Jonathan: North-West will shock Nigerians, says Shagari

….As NPLF decide on President this weekend

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Mukthar Shagari has said that the Northwest zone of the country will shock Nigerians as the people of the region will vote for President Goodluck Jonathan in the presidential elections next month.

Shagari in the same vein has said that members of the Mallam Adamu Ciroma led Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP would also abandon their opposition to the President.

Shagari spoke ahead of the decisive meeting of the NPLF this weekend when the group is expected to take a decision on supporting or strengthening its opposition to President Goodluck Jonathan in the forthcoming presidential election.

The meeting which has been put on hold on account of the absence of former Vice_President Atiku Abubakar out of the country was confirmed to have been put on track for this weekend when Atiku is expected to have returned to the country.

The meeting expected to be chaired by former President Ibrahim Babangida Vanguard learnt will take a definite decision on President Jonathan.

The Ciroma committee which had a breakthrough meeting with President Jonathan penultimate weekend was to have a follow up meeting of members where a decision on Jonathan was to be taken. That meeting was put on hold following the inability to articulate and present the report of a joint committee of the President and the NPLF constituted to harmonise the issues between the President and the Northern elders.

Ahead of the meeting, Shagari has predicted that Ciroma and other northern elders who helped in nuruturing the PDP would not desert the party.

“Admau Ciroma is a founding member of the PDP and he is a respected member of the PDP and I believe that at the end of the day he will support the party,” Shagari said.

“I believe that they are members of the PDP and that they would support the candidate put forward by the PDP,” he reiterated.

“I do not expect somebody who is in the CPC to support the President. But we are saying that those northerners who are bona fide members of the PDP especially those who are founding members of the PDP should come out to support the candidature of Mr. President and I am also saying that in the Northwest we are very, very confident that by the grace of God and from the work that we have been doing, the consultations that we have been doing and the unity of the party in the Northwest that Mr. President will win the Northwest by the grace of God.”

Affirming that the Northwest would shock the rest of Nigeria with its overwhelming vote for the President, Shagari said:

“As far as I am concerned we are solidly and strongly on ground in the Northwest. We are solidly, solidly on ground in the Northwest and the people of the Northwest will surprise Nigerians or surprise those who are saying that Jonathan cannot win the Northwest.”

Affirming the unity of the PDP in the region, he said.

“PDP is not divided anywhere in the northwest on the contrary it is actually of the CPC that is divided because of the way they conducted themselves. The PDP is solidly untied and strong and making extensive consultations to win the elections in the whole of the Northwest.”

“There is simply no doubt about it that the Northwest is very important bearing in mind the number of votes we registered, but all I am saying is that the PDP is very strong and solidly on ground and we are working so hard and making extensive consultations with people on ground and so on and I have this confidence that Mr. President will carry the Northwest.”

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