The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, caucus in the House of Representatives late on Monday night passed a vote-of-confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan and endorsed him for a second term in office.
This was disclosed to State House correspondents by House Leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande, at the end of the meeting with Jonathan with most of the PDP governors also in attendance.
However, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, was not at the meeting which took place in the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa Abuja but the House members were instead led in by the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha.
According to -Akande, “We are PDP caucus of the House of Representatives. A meeting like this is not strange because we met with the President who is our party leader. We deliberated on issues affecting our party.
“The House caucus on our own decided to pass a vote-of-confidence on Mr. President and also endorse him for second term,” she said.
When asked whether the President accepted the endorsement, she simply said, “We did the endorsement and we are urging him to run for second term.”
On why Tambuwal was not at the meeting, the House Leader said the Speaker should speak for himself.
“I am sure, when you see Mr. Speaker, you will ask him, this is a PDP meeting, obviously he will have his reasons why he was not at the meeting,” she said.
She revealed that security issues were also discussed, noting that those at the meeting commended Jonathan for on-going efforts to curtail insurgents activities in parts of the country.
The meeting was apparently called by Jonathan to kick start consultations ahead of a possible declaration to run in the 2015 presidential election.
The meeting which took place behind closed doors started at 10pm after the arrival of the law makers to the Presidential Villa in a bus.
Some senators who arrived for the meeting were turned back on the ground that they had been invited in error.
Led by Senate President, David Mark,tthey were told that a different meeting with them would be scheduled for another date.
Present at the meeting were national chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu, chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and the party’s deputy national chairman, Uche Secondus.
The governors present included Theodore Orji (Abia), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).
Four other governors were represented by their deputies.