PDP Caucus Leader in the House of Representatives, Fred Agbedi, has said the party will unveil former President Goodluck Jonathan to Nigeria in due time through a carefully guided process, describing it as a spectacular and different approach.
Speaking on Arise News from 9:38, Agbedi said this while defending the way PDP is handling Jonathan’s nomination, saying the party is not rushing the process because Jonathan is a former president and an icon of democracy.
He argued that the way other parties introduce their candidates cannot be the same for someone of Jonathan’s stature. He maintained that the PDP has deliberately adopted a process to bring Jonathan back on its platform and that issuing the certificate of return and other affirmation steps are part of that guided procedure.
Agbedi also condemned what he called a well-orchestrated action to frustrate the PDP’s convention in Abuja. He said the PDP is one of the oldest parties in the Fourth Republic and played a central role in shaping Nigeria’s democracy.
He emphasized that targeting PDP reduces the competitive space required in a democracy. He accused the government of pitching the party against the police and thugs, asking why Jonathan should have exposed himself to harassment at the PDP venue that was under siege.
He dismissed suggestions that Jonathan was hiding behind others, saying the former president is not silent or in hiding but that the party is managing his unveiling differently. Agbedi said Nigerians should expect the PDP to formally present Jonathan at the appropriate time.
In his words, “I’ve said this before; when finally the party unveils Jonathan, all these issues of affirmation as sole candidate of the party and all these issues of transmission of certificate of return to the former president are all the processes.”
“The party will eventually unveil Jonathan, who had been president, who is an icon of democracy. The former president, who is an icon of democracy, will be unveiled to Nigeria. We are doing a spectacular and different thing. Not the way you used to know it.”
“And that’s why sometimes you and other Nigerians are worried that Jonathan is not speaking. Jonathan is not hiding. He’s hiding.”….Read_More…