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2015 Elections Will Hold Nationwide – President Jonathan Promises

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Despite the security challenges facing the nation especially in the North-east, President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that elections will hold all over the country come 2015.

In this regard, he said his administration was putting all security measures in place to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct violent-free elections across the country.

Jonathan made the pronouncement on Thursday morning in his acceptance speech during the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where 3,000 delegates from the 36 states of the federation converged on Abuja to ratify his candidature as the party’s presidential standard-bearer.

“It is encouraging that the security situation is improving, and by the grace of God, elections will be conducted in all states of the federation.

“I call on all Nigerians, irrespective of party or belief, to join me in this fight against insurgency and terror. We must be united. Bickering and quarrels only serve to send the wrong signals to terrorists and insurgents that we are divided in this fight.
“More importantly, it can also demoralise our dedicated and brave armed forces. This would be wrong. For this reason, we must remain united,” he said.

To forestall the doomsday prediction in some quarters of violent elections in 2015, Jonathan called on Nigerians to be vigilant and avoid unruly behaviour.

“The experience in many countries shows that there may be a tendency for the escalation of violence in an election year. We must not succumb to blackmail. We must be vigilant – every one of us. Only by united action, can we defeat terrorism,” the president said.

Accepting his nomination as standard-bearer of the PDP for the presidential election, Jonathan said: “I once more accept the challenge to serve our party and nation. I will continue the work we have begun with the Transformation Agenda.

“I will work to secure Nigeria’s future. I will serve with humility and moderation, with simplicity and forthrightness; with openness and inclusiveness; and with firmness and strength. I urge all Nigerians to support me, to finish what we started together.”

According to the president, “It is imperative to secure the future of Nigerians by building the nation, rather than destroy it.

“The choice before Nigerians in the coming election is simple: A choice between going forward or going backwards; between the new ways and the old ways; between freedom and repression; between a record of visible achievements and beneficial reforms – and desperate power-seekers with empty promises.

“Our systematic efforts have been acknowledged and we will do more in the coming years. Corruption degrades development; we will continue this fight, without compromise.”

He added that his administration and the PDP in 16 states had recorded successes in the agriculture, security and judiciary, telecommunications, the economy and infrastructure development.

The president further promised to tackle corruption headlong and the grievances of members of the party in the just concluded party primaries.

He called on members of the PDP to take the campaign of the party to every Nigerian, every home and every community, adding: “We will campaign in peace; we will campaign with hope in our hearts; we will campaign on the facts and the truth; we will campaign with issues and ideas; we will campaign on our record of performance; we will campaign to win.”

Jonathan also announced his deputy, Namadi Sambo as his vice presidential running mate in the 2015 presidential election.
The announcement has brought to an end speculations that the president would drop the vice-president and choose a new vice presidential candidate.

He chose Sambo, who was Kaduna State governor in 2010, as the vice president after the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua and his subsequent assumption of office as president.
In his speech, the president, who described Sambo as, “loyal and humble”, said he would run with him in the 2015 presidential election.

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