Mantu: Jonathan To Declare For Presidency Soon

Incumbent President Good Jonathan would soon be declared  the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential flag-bearer in next year’s elections,  former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu has said.

According to a report on Ekekeee.com, Mantu, who currently chairs the Elders’ Council for the Jonathan re-election lobby group, made the disclosure on Tuesday, 19 August, 2014, at the inauguration ceremony of the 36 state officers of the Goodluck Development Foundation (GDF).

The former Nigerian deputy senate president also stated that the numerous support groups urging President Jonathan to run again are being streamlined to forge a united front.

“We are currently looking at ways to prune down the number of the support groups. As soon as the president declares his intention to run, the approved support groups will be given the mandate to canvass for support for the re-election of Jonathan in the 2015 election,” Mantu said.

Mantu condemned those blaming President Jonathan for the worsening insecurity situation gripping the country, saying that, “Some of these politicians who have threatened to make the country ungovernable will go somewhere to throw bombs and come back to say President Jonathan is not able to give us security. The same people go on to wear insurgents Fulani clothes to go and attack villages in the name of Fulani herdsmen, all with the intention of fueling crisis and insecurity.

“But these people should realize that if the insecurity impairs the smooth conduct of the 2015 general election, President Jonathan will be the beneficiary just as he would have still emerged victorious if the election is held.

“President Jonathan’s demeanor should not deceive people and make them to think that he does not know what he is doing, whereas from his actions, the President has shown that he has rich stock of knowledge and poise to drive the country to greater heights.”

Less than seven months before Nigerians go to the polls to elect it president, the two major political parties in the country, the PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, are yet to announce their candidate for the election.

Though it has been rumoured that President Jonathan would re-contest for the presidency on the platform of the PDP but Jonathan has continued to say that at the right time he would announce his decision whether to contest or not.

For the APC, it is everybody’s guess on who will be the candidate of the party come next year’s presidential election as many bigwigs in the party have come out recently to announce their ambitions for the presidency.

Some of the APC members who have been reported to be nursing the ambition to rule Nigeria come 2015 are former Head of State, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice-President, Abubakar Atiku, incumbent Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwamkwaso.