by James Sambo
President Goodluck Jonathan has reportedly pleaded with the disgruntled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the House of Representatives to down their arms and work for his victory in the forthcoming general elections.
The lawmakers were believed to have initially met in Room 208 at about 7:30pm, in the Reps wing of the National Assembly where they nominated speakers before heading to meet the president.
According to reports, the president made the appeal when he met with the aggrieved lawmakers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Sunday, February 22.
A source who was in the loop revealed to Vanguard Newspapers that “the lawmakers bared their minds to the President, telling him how the PDP secretariat virtually sold tickets to the highest bidders.”
During the meeting, a lawmaker from the South-south who aspired to be governor, revealed that he was defrauded of N1billion by some PDP stalwarts at the secretariat but however added that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had retrieved about N500 million from the party officials who conned him.
Other lawmakers were said to have complained of imposition of candidates by party chieftains, lamenting the lack of a level playing ground.
They disclosed to President Jonathan that national officers of the party collaborated with state governors to scuttle the established internal democracy of the party, adding that as a result of this, no genuine primary was held in virtually all the states.
The source said the president after “listening promised to work with them and compensate those who were wrongly replaced or denied tickets. He also appealed that members should save the party from being disgraced at the polls.”
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