Jonathan To Attend TAN Rally, May Declare Re-election Bid

Information available to LEADERSHIP Weekend indicates that barring any last minute snags, President Goodluck Jonathan will today attend the grand finale of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) rally, billed to hold at the Eagle Square, Abuja and may declare his interest for the 2015 presidential race.

Also to attend the rally alongside the president are vice president Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, all states governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), all National Assembly members elected on the party’s platform, all cabinet ministers, national officers of the PDP and members of the party’s Board of Trustees as well as other party stakeholders.

As at the time of this report, many of those to attend the rally were already in Abuja and major hotels fully booked for guests, just as security around the rally venue had been tightened.

A source in the presidency confirmed that President Jonathan would attend the TAN rally, also said he may use the avenue to give a nod to calls by different organs of the party that he should run in the 2015 presidential election.

“President Jonathan will attend the TAN rally tomorrow (today) in company of other top party officials. We are expecting that he would use the opportunity of the rally to say yes to calls that he should contest the election as the party’s sole candidate. It is a possibility that cannot be ruled out at this critical moment, ahead of the elections,” the source who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

TAN, a pro-Jonathan group, led by Chief Ifeanyi Uba has held rallies in the six geo-political zones of the country, garnering support for President Jonathan’s second term bid, even though those behind the group have vehemently denied that they were canvassing for the president. The maiden rally of the group was held in Awka, Anambra State, followed by others in Rivers, Niger, Kano, Oyo and Gombe states.