JONATHAN, WIFE TO MAKE FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE AT DICKSON’S DECLARATION …Mimiko leads 12 PDP Govs to the occasion
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Former Nigeria President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Dame are expected to make their first public appearance after leaving Aso Rock on Tuesday at the formal declaration of Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson for the second term in office.
Also, Ondo State governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, will lead 12 other governors to the occasion.
Sources said, the governors who are mainly those of the PDP extraction, will arrive in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Monday to hold a crucial meeting of the PDP Governors scheduled to take place in the Government House.
The meeting, it was learnt will precede the formal declaration where some far-reaching decisions are expected to be taken not only about the current situation in the party as it repositions for the future but also on the common agenda for the governor’s declaration and success of his campaign.
Already, the Director-General of the PDP Governors Forum, Earl Osaro Onaiwo, has been sighted at the Government House in Yenagoa on Sunday where he is holding meeting with key government officials to finalise arrangements for the PDP governors’ meeting on Monday.
A PDP chieftain said, “From the look of things, the PDP governors are set to storm Yenagoa in full force. You know Bayelsa State holds a lot of significance for the PDP as a political party. It is not just a state to be retained but you will also realize that it is the home state of the former President Goodluck Jonathan. So there is so much at stake and they are determined to make the governor’s declaration a show of its own. I think the PDP governors want to send out a strong signal of their readiness to keep Bayelsa firmly in the grip of the PDP and as such their presence will be felt on Tuesday in Yenagoa”.
Activities at the headquarters of the Restoration Campaign Organisation, the governor’s campaign body, in Opolo area of the state capital were in top gear on Sunday as officials said they were ready for the campaign.
According to Samuel Beke, an official at the campaign office, all arrangements have been concluded to begin a state-wide campaign and that he is confident, Dickson will be re-elected.
To him, the thrust of the campaign would be the “great achievements” of the governor and the need for continuity.