Ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, while receiving a delegation of former speakers of the state house of Assembly enacted on the PDP platform, stated that he’ll soon reveal why PDP lost the 2015 election.
He also said there should be a constitution’s review in its state and local government primaries, so as to avoid a crisis over the outcome of the party’s elections or conventions.
Jonathan said there was need for cooperation and eradication of Godfatherism in the elections while encouraging the party to work out modalities in which choice or number of delegates could not be influenced.
He suggested that those who had served at certain levels, including governorship, ministerial, parliamentarian positions should be statutory delegates.
He said, “I believe the next constitutional amendment should advocate for that area to be properly examined.
“From my own experience, if that area is strengthened, the party will be okay and nobody will complain at the end of primaries.
“If you lose, you lose gallantly and you support the person that wins.”
On war against corruption, the former president advised PDP members not to be intimidated.
“There are stories of corruption. I say this will always be there because if you read the statement of the organizers of the first military coup, their statement was attributed to corruption.
“After that, all other coup plots were always targeted at corruption. It will continue to be but one day we will get out of it. Most nations passed through this stage of life.
“The only thing I plead of you is not to politicise certain basic things. Issues of corruption, yes, it is worrisome, and nobody will encourage it.
“The society must come up with reform to reduce it if you cannot eliminate it totally. No Society is 100 per cent free of some of these vices but the approach you adopt about it is key.
“You may approach it in a way that it will become detrimental to the society. It should be done in a way that will enhance the development of the nation.
“So we encourage people to do well,” he said. Jonathan also said that in due time, he would state his position on why PDP lost in the 2015 general elections.
“PDP is still the strongest party. We know the reason why we lost in the elections.
“People may be writing left and right, but at the appropriate time, some of these things will be properly addressed because of history.
“There are certain things you don’t write now because it will be misunderstood as if you are playing politics. “After some years, five, six or eight years, when the beneficiaries have left, you can state it in writing and people will not fight with you.”
He encouraged the former speakers to continue with the party unlike those playing “politics of the stomach”, defecting to other parties.
He said that PDP did well during the 16 years it was in power, by the number of reforms it introduced and implemented.
The former president commended the forum members for coming together to form such association, saying that they were important in the strategy of PDP reclaiming power in 2019. Earlier, Chairman of the forum.