Jonathan To Declare Nov. 11.

The Chairman of the Presidential Declaration Committee, Dr. Haliru
Bello, has revealed that the committee has fixed November 11, 2014 as
the day for the formal declaration by President Jonathan to seek
re-election in 2015.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the committee's
inaugural meeting at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on
Friday, Dr Haliru said the venue of the formal declaration would be
decided at the next meeting of the committee.

He said: "the President gave us the task to organise the modality of
creating a platform for him to meet Nigerians and announce his
response to the various calls for him to come out and declare his
interest in the presidential election.

"The President has not said anything yet but it is like all Nigerians
have called on him. It is our honest hope that he will come out and
say yes to the demand of multitude of Nigerians.

"We expect he will say yes but we cannot say yes for him. We will wait
for him to speak.

"The date that is fixed is Tuesday, November 11. On that day, there
will be a forum for the President to meet Nigerians to announce his
decision.

"The venue is yet to be decided. That will be decided at our next
meeting. When we come out on November 11, the President will face the
people of Nigeria and say yes to their demand.

"If he says yes, it will be yes. If he says no, then it is negative.
But you are aware that our party, the PDP in all its organs, from the
caucus to the Board of Trustees, NWC had decided that President
Jonathan should be given the first option of refusal with the PDP
ticket.

"If he is going to contest, the PDP will give him preference. As the
President, he has performed and we are satisfied with what he has
done" he said.

Dr Haliru said as long as the president is interested in contesting,
PDP will give him preference over other aspirants.

"It is only when he declines that we can look at any other contestant" he said.

Also speaking with state House Correspondents, the Governor of Katsina
State, Ibrahim Shema said sub-committees were set up during the
inaugural meeting.

Some of the sub-committees set up yesterday he said, include
secretariat, venue and decoration, media and publicity, security,
protocol and mobilisation.

He expressed the hope that the committee would come up with enough
preparations that would ensure a hitch-free declaration.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina, expressed
confidence that Nigerian women would troop out in large number to
support the President's re-election bid.