Jonathan advocates capable persons for PDP Chairman, Spokesman

Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has advocated the imperatives of electing capable persons at the December National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into two critical offices which he identified as the National Chairman and national Publicity Secretary of the party.

Receiving a chairmanship aspirant, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, at his residence in Abuja, Jonathan cautioned that PDP members must ensure that the right people are elected for two “very delicate positions”.

The former President declared: “This time around, we need a very courageous and vocal person to be the chairman. There are two positions that we must not make mistake on – the positions of the national chairman and that of the national publicity secretary, because I have worn the shoes before and I know where it pinches.

“If we make a mistake as a party and elect a wrong chairman and publicity secretary, we are finished.”

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The former President prescribed the kind of chairman the PDP needs. He recommended that the PDP chairman must be:

• courageous,
• vocal,
• competent,
• a team player,
• somebody who will not negotiate to get money from the aspirants to make them candidates.

According the him, “This is key so that by 2019 when we go for the general elections, the PDP will have majority in the states’ Houses and National Assembly and of course, the PDP must win the Presidency.“

Remarking that the December convention would be keenly contested, Jonathan admonished the chairmanship aspirants to see the exercise as a family affair, thus, be willing to accept the outcome and support the emergent leadership.