The Peoples Democratic Party said on Thursday that President Goodluck Jonathan would return to office in 2015.
The party spoke through its National Woman Leader, Chief Kema Chikwe, in Abuja.
Chikwe, a member of the National Working Committee of the party, spoke at the presentation of the ‘PDP Women-In-Power 2013 Calendar’.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, and the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, were present at the event.
Chikwe said when the President returns to office in 2015, he would be able to satisfy the women more by appointing them into several government positions.
She said, “We need to start moving fast to prepare women for future elections. Until we elect 35 per cent or more of women in the legislature, the impact of our progress will not be complete.
“We know of course that next dispensation will attract possibly PDP female governors and more deputy governors. We are even more confident that when President Goodluck Jonathan returns in 2015, women would be talking about 50 per cent and not 35 per cent.”
She said the party was proud of all its governors, adding that all of them had performed well to the satisfaction of the leadership of the party.
Chikwe, who was a former Minister of Aviation, also praised the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, who she described as being committed to the transformation of the country.
In her speech, the President’s wife defended the budget of N4bn budget allocation to the building of Africa First Ladies Mission office complex in Abuja as contained in the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s N253bn for 2013.
Opposition political parties and civil society groups had condemned the budget, saying that the Federal Government ought not to finance any non-governmental organisation.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, had also condemned the budget.
But the wife of the President disagreed, saying the Mission did not belong to her and that she would not take it away when she ceases from occupying the office of the First Lady in Nigeria.
She gave instances of wives of former Nigeria rulers, who had occupied the office before and left some buildings behind for the country.
She said, “The wife of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Maryam, built the National Women Centre while the wife of Gen. Sani Abacha, Maryam, also built the National Hospital. None of them left with the buildings.
“I am not the owner of the AFLM and when I leave, I will not take it away. It is not a pet project of anyone.”
The President’s wife said there was a lot of noise on the project because it did not belong to men.
Meanwhile, the Founder and President of the Odua People’s Congress, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, has said Jonathan has the democratic right to vie for a second term in office come 2015.
Fasehun led a group of prominent Yoruba leaders on a courtesy visit to the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, to suggest vital solutions to the recurrent problem of pipeline vandalism and theft of petroleum products in the South-West, in Abuja on Thursday.
He urged Nigerians to give the President the opportunity to express his democratic rights by contesting in the next election.
He said it should be the prerogative of the Nigerian voter to decide to give the President a second chance if he was adjudged to have brought about peace and the desired progress in the society.
Fasehun said, “We fought for democracy, and democracy is a pervasive commitment and the President has his democratic right to enjoy. I think Nigerians should allow him to enjoy his democratic rights by standing election in 2015.
“I agree that he should be allowed to enjoy his democratic rights and if Nigerians think he has brought peace, he has encouraged growth and progress, they should give him another chance to continue.”
-Punch