The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has given President Goodluck Jonathan the power to pick his running mate after his endorsement by all the party’s organs.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s fate is hanging in the balance —going by this decision.

The endorsement by the governors, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Executive Committee (NEC), forecloses a Presidential Primary amid speculations about the fate of Vice President Namadi Sambo.

There was no mention of the Vice President by the organs while endorsing Jonathan.

But yesterday, the party said Jonathan is free to determine Sambo’s fate.

National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh at a news conference in Abuja yesterday warned party members against what he described as “unhealthy speculations” regarding the choice of Jonathan’s running mate.

Metuh said: “The President is yet to communicate his acceptance of the endorsement to the party and the nation.

“We should wait for the President to announce his running mate instead of jumping the gun. I believe the incumbent Vice President enjoys the confidence of the President”.

A number of prominent chieftains of the party, particularly some serving governors from the Northwest zone, are believed to be jostling to edge out  Sambo.

The general perception within the party is that Sambo’s electoral value in his Kaduna State base has continued to diminish at an alarming rate, a situation which they believe could adversely affect the party’s electoral fortune in the zone.

Also, the leadership of the party has given its members nationwide the go ahead to attend the plethora of pro Jonathan rallies, ostensibly being funded by volunteer groups.

Only last week, the party banned its elected officials from attending such rallies, apparently to detach the leadership from the sponsored rallies.

Metuh who announced the lifting on the ban also said the party would undertake a nationwide project tour, starting from today.

According to him, the tour, which would also cover insurgent-ravaged Yobe and Borno States, is meant to showcase the achievements of the party at the local, state and federal levels.

“Indeed, there is no state, local government or ward in Nigeria that has not been positively affected by projects executed by PDP governments at federal, state and local government levels.

“Such projects abound in non-PDP states and many Nigerians erroneously give credit to the opposition, which they eagerly accept.

“Also, in states formerly controlled by the PDP, such as Edo, Rivers, Nasarawa, Kano, Sokoto, Kwara, among others, the opposition parties, now in control are laying claims to our projects.

“This tour will ‘recover’ our projects claimed by the opposition and return the credit to the PDP.

“We therefore urge all Nigerians to be part of this laudable project as we catalogue our collective successes under the PDP-led administration.

“In this regard, we wish to state that as we embark on our performance tours, we will no longer focus on answering to diatribes of the opposition.

“Our answer to such is that we meet at the polls in 2015. All members of the party are by this directed to comply accordingly”, Metuh said.