very important first, before we talk about even the economy.”

“If the place is not safe, foreign investors will not come to invest.

“So, we will make life safe here in Nigeria for foreigners to come and invest. ”

He announced that the party’s e-membership registration would commence in 2021.