Goodluck promises to bounce back and rebuild PDP after taking a long holiday abroad

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has told the national working committee (NWC) of his People's Democratic Party (PDP) that he will bounce back to lead the party to victory in 2019 after taking a short break outside the country with his family.

 

Getting set to vacate the presidential villa on May 29 following his recent loss to General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Jonathan said he plans to take a holiday. Addressing the NWC in Abuja yesterday, the president urged the leadership, stakeholders, elders and members of the PDP to put the defeat the party suffered during the March 28 presidential election behind them.

 

President Jonathan, who did not actually blame the leadership of the party for his loss, was said to have heaped the blames on some of his very close aides. Apparently, he told the NWC members that a special adviser from the north did not even vote on the day of presidential elections.

 

During the meeting, President Jonathan thanked members of the NWC for their support, pointing out that he would travel outside the country with his family to rest, recuperate and then come back to politics later. He also warned the leadership of the party against apportioning blame urging them to ensure that the PDP does not disintegrate because of the loss.

Yesterday's meeting was held behind closed doors at the presidential villa with the aim of ending the lingering crisis in the party after the general elections where some PDP governors, party leaders, stakeholders and members have been calling for the sack of the present NWC under party chairman Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. The PDP, which controlled the presidency and the National Assembly for 16 years since 1999, not only lost control of both but was also defeated in its traditional states like Plateau, Niger, Kaduna, Benue, Bauchi and Jigawa.