The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience
Jonathan, on Saturday insisted that her husband would remain in office for
eight years to complete his two terms in office, despite the opposition.
Reports has it that Mrs. Jonathan,
said this during the
Peoples Democratic Party women rally, under the auspices of Women for Change
and Development Initiative, in Benin, Edo State. She was accompanied by
national and state leaders of the party. Women, drawn from different support
groups across the state had turned out for event as early as 9am. They,
however, began to leave the stadium at about 1.30pm, when Mrs. Jonathan arrived
at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, venue of the rally. Unable to bare the scorching
heat, two women fainted but were later revived by a medical team provided by
the party.
Addressing women, Mrs Jonathan explained why her husband
must stay in the office for another term. She was quoted as saying by The
Nation:
“Everybody is staying there for eight years. Now it’s our
turn. We must complete our eight years. It is a constitution of this country.
We will complete our two tenure and hand over.
“I am a peaceful person and I preach peace anywhere I go.
They are looking for fight, they are looking for war. They are troublesome
people. That is why they went and take expired drugs.
“Now they are crying. They are the people stoning people and
nobody talk. They are dragging stadium but me I am ready to go to the street
and do my campaign.
A mild drama ensued shortly before the First Lady’s
address, when two men, said to be aggrieved PDP youths, tore down some banners
bearing the image of the President’s wife. They were, however, whisked away by
some security operatives at the arena. Addressing the women, she said that the
presidency had been occupied for eight years by other geopolitical zone and
wondered why the South South should be denied the opportunity.
She also noted that the Jonathan administration had
performed creditably in various sectors, such as transport and education, and
by her assessment, was satisfactory. Mrs. Jonathan described the present
administration as a gender sensitive government, which had prioritised women
development through the appointment of several women in key positions, the
Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme and the YouWin initiative.
She stressed that re-electing of her husband was an
opportunity for Nigerian women to appreciate his good performance, adding that
the opposition party was not dependable and had nothing to offer.
Credit
Punch
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