President Good Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan has commended members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for their unflinching support and assurances in the coming presidential election.
Speaking at the Government Lodge in Onitsha during his weekend campaign tour of the city, President Jonathan recalled that the support he got from APGA helped seal the victory for him during his first term and thanked all members of the party for standing to be counted when it mattered most.
According to him, APGA’s continued support of his administration had not only made his first term highly eventful but it has also boosted his chances in the February 14, 2015 Presidential election.
President Jonathan further assured the mammoth crowd that gathered to receive him that the Second Niger Bridge project would be completed within forty months. Giving insight into the project during a courtesy call on the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, President Jonathan revealed that N10bn had so far been spent out of the contract sum of N130bn, pointing out that N1.5bn of this sum was paid out as compensation to various interests that needed to be settled to pave the way for the construction of the bridge.
Assuring that funding for the bridge which was awarded under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement would not be a problem at all because it was managed through the Sovereign Wealth Fund, President Jonathan further explained that the on-going construction work on the project site had provided employment for 200 Nigerians, saying that when work gets to an advanced stage, no fewer than 2000 people would find employment at different stages.
In his own remarks, the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, who mobilized his cabinet to provide a warm reception for the President, assured Jonathan of a resounding victory pledging a 100 percent support from the people of Anambra State.
Governor Obiano who is also the BoT Chairman and the National Leader of APGA further assured that the party had a solid structure that would deliver one hundred percent of all the votes to be cast in favour of President Jonathan as it had embarked on a massive enlightenment campaign and evolved a robust strategy that would guarantee victory for the President.
The National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Adamu Muazu thanked Governor Obiano for mobilizing APGA to queue behind President Jonathan despite being a rival party, emphasizing the fact that Mr. President needs a second term to consolidate and complete the reforms he had begun.
Similarly, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe observed that Governor Obiano had raised the bar of purposeful governance and won the confidence of Ndi Anambra, expressing the hope that President Jonathan would continue to work closely with him.
The highpoint of the President’s visit to the foremost traditional ruler was the bold efforts made to reconcile Governor Obiano and former governor Obi, culminating in a rare embrace that was cheered by onlookers.
