What Went Down At PDP Women Rally Where Patience Jonathan Spoke Today

The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience
Jonathan, on Saturday insisted that her husband would remain in office for
eight years to complete his two terms in office, despite the opposition.

Mrs. Jonathan, said this during the Peoples Democratic Party
women rally, under the auspices of Women for Change and Development Initiative,
in Benin, Edo State. She was accompanied by national and state leaders of the
party.

Women, drawn from different support groups across the state
had turned out for event as early as 9am. They, however, began to leave the
stadium at about 1.30pm, when Mrs. Jonathan arrived at the Samuel Ogbemudia
Stadium, venue of the rally.

‎Unable to bare the scorching heat, two women fainted but
were later revived by a medical team provided by the party.

A mild drama ensued shortly before the ‎First Lady’s
address, when two men, said to be aggrieved PDP youths, tore down some banners
bearing the image of the President’s wife.

They were, ho‎wever, whisked away by some security
operatives at the arena.

Addressing the women, she said that the presidency had been
occupied for eight years by other ‎geopolitical zone and wondered why the South
South should be denied the opportunity.

She also noted that the Jonathan administration had
performed creditably in various sectors, such as transport and education, and
by her assessment, was satisfactory.

Mrs. Jonathan described the present administration as a
gender sensitive government, which had prioritised women development through
the appointment of several women in key positions, the Subsidy Re-investment
and Empowerment Programme and the YouWin initiative.

She stressed that re-electing of her husband was an
opportunity for Nigerian women to appreciate his good performance, adding that
the opposition party was not dependable ‎and had nothing to offer.

Punch