The President said he had at no time had any discussion with or encouraged Maku to join another party. He said PDP does not encourage anti-party activities and he would never flout the party’s rules and [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]regulations as the leader of the party, insisting that Maku was alone.
Jonathan expressed his appreciation to the mammoth crowd that came to welcome at the Lafia Township Stadium.
He assured that the mineral resources in the state would be tapped in the face of dwindling oil price and in line with administration’s policy to diversify the economy, adding that Nasarawa State would be one of the areas the central government would want to work with to realise this.
He assured that the Doma dam would be completed on record time so that they will continue to promote dry season farming.
According to him, “What is good for you we will not wait for you to demand before you get what is rightly yours.
“We want to change the concept that farming is for the poor but that it is for the rich because the farmers in America are millionaires. We have changed the entire process of agriculture and added the value chain to make it a business.
“We want power to be stablise in the state to also boost the agricultural sector in the state”, he said.
Vice President Namadi Sambo,said PDP is Nasarawa State and Nasarawa State is PDP and solicited for votes from the people of the State.
He reeled out the achievements of the Jonathan’s administration in power, education, rail, agriculture, transportation, assuring that the President will do more should he return to power after next month’s elections.
Also joining disowning of Maku,Senate President David Mark, called on him to apologise and retrace his steps, before he could be accepted back to the party.
He described Maku as a liar, urging the people “Don’t be deceived by any son of yours that says he has been put in another party to run for the governorship. Mr. President is PDP from top to bottom”.
The Senate President said the North Central is solidly behind Jonathan and would vote for him because he has brought democracy dividend to bear on the region.
Mark, who addressed the students from his official car shortly before the President landed the school compound in his chopper, cited the YouWin programme, establishment of universities under this administration as a demonstration of Jonathan’s commitment to youth development.
”The emphasis that the current administration is putting on education is in the right direction. I know that most people are complaining of unemployment but the government is generating employment through YOUWIN, youth programmes, SURE-P, these are areas in which government is putting a lot of attention.
“For those of us in the parliament, we are also putting emphasis in making sure that there ie a enough money in the budget for all the educational institutions to run them properly. Unless there is enough money you will not be able to practice agriculture. Is good to learn agriculture on paper but you must also get the practical experience.
“So the PDP government is committed in continuing these laudable programme”, he said.
The Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam assured that the north central will vote for President Jonathan because he has done well.
He said the state made a mistake in 2011 that was why they lost to the opposition but the PDP is poised to get it back.
He described the APC as party of liars and propagandists, adding that the PDP would reclaim the state in next month’s general elections.
Dr Ahmadu Ali, director-general of the campaign, described Maku as an ungrateful animal, that despite using the platform of the party to rise to stardom, he jumped the ship because of greed and joined APGA.
He said the President had never asked anybody to join any party to canvass for him, that his intention is to smear the image of Jonathan and portray him as a religious bigot thereby leading to the depleting to the party’s vote.
He accused Maku of dropping the name of the President in his bid to realise his ambition which he insisted will never happen because he lacks the integrity needed to realise such ambition.
Ali said Maku’s people now treat him with disdain because he does not portray leadership qualities.
Ali said, Maku was a commissioner, a deputy governor and a minister all on the platform of the party, placing a curse on him that he will continue to fail henceforth except he retraces his steps, return to the party and apologise.