President Goodluck Jonathan and the Senate President, David Mark, declared on Monday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not allow any form of rigging by any political party in the next general election.

The duo stated this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, during the party’s presidential campaign rally held at the Metropolitan Square, Ilorin.

President Jonathan, who said his administration was committed to free, fair and transparent elections, appreciated the large turn-out of supporters at the venue of the rally, saying he would not encourage governance by intimidation if re-elected. He said he would give the people the ability and freedom to express themselves.

According to him, “My message to the people of this state today is not all about what we have done or what we’ll do, but to show you people that we’ll work with you, and also let Nigerians know they are free citizens.

“We don’t want a government that would lead by intimidation. We are committed to a government wherein every Nigerian will be free, where every young man and woman of 18 years old will be free. We won’t tolerate any fear of intimidation.

“We won’t encourage leaders who intimidate followers, a situation where the people feel like they are living in a zoo, where lion or leopards are moving freely, while others go into hiding. Nigeria is not a zoological garden. Nigeria is a country governed by laws and the people are free.”

The President added: “Kwara is a PDP state. It’s just that our mandate was illegally taken away. We’ll surely get it back. Despite all that, you have remained strong. We love you for that and we’ll continue to work with you.

“Kwara is a peaceful state, a state of harmony where all Nigerians reside for business and other developmental activities. We thank you for the peaceful coexistence against  the unfortunate insecurity we experience in some other parts of the country. We’ll continue to work together to make the state remain peaceful.

“We’ll work with you to make you billionaires through agriculture, through micro, small and medium scale agro-allied enterprises to even create jobs for others. We have intervened on water and power supply, rail transport, creation of universities, road construction among others.”

Also, in his remark, the Senate President, Mark, expressed optimism that the PDP would win the general election, as he vowed that the party would not allow any form of rigging of the election.

He said the North central zone, from where he hails, decided to vote massively for Jonathan in 2011 and that it had also resolved to repeat the same this year’s election, assuring that in the zone would give the president the highest number of votes.

Mark said the zone had resolved to maintain its vote for Jonathan because the president has done a lot to entrench the principle of democracy in the nation’s voting system to make elections free, fair and credible.

Also, the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, who presented the party’s flag to the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Simeon Ajibola, at the rally, urged Nigerians to vote for President Jonathan for another term in office who he described as “young, dynamic and energetic.”

He further said the present administration under Jonathan had recorded remarkable achievement in various fields of the economy i.e. transport roads, education, agriculture, economy, youth development among others.

However, it was learnt that a PDP chieftain and a governorship aspirant in the state, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, and her usual teeming supporters were conspicuously absent at the rally.

Also speaking at the event, the state coordinator of the presidential campaign, who was a governorship aspirant, Muhammad Dele Belgore (SAN), told the president that “Kwara is yours, as this huge crowd clearly shows. Kwara is the only state with two governors. One is merely occupying the seat and has no powers, while the other one exercises all the powers.

“This is a state where the common wealth of many is enjoyed only by a few. Kwara is ready to liberate itself Mr. President. We will vote for the PDP, starting with the president, National Assembly and our governorship candidate. As our party chairman said the last time he was in the state that PDP is Kwara and Kwara is PDP. ‘Mr. Kwara’, welcome again to Kwara.”

The president, who was earlier in the palace of Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, said his visit was to pay homage and respect to members of the state Traditional Council under the chairmanship of the Emir of Ilorin.

“We thank the Emir for his kind support and prayers in the past for the PDP and our administration. If we can observe, we would see that in the last four years, we have recorded achievements through road constructions, economic development and others, amidst many challenges.

In his response, the Emir said: “Kwarans are peace loving people and they respect constituted authority. You have done well and we urge you to work towards maintaining peace in the country and you have demonstrated that you are a peace loving leader by joining others in signing the peace accord in Abuja.”