He also said that the five northern state governors who have been going around the country ostensibly to stop any attempt by the President to go for a second term in office have their own agenda but only using the Rivers State crisis as a smokescreen.
The Presidential aide assured that nobody can beat the President whenever he makes up his mind to join the race.
Okupe, who made the declaration while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, said it would be advantageous to the ruling party to field the incumbent President who, rather than campaign with what he will do when elected, will convince the electorate with what he had already achieved.
He said, “If this party PDP is a very serious party, which I believe it is, if the President decides to run, why should the party pick somebody else? The only advantage it will have in contesting is that it has an incumbent President who will not be telling Nigerians that ‘vote for me I will do this.’ He will be telling Nigerians ‘vote for me, I have done this.’
“All those talking about no automatic ticket, what they are saying is politically unwise and impracticable and they cannot come to pass.”
The Presidential aide, who emphasised that Jonathan has not decided to run, was confident that if he so decides, nobody can beat him.
He added that those who are boasting that the south will never win the presidency are “day dreaming” as what they are saying “will never come to pass.”
“President Jonathan has not decided and has not told anybody. That is the truth. If he decides to run, nobody can beat him, it’s not possible. The calculations are in his favour, the odds are in his favour, the national supports are in his favour, the performance index is in his favour,” he stated.
Okupe further remarked that the five northern governors who are presently touring the country, are not telling Nigerians the truth as they have an agenda other than the Rivers State crisis which they claim they are holding consultations over.
According to him, “they have their own agenda. It is not what they are telling the Nigerian public. They are telling us that the real motivating factor is this Rivers State and people keep talking about crisis in Rivers State. How do you define crisis? There is no unrest in Rivers State.
“Nobody is burning any house in Rivers State. Commuters, traders and business men are going about their businesses in Rivers State, the governor is junketing abroad or rather having a good time. All these talk is just in the imagination of those who want to stoke the fire that does not exist.
“There is no problem in Rivers State. I have said it and I am saying it again, (Governor Rotimi) Amaechi has a problem with some members of House of Assembly. Within the House of Assembly in Rivers State, there are divisions and it is not strange. It is not unusual.
“Over 18 Speakers have been removed in this our young democracy and nothing happened. Like I told you, this is 2015 live. Everything you hear about Rivers State, anything you hear about governors moving all over the place is nothing to do with Rivers State.
“Rivers State is a political camouflage. You can quote me. The real thing is intense politicking by people with very serious interest in the polity or who have agenda they want to make sure manifest by hook or by crook.
“They are going all over the country, trying to mobilize support for what they want to do. Someone said that they try to intimidate the President not to run because, it is obvious they are insisting that there will be no open ticket for the President.”
On the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Okupe maintained that it is a testimony to the openness and transparency of the Jonathan administration.
He added that the existence of APC as a political party will lessen the burden of the PDP which will now concentrate its effort in tackling one party rather than several parties at the same time.
Okupe remarked, “The registration of APC is perhaps the most powerful, the most eloquent testimony of the openness, transparency, honesty and political liberalism of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“This would not have happened under many African Presidents, especially when it is obvious to those who care to study the situation properly that there were obvious hurdles and obstacles to that registration, which could have been exploited, and could have amplified and could have been used by people of lesser integrity to frustrate the APC.
“This is a testament and this is a testimony that contrary to what you said, we have no fear whatsoever about APC registration. We are not in any way anxious. These are people that were beaten individually before and collectively we will defeat them randomly.
“But we are glad that at least now instead of fighting three or four parties, we can concentrate on one and get it done. I can assure you that there is nobody in the Villa that is worried. For us it is a good thing, it is a great development.
“I don’t know whether the opposition is credible enough. I cannot attest to that, but at least you know, what we have is that we have political parties that have been inept previously, that have been extremely weakened and of no serious political importance. They have now come together under one umbrella with an attempt to challenge the status quo. We will see how far they can go.”
Source: Tribune
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