The formal declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan’s intention to contest in the 2015 General elections has been scheduled for 11th November, Dr. Haliru Bello, chairman of the presidential declaration committee has revealed.
Haliru made the revelation on Friday, while speaking to journalists after at the committee’s inaugural meeting at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa.
Haliru assured newsmen that the venue of the formal declaration would be decided at the next meeting of the committee.
Haliru revealed further that Jonathan gave the committee a task to organise the modality of creating a platform for him to meet Nigerians and announce his response to the various calls for him to come out and declare his interest in the presidential election.
He noted that Jonathan has not said anything yet but, he is receiving calls from every angle pressuring him to go ahead and contest.
“It is like all Nigerians have called on him,” Haliru said.
“It is our honest hope that he will come out and say yes to the demand of Nigerians. We expect he will say yes but we cannot say yes for him. We will wait for him to speak.
“The date that is fixed is Tuesday, 11th November. On that day, there will be a forum for the president to meet Nigerians to announce his decision. The venue is yet to be decided. That will be decided at our next meeting. When we come out on 11th November, the president will face the people of Nigeria and say yes to their demand.”
He emphasised that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in all its organs, from the caucus to the Board of Trustees, National Working Committee have decided that Jonathan should be given the first option of refusal with the PDP ticket.
“If he is going to contest, the PDP will give him preference. As the president, he has performed and we are satisfied with what he has done” Haliru said.
Also speaking with state House Correspondents, the Governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema said sub-committees were set up during the inaugural meeting.
Some of the sub-committees set up yesterday he said, include secretariat, venue and decoration, media and publicity, security, protocol and mobilisation. He expressed the hope that the committee would come up with enough preparations that would ensure a hitch-free declaration.
Hajiya Zainab Maina, minister of women affairs, also expressed confidence that Nigerian women would troop out in large number to support Jonathan’s re-election bid.
