by Isiaka Wakili
President Goodluck Jonathan said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had in the last 15 years created many millionaires and billionaires in the country.
He made the remark at the PDP Fund Raising Dinner for his re-election at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Saturday night. About N21.27 billion was realized at the dinner.
The president said: “This party, as you all know, is a business-friendly party. The government of PDP encourages policies and will come up with programmes and policies that will promote enterprise and industry. We believe we must encourage commercial activities. And within this period that the PDP has been ruling, we’ve actually created a number of millionaires and billionaires.”
- SEE: NewsRescue– Nigeria’s Corruption Machine Fights Back As Cabal Donates 21 Billion To Battle “Integrity” Candidates of Poor Masses
Jonathan used the occasion to appeal to all aspirants of the party aggrieved by the conduct of its primaries nationwide not to dump the party.
Many of the party’s aspirants have defected to other parties and others threatened to either do same or work against the PDP during the 2015 general elections. They are all alleging irregularities and imposition of candidates at the primaries.
Some of the aggrieved aspirants included former PDP National Chairman Barnabas Gemade and ex-Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Sam Ortom who have joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing to get the PDP’s senatorial and gubernatorial tickets respectively in Benue State. Also, former Oyo State Governor Alao Akala had left the PDP for Labour Party, for failing to clinch the party’s gubernatorial ticket for the 2015 poll.
But President Jonathan urged all aggrieved aspirants to remain in the PDP, saying the leadership of the party was striving hard to resolve the grievances.
The president, however, noted that all the cases might not be resolved to the satisfaction of affected aspirants, saying the PDP would be guided by the issues raised when preparing for the 2019 primary elections.
He said the PDP would continue to keep Nigeria one and his administration would formulate policies that promote enterprises and industries.
