Goodluck expresses fear that incoming APC government may persecute PDP ministers

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has expressed fears that several of his ministers and aides will be prosecuted and persecuted by the incoming All Progressives Congress (APC) government when General Muhammadu Buhari assumes office on May 29.

 

Following the victory of the APC in the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections, President Jonathan and his People's Democratic Party (PDP) will leave office at the end of the month. With General Buhari having contested and won on a platform to eradicate corruption, there are now fears that several PDP heads will roll once investigations begin.

 

Since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, the PDP have been in office and several ministers and party chieftains have grown wealthy as a result. Yesterday, during a thanksgiving and farewell service organised in his honour at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Abuja, President Jonathan said he believes that the APC may mount a witch hunt against the PDP.

 

Speaking during the sermon, President Jonathan told the congregation that he understood clearly that hard decisions had their own cost and was therefore ready to pay any price for them He  said that experience had shown him that people would at a time desert anybody who took hard decisions like he did while in office.

 

President Jonathan added that he had always believed that more of his friends would desert him after May 29. He recalled the story of the last ruler of apartheid South Africa, Frederick de Klerk, who was divorced by his wife for accepting to abolish minority rule in the country and jokingly pointed out that he hoped his wife, Patience, would not do likewise.

 

Mrs Jonathan, who on March 16 declared that she was not ready to feed her husband in prison, replied with a shout of No.  Her response was greeted with a loud applause by congregation members.

 

President Jonathan said: “I believe there are reasons for everything. Some hard decisions have their own cost and there is no doubt about that.

 

“That I have run the government this way that stabilised certain things, the electoral process and other things that brought stability to this country. They are very costly decisions which I must be ready to pay for."

 

He added that if you take certain decisions, you should know that those close to you will even abandon you at some point. President Jonathan, however, said he was happy that ordinary Nigerians appreciated what he did, which is most important.