Defecting PDP Members Will Come Back On Empty Stomach -- Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan,Thursday, called on members of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, to come together to build a stronger party that
would regain power in future elections.

He spoke at the presiddential Villa while receiving the PDP
Presidential Campaign Organization's (PCO) report from its Director
General, Ahmadu Ali.

While warning members of the party who are defecting to other parties
that they would be worse off, President Jonathan noted that despite
losing the presidential, the PDP still remains a formidable party.

He said though he did not consult anybody before calling General
Buhari to concede defeat, the president said he did so on behalf of
all members of the party.

"I still believe though we have lost presidential elections, some
national assembly elections, governorship elections,especially in the
north, PDP is still the dominant party. Let us not judge PDP by the
result of the presidential elections."

"Our duty is to go back and identify areas of challenges so that the
party will come up strong and play the roleas a very strong party. PDP
is still the most organized party, is still the party that is not
owned by anybody, is still the party that whatever you are you can get
to any level with your competences and so on."

"So I encourage members of our party to remain loyal to the party, not
to be so disillusioned because we lost presidential election and
decide to go where they think they will fill their stomachs or
something. Is not easy I have been here for five years plus, you
hardly satisfy even 15 perent of those who work for you.

"Those people running and those already cross-carpeting, they will
come back on an empty stomach because they will touch the primary
members of their party, before they get to you, they know you are
coming because you are hungry, before it will get to you the food will
be gone."

While stressing that the PDP remains a formidable party, president
Jonathan insinuated that even in those areas thatb "If you look at the
result, the difference is just 2.5 million votes and if you look at
the areas where it is perceived that PDP scored so low, PDP couldn't
have gotten those kinds of scores but the elections are over, the
country first."

"It is not as if Jonathan alone made the sacrifice it's all of us. I
made the pronouncement but some of us are paying the prize. Some
people pay more prize than I do, I know how some of you are already
being persecuted and the kind of situation facing you. The key thing
is that we must continue to unite, as a party we must continue to work
hard so that as we go into subsequent elections 2019, 2023 and so on
and so forth, PDP will continue to come up strong. Even in the
interest of the nation, we need PDP." He said.