2015: Gana assures Jonathan of Middle Belt support, says PDP defectors should lose their offices

The Middle Belt Forum of Nigeria, Saturday promised to back the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan whenever he declares his intention to run.
Chairman of the forum, Prof. Jerry Gana, made this known at a one-day sensitisation workshop on A Minority Interest Rights Project organised by a Jos-based human rights organisation, Stefanos Foundation, held at Jossy Royal Hotel, Bukuru, Jos South.
“When he (the President) declares, we will be very willing, but we will not go ahead of him because it is extremely important in democracy,” he said.
“We are ready but we want to hear from Mr. President. Once he does that, the leaders (of the Middle Belt) will meet, and we will let our people know. I know that we will do it again. We are not promoters; we are strong supporters.”
Commenting on the President’s delay in declaring his alleged ambition, Gana explained that, “We have a tradition that now becomes something that is enshrined. Democracy is not just about elections. When you elect a government, you should have a period to perform, to do the work, deliver excellent work in terms of various needs of development.
“We advise them and is very correct that look, work for the people at least for two to three years before you now announce.
“Democracy is not just about elections, no; democracy is about development, good governance, delivery of excellent services for our people, good roads, good education, good economy, everything. So, he is working and at the right time, he will announce.”
“If he doesn’t create that tradition, people will be worried. They will say, you win election today, you haven’t done anything yet, tomorrow you want to announce for the next one. I think we should salute him for his wisdom in saying, ‘look, Nigerians, you have elected me. Let me serve you. At the end of that two, three years of service, I will now announce whether I am standing or not.’ It is appropriate.”
Speaking further, he debunked reports that the ruling party is jittery of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the country approaches the general elections.
“Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have actually promoted that; we are not afraid of it. We have been very convinced about it, that democracy will be deeper and better if there is a real challenge. Over the last 14 years, the PDP really has physically dominated the political scene.

“Now there is a good challenge and the most democracies of the world that are good, usually you have essentially two parties. In Britain, Labour and Conservative. In the US, the Republican and the Democrats. In most of the solid democracies, the choices before the people will be clear.
“This is a development, so, we are not in any way threatened. Now, before Nigerians, there will be the PDP and APC and the difference is clear. So, we are not threatened at all.”
On defection of PDP elected officials to the opposition, he stated that such persons have automatically lost the mandate given to them by the people constitutionally.
“In terms of the constitution, because you can’t be an independent candidate, therefore you are elected on the platform of the party. Nobody is elected on the platform of your name. So, when you voted, you voted either PDP or whatever party. So, there is a mandate.
“If you are given a mandate as a Governor, or given a mandate as a Senator or given a mandate as a member of the House of Representatives, the constitution says if you are changing that platform, you have lost that mandate, unless the party you are coming from is divided and that group is merging with another.”
He continued: “Virtually in this case, the PDP after the convention, both the INEC and a High Court of Nigeria declared that there is no division in the PDP. The PDP is just one. So, there is no division. So, anyone who leaves now should have the courage of their conviction to say, ‘look, I am leaving this party and the mandate.’ Why are they afraid to leave the mandate?
“Let us go back to the people. If they defect, fine. Let us go back to the people. Let the people decide. You no like am? But you like our mandate. No, no, that is cheating.”
He further commented on the planned national conference, saying “All ethnic nationalities should be heard on how they want to live in Nigeria. Let all Nigerians be heard. Let all the ethnic nationalities be represented at the conference so that we hear them, so that at the end of the day we will now agree, how we are going to live together peacefully under our democracy. We have already decided on democracy.”
In his remark, the coordinator of Stefanos Foundation, Mr. Mark Lipdo, thanked all resource persons and participants, drawn from Adamawa, Taraba, Kwara, Benue, Yobe, Niger, Bauchi, Kogi, Kaduna, Abuja, Nasarawa, Borno, Gombe, Plateau and Kebbi States.
Other dignitaries at the event include Mrs. Sarah Jibril, Dr. Bala Takaya, the Head of Department of English, University of Jos, Prof. Isaac Lar, who represented the chairman of the occasion, among others.