JUST IN: PDP Rep Caucus Endorse President Jonathan For Second Term; As Speaker Tambuwal Shuns Presidential Villa Meeting

President Goodluck Jonathan
via Nigeria Tribune:
The Peoples Democratic
Party caucus in the House
of Representatives late
Monday [July 14] night
passed a vote-of-
confidence on President
Goodluck Jonathan and
endorsed him for a
second term in office. This
was disclosed to State
House correspondents by
House Leader, Mrs.
Mulikat Adeola-Akande,
at the end of a meeting
with Jonathan with most
of the PDP governors also
in attendance.
However, Speaker of the
House of Representatives,
Aminu Tambuwal, was
not at the meeting which
took place in the new
Banquet Hall of the
Presidential Villa Abuja
but the House members
were instead led in by the
Deputy Speaker of the
House, Hon. Emeka
Ihedioha.
According to Adeola-
Akande, "We are PDP
caucus of the House of
Representatives. A
meeting like this is not
strange because we met
with the President who is
our party leader. We
deliberated on issues
affecting our party”. "The
House caucus on our own
decided to pass a vote-
of-confidence on Mr.
President and also
endorse him for second
term."
When asked whether the
President accepted the
endorsement, she simply
said, "We did the
endorsement and we are
urging him to run for
second term”. On why
Tambuwal was not at the
meeting, the House
Leader said the Speaker
should speak for himself.
She added: "I am sure
when you see Mr.
Speaker, you will ask him,
this is a PDP meeting,
obviously he will have his
reasons why he was not
at the meeting."
She revealed that security
issues were also
discussed, noting that
participants commended
Jonathan for ongoing
efforts to curtail
insurgents activities in
parts of the country. The
meeting was apparently
called by Jonathan to kick
started his consultation
ahead of a possible
declaration to run in the
2015 presidential election.
The meeting which took
place behind closed doors
started at 10pm after the
arrival of the law makers
to the Presidential Villa in
a bus. Some Senators that
had arrived for the
meeting were turned back
on the ground that they
had been invited in error.
They had been led by
Senate President, David
Mark.
However, they were told
that a different meeting
with them would be
scheduled for another
date.
Present at the meeting
were National Chairman of
the PDP, Adamu Muazu,
chairman of the PDP
Governors Forum,
Godswill Akpabio of Akwa
Ibom State and the
party's Deputy National
Chairman, Uche
Secondus. The governors
present included Chief
Theodore Orji (Abia),
Sullivan Chime (Enugu),
Martin Elechi (Ebonyi),
Sule Lamido (Jigawa),
Seriake Dickson
(Bayelsa), Gabriel
Suswam (Benue), Saidu
Dakingari (Kebbi), Isa
Yuguda (Bauchi), Ibrahim
Shema (Katsina), Ibrahim
Dankwambo (Gombe),
Liyel Imoke (Cross River)
and Emmanuel Uduaghan
(Delta).
Four other governors were
represented by their
deputies.