(http://peoplesdailyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/President_Goodluck_Ebele_Jonathan.gif) (http://peoplesdailyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/President_Goodluck_Ebele_Jonathan.gif)By Lawrence Olaoye
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday tacitly advocated a two party system in the country while commending the opposition parties for coming together to form a formidable force against the ruling party saying such would stabilize the polity.
The President who lauded the creation of the PDP Governors' Form (PDPGF) chaired by the Akwa Ibom state governor, Barrister Godswill Akpabio, however declared that such merger cannot stop the ruling party from winning elections in 2015 and beyond.
Jonathan, while speaking at the PDP National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the party's secretariat said "One good thing that Nigerians should commend PDP now is that if you look at the evolution of political parties, it is now stable. Before, when elections are coming, by now you will be hearing about new parties being formed and at a time, the ballot paper was becoming too long; INEC was finding a way of deregistering parties.
"Because PDP has come on very strong, no matter that they are criticizing us, they know that we are very strong and they realize that what they need to do is not to form new parties but parties coming together. So, we are helping to stabilize the polity.
"We will encourage them to come together more. We want a situation where it is PDP versus one. In that case, the polity will be more stable. Even our members will be more loyal to the party because you will have nowhere to go.
"All this time, immediately we disagree in PDP, somebody is picking form in one PPP, DDD party and contesting House of Assembly or House of Reps or Senate. When we have only two, before you get there, they have already occupied that place. So, even if we disagree, we will agree at the end of the day and it will even help to build a stronger party.
"So, Nigerians should commend PDP. If PDP were weak, people wouldn't have gathered together. There wouldn't have been any reason for parties to come together to fight PDP. But when you have so many parties on their own, they know they cannot face us until they come together; then you know that we are formidable. And PDP will become stronger and no matter the gang up, I don't see how they can uproot the PDP."
Jonathan also observed that the number of states under the umbrella of the party at inception of democracy in 1999 has dwindled but urged the PDP stakeholders to ensure that the party builds on its current 23 states by 2015.
He also dismissed claim that the recent killings in Zamfara were done by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents insisting instead that ethnic intolerance was at the heart of the attack.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the PDPGF who pledged the body support to the party's leadership and the President said "The PDP Governors' Forum is therefore a new baby, a new organ and we are now reporting ourselves to NEC that we are now born and we are ready to serve. We have been serving, on behalf of my colleagues, I want to say we have come to NEC not just as governors individually, but we are now coming under the PDP Governors Forum."
Meanwhile, the PDP National Chairman,Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, lamented that internal communication has declined considerably in the party just as he wondered whether the apathy in party funding by critical stakeholders under his leadership was not meant to deliberately weaken his administration.
He however warned that internal wrangling, confrontation of the party leadership and overheating the polity because of inordinate ambition of some individuals would not be of any use to the development of the PDP.
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I don't think I like the idea of a two party system at all. I do not think it would make any sense. We prefer this Multi Party System.