Fellow party men and women,
Let me start by congratulating you all on this historic occasion - the first convention of our great party since the consummation of our merger on April 18th 2013.
It has been a long journey to come this far, but we are here, thanks to your commitment, your loyalty and above all your hard work. The journey has been long, but arriving at this stop has made it worth the while. Let me make it clear that this is but a stop in our steady and progressive march to Aso Rock next year.
When we consummated our merger, we said the aim of that historic and unprecedented achievement is to create a credible, alternative platform for Nigerians who are tired of the perpetual misrule of the PDP. Now, I can say clearly that Nigerians heard us clearly, and have reacted by joining our party in huge numbers. Our membership registration attests to this.
