PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has cautioned politicians against "politics of bitterness," saying it negates all acceptable norms in any ideal democratic setting.
Jonathan gave the admonition in Lagos yesterday during the launch of his presidential campaign at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS). The President said the state is too important to the PDP, noting that the state is being deprived of the huge benefit of being in mainstream politics.
He vowed to do all within his power to ensure that the PDP wins the Lagos governorship seat at the April polls, saying that his good intentions for Nigeria would be better realised if Lagos joins "the PDP family."
The rally was attended by 12 PDP governors, ministers and party leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
"We have shown interest in Lagos because we want a change in Lagos. We want to stimulate commerce and industry in Lagos. We are not deceiving anybody, what we say we will do is what we will do. I visit Lagos more than any other state in the country. Lagos is unique for two reasons: One of the reasons is because of its population and the other is because of its cosmopolitan nature," Jonathan said.
The rally was electrified when Obasanjo mounted the podium and displayed his usual comical gesture.
He said Jonathan should be rest assured that immediately he stepped on the podium, which his late predecessor mounted almost four years ago and won the presidency, "victory is assured. All I needed to do is to congratulate you."
The President, who received royal blessing from the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, when he visited the monarch, said he was ready to work with all Nigerians irrespective of their party affiliations to make the nation great.
Akiolu, who had kind words for the President, said: "You are a man of your words and your star is bright. I wish you well."
The ruler recalled with nostalgia how Jonathan led the presidential campaign team to Lagos as running mate of the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in 2007.
According to Akiolu, "that day you were sitting with other party members there (pointing), and I invited you to come and sit by my throne. I saw your shining star then. It is still shining and God will not allow it to go dim. The Almighty God will see you through."
Oba Akiolu lauded Jonathan for his promise of free and fair elections, stating that it is important to let all votes count.
He assured the President of the commitment of the people of Lagos to the electoral process, noting that they know who to vote in as president and who to vote in as governor.
Earlier, Jonathan had said he was committed to politics without bitterness. "Political parties are only platforms of political expression. The goal is development and once we are all committed to that goal, we do not need to quarrel."
The President said his commitment is to Nigeria as an indivisible entity. "Being at the centre, therefore, I am ready to work with everyone to bring progress to the whole of Nigeria."
Jonathan maintained that though Nigeria's past leaders did well within the context of the challenges of the time, "it is time to turn the page, and lead the country to a great new dawn."
He, therefore, called on the people of Lagos to join him "to build the new Nigeria we all yearn for."
Jonathan said he had directed the minister of works to immediately start the repair of the road leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Other speakers at the rally included Vice President Namadi Sambo, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki, and the Lagos PDP governorship candidate, Ade Dosunmu
Sambo described Lagos as "the home for all Nigerians," saying "whenever I am in Lagos, I feel at home because I lived and worked in Lagos. A vote for Jonathan is a vote for transformation. Mr. President stands for transformation. Mr. President's policy on education stands out."
Saraki said "we have 12 governors in this place. This has not happened in any state where we have held our rally. It is because we love Lagos and we want to win Lagos."
Dimeji, who devoted his time to singing local tunes with Sunny Ade, a Juju musician, who entertained the crowd, simply said "we will give you cover, go on and ensure PDP victory in Lagos."
The President's visit brought vehicular movement to a standstill in routes linking various parts of Lagos Mainland to the Third Mainland Bridge.
To ease the traffic congestion, security personnel had to free the Oshodi-Oworonshoki Highway connecting Murtala Muhammad Airport 30 minutes to the arrival of the President but this had no serious impact on the situation.
Motorists on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway were the worst affected as upcoming vehicles were barred from moving beyond Charity Bus Stop, Oshodi where it links Airport Road, thereby leading to a gridlock that extended to the Mile 2 axis.
Attempts to restrict the movement of commuters on the route led to mild confrontations with security operatives, which continued until the President's convoy was sighted. Immediately, attention shifted to Jonathan, who waved at the crowd.
Meanwhile, hundreds of security operatives have been deployed in Akure ahead of the presidential campaign train of the PDP, which berths in Ondo and Ekiti states today.
Also, thousands of PDP supporters drawn from other states in the South-West have started arriving Akure where the campaign rally would take off at noon after an earlier one at Ado-Ekiti.
The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ondo State and a member of the Presidential Campaign Committee of the Goodluck/Sambo ticket in the South-West, Adeyemi Adedipe, said the rally would showcase the strength of the party in the state, which it lost to the Labour Party (LP) two years ago.
Former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, yesterday told journalists that Jonathan would arrive in Osun State tomorrow in furtherance of his South-West presidential campaign. He said the mother of all rallies would be held for him to prove that the PDP is still firmly on ground despite the loss of political power to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
On Monday, Jonathan pledged to revolutionise the agricultural sector in the North through the development of the livestock and irrigation schemes in the Lake Chad Basin area.
Jonathan told a mammoth crowd of PDP supporters at the August 27th Stadium, Damaturu, during his campaign tour of Yobe and Borno states that, "I am not going to discriminate against any party, religion or ethnic groups in building a united new Nigeria that could place this nation among the top 20 developed countries in the next decade."
He said to achieve goal of checking poverty, unemployment and insecurity in the country, the people must co-operate and work hard for the creation of more wealth and jobs for the youths.
Thanking the people of Yobe State for supporting his administration, the President said: "We are going to revolutionise the agricultural sector with the development of the livestock sector with mechanised and semi-mechanised agriculture," stating that Yobe State provides more than 50 per cent of the nation's meat requirements. By next year "a federal university is also to be established here as part of efforts aimed at addressing the problems of tertiary education in the state."
While in Borno State, the President said: "Let me assure the people of this great state, and all Nigerians that this year's general elections will be free and fair. Nobody in the name of the President or Vice President should be allowed to frighten you while casting your votes at the polls in electing your leaders."
He told PDP supporters at Ramat Square that for the country to have credible polls, all residents must come out en masse and cast their votes and wait for the election results to be announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before leaving their respective polling booths.
The electorate, he insisted, must protect their votes at the polling booths so that no candidate or party agent can manipulate the process in their favour.
Source: Why PDP must take over Lagos, by Jonathan (http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40247:why-pdp-must-take-over-lagos-by-jonathan&catid=1:national&Itemid=559)