FOLLOWING the one week ultimatum issued on Wednesday by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for its aspirants to pick their expression of interest and nomination forms, the presidency has set up a presidential declaration committee for the formal declaration by President Goodluck Jonathan to re-contest in 2015.The ultimatum is not thought to have any bearing on the president, since he has already been adopted as the sole presidential candidate of the party.Impeccable Presidency source revealed in Abuja that the decision to set up the committee was reached after a meeting presided over by President Jonathan at House 7, Presidential Villa, on Thursday.The meeting resolved to set up the committee with representatives from the six geopolitical zones, with former acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Bello Mohammed, named as chairman of the committee.The committee has the mandate to choose a date between November 7 and 15 for the formal declaration.Aside Mohammed, other members of the committee are Senator Ken Nnamani (deputy chairman), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim (secretary), with Professor Rufa'i Ahmed Alkali; Julius Imagwe, Dr Baraka Sani as members.Governors representing zones in the committee are Liyel Imoke, Cross River (South South); Theodore Orji, Abia (South East); Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo (South West); Dr Mua'zu Babangida Aliyu, Niger (North Central); Ibrahim Shema, Katsina (North West) and Ibrahim Dankwambo, Gombe (North East).National Assembly representatives include Senator Hosea Agbola (Oyo), Senator Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Honourable Bitrus Kaze (Plateau) and Honourable Salmas Badru (Ogun).The Federal Executive Council (FEC) is represented by Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Dieziani Allison-Madueke; Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Abduljelili Adesiyan; Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed.The PDP also has official party representatives on the committee, which include the deputy national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; Benue State chapter chairman, Chief Emmanuel Egbo; national women leader, Kema Chikwe and the North West zonal chairman, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure.Other PDP member in the committee are Senator Stella Umo, Senator Walid Jibirn, Ibrahim Bunu, Reverend Jolly Nyame, Senator Aneta Okon, Peter Obi, Mrs Remi Adiuku Bakare and General A. B. Mamman.The president also personally appointed Halima Alfa, Nigeria Ambassador to Netherland; Dr (Mrs) Nimota Nihinlola Akanbi, Micah Yohanna Jiba and Sam Ikon as members.Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Youth for Jonathan, one of the groups seeking for his re-election, on Thursday, vowed to occupy the national secretariat of the party on Tuesday, should the party refuse to sell the expression of interest and nomination forms it was seeking to purchase for Jonathan.Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the group, Benjamin Egbunike, said its demand to buy bank draft was turned down by Zenith Bank in Abuja, claiming that there was an instruction to that effect from the above.Briefing newsmen on Thursday, the national coordinator of the group, Ebile Dudu, warned that 'we don't want the public to look at us as if we are protesting, but on Tuesday, we will come to the secretariat and we will not leave without the form.'The presidency has, however, announced that President Jonathan will depart Lagos today to undertake a brief pilgrimage to Israel.A statement issued by his spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, in Abuja, on Thursday, said Jonathan would be accompanied by the Chaplain of the Presidential Villa, Venerable Obioma Onwuzurumba and his principal aides.It added that in addition to visiting Christian holy sites, the president would join other Nigerian pilgrims in a prayer session for the well-being and progress of the country, at an inter-denominational service in Jerusalem, on Sunday.
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