The controversy over the fate of Vice-President Namadi Sambo as the running mate of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) continues to deepen as the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Prof. Ahmed Rufai Alkali, yesterday insisted that only President Jonathan would determine the fate of the vice-president.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, had on Sunday echoed the same sentiment on who becomes the running mate to the president who was endorsed as the sole presidential candidate of PDP recently.

Metuh said: “Why don’t we wait first for the president to declare first before highlighting such issues. If the president accepts his nomination to run, then we will be able to go to the next level.”

He urged Nigerians to discard rumors that President Jonathan would not run with Sambo.
The national publicity secretary of the party described Sambo as one of the most loyal and dedicated members of the party.

However, he said the endorsement was for an “overwhelming confidence in a winning team that has demonstrably transformed Nigeria in less than four years despite challenges.”

Surprisingly, the party blamed the media for trying to create a rift between President Jonathan and Vice-President Sambo.

“There is no doubt whatsoever that the vice-president has the implicit confidence of the president. The PDP is therefore very pleased that they are working together to actualise the transformation agenda to the popular acclaim of both Nigerians and the international community,” the party spokesman said.

But yesterday, the special adviser to the president reechoed the same sentiment that Sambo’s fate depends on when the president accepts his endorsement by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

Addressing a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Utako, Abuja, Alkali said: “I don’t know why people will continue to over flog the issue of the vice-president, since the proposal before the president has not been accepted. So now, why don’t you wait for the president to accept the offer before any other thing on the fate of the vice-president? However, bear it in mind that no one changes a winning team.

The special adviser to the president assured Nigerians that President Jonathan would not disappoint them as he would accept his nomination by the NEC and other organs of the party, saying: “The president would not say no to his endorsement by his party.”

On what becomes the fate of the general election in the volatile region, especially in the North-east, Alkali said: “Elections will certainly take place in all part of the country, even in the North-east in 2015. We will not pray for the postponement of elections in any part of the country.”

The President’s aide who also is the National Coordinator of the Goodluck Support Groups (G2G) claimed responsibility for the adoption of the president by the PDP NEC and the PDP Governors’ Forum.

“We are pleased to note that barely 48 hours after leaders of the Support Groups made the resolution calling on the PDP to nominate President Jonathan as its presidential candidate, the leaders of the PDP, through the NEC, last Thursday acceded to the request of the Support Groups and adopted President Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the party for the 2015 presidential election.

“It should also be noted that prior to the NEC resolution, the PDP Governors Forum and the party, Board of Trustees, (BoT) had also adopted the president as their choice candidate for the presidential race.

“You may wish to recall that in the communiqué issued at the end of the summit, the delegates resolved as follows that President Jonathan has performed very well; that it is in the interest of Nigeria and all Nigerians that his transformation agenda continues beyond 2015 and that he should step forward and contest for the 2015 presidential election.”