Jonathan: Defectors will return to PDP… a strong party attracts people like magnet

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will, like a magnet, attract back its members who defected to other parties.

Jonathan stated this at the expanded national caucus of the party held on Monday night at Wadata House, Abuja.

The ex-president said it was obvious that Nigerians still believed in the capacity of the opposition party.

He said this was demonstrated with reactions by Nigerians to the supreme court judgment on the party’s leadership crisis on Wednesday.

Jonathan urged that all our efforts by PDP members and supporters within this period should be channeled towards building the party.

“Nigerians still believe in the PDP because when the Supreme Court judgment was given, I was so surprised because some of people called and sent text messages to me,” he said.

“They are not even politicians but they are so happy that PDP has come on stream because they were worried that PDP will go down.

“So, if people who are not even members of PDP are so happy that PDP has now gotten a platform to operate in spite of the negative propaganda against us, it means people still believe in PDP.

“PDP is a party that Nigerians still believe in.”

He appealed to party members to rebuild it, assuring that many people who stepped aside from the party as a result of its leadership crisis would return.

“The first thing we need to do is to rebuild the party because when the party is strong, everything will be added to that.

“Whether you have individual or group interest, as a politician, you must serve. These are very basic things, but first and foremost, we must strengthen the party.

“Let us cooperate with the Caretaker Committee and make sure that PDP is very cohesive. And when that happens, people who stepped aside may step back.

“We may not even need to go on a voyage of discovery to discover people. But they, themselves will come back because a strong party acts like a magnet.

“It will attract all the people that are interested,” he said.