TheCable

The Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) has adopted President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate for next month’s presidentil election.

UPN announced the adoption on Friday at its first national convention to elect new officers, which was held in Lagos.

At the convention, Frederick Fasehun, leader of the Oodua peoples Congress (OPC) emerged national chairman of the party, promising to propagate the spread of UPN to all states of the federation.

“We are still a young party and that is why we are not fielding a presidential candidate,” he said after the ratification of the new executives by members of the party.

“We have asked our members who we are to support. We felt their pulse and it was moving in a particular direction. Allowing President Jonathan to continue in office for another four-year term will allow for the maturation of his infrastructural and socioeconomic programmes.

“It will also guarantee continuity in development policies, which a new government may likely abort. We are not confused about those we know that do not deserve our votes and our precious support.

“Therefore, the UPN will support Jonathan in next month’s election. We have endorsed him as our candidate. The national convention hereby resolves that all UPN structures and members nationwide will work for Jonathan.”

He lamented that Nigerian politics had become peopled by politicians without ideals or ideology.

“That informs why a politician can be in the ruling party in one minute and suddenly cross-carpet to the opposition party in the next minute and no one would see anything wrong with it.

“We cannot afford to run the country this way and UPN has come to change the game.”

Fasehun said the party would devote its energy to playing a people-driven politics, reigniting the confidence of citizens in the system and upholding the sanctity of the general elections.

Other officers of the party ratified include Alhaji Yuusul Ariyo (national secretary), Mr Okey Nwanneri (national treasurer), Niyi Ajewole (national legal adviser).

Mrs. Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, wife of the late Chief MKO Abiola, was announced as the party’s governorship candidate for Lagos state.