Aspirants contesting for the position to become the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have continued to seek support from their Party members and key stakeholders ahead of their National Convention.
This is coming as the Party is preparing to hold its Primaries at the National Convention that is slated for this month.
Nigeria’s Electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had slated April 4 to June 3, 2022, for the election of flag bearers of all political parties for the 2023 general elections and also confirmed the full compliance of the 18 political parties in the country to Section 82(1) of the Nigeria Electoral Act 2022.
The section also mandates political parties to notify INEC on dates for their conventions, congresses, and primaries for the purpose of nominating candidates for various elective offices.
Due to the importance of the party primaries where candidates for 2023 polls will be elected for various positions at the state and national levels, aspirants have been seeking the support of party members especially delegates participation in primary elections, especially at the national convention, where a presidential candidate will emerge.
In Ogun State, South-West Nigeria, the main opposition party, PDP Presidential Candidates in the last few days have been trooping into Abeokuta to meet delegates and stakeholders, seeking for their support.
Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital in the last couple of weeks, had been a sort of political tourist center for politicians as they also pay allegiance to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek his leadership and fatherly advice in order to lead right.
Overcome Security & Economic Challenges
Among the visitor is former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who says Nigeria urgently required the leadership model of the former President in order to overcome the security and economic challenges currently bedeviling the nation if it must remain united.
Saraki said, “I am in Ogun State to see PDP delegates, but I can’t come to Ogun State and not pay a visit to the former President; our father and leader of modern Nigeria, somebody I am very close to since I started my political career. So, I came to see him to let him know that I am in Ogun State and to see how good and how well he is doing.
“And we thank God for his health, his energy, and his passion for this great country. It inspires us to see that definitely, we need to turn this country around into a country that he wishes for and that all of us wish.”
Saraki while addressing PDP delegates at the party’s state secretariat, stressed that Nigerians were safer, with the nation’s economy progressing during former President Obasanjo’s government, and attributed the giant strides to the decisive manner with which, he, Obasanjo tackled the nation’s challenges at the time.
“We cannot say we want to vote based on sentiment. This country needs a president that has the capacity and knowledge, not a president that desires people to guide him on what to do. We need a president that can unite Nigeria because the unity of this country is very fragile now. There is nothing we can do without unity in this country. Let us look for a leader that can unite Nigeria.
“When I was S.A. to President Obasanjo, you saw what Nigeria was, how the investment was coming in. We need a courageous president. We need a president that understands medical services. If you elect me, I will ensure that Primary Healthcare is free for all. I am a man of words and actions,” he said.
Restructuring Nigeria
Commenting on the restructuring of Nigeria, Saraki stressed that only a presidential candidate that understood the legislative and executive processes would be able to tackle the security and economic challenges the nation is facing currently.
“I have the capacity to do what could not be done for over a decade if given the chance to unite Nigeria. We need a president that is courageous and strong. You all know that in my four years as Senate President, I stood for this country,” he said.
Speaking on his chances among other aspirants, Saraki maintained that he is the only aspirant with the energy and capacity to carry the workload and the demands of the office of the President come 2023.
He said, “I believe that the time today, the kind of leadership that this country requires, I can provide that leadership”, adding that “Nigeria is in a very delicate situation and the wrong choice of President would spell doom for the nation.”
Similarly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who also visited the PDP delegates to seek for their support ahead of the presidential primaries.
Atiku noted that insecurity challenges have been threatening the peace of Nigeria, that without unity and peace in the country, it would be difficult to govern a complex country like Nigeria which is multi-ethnic and multi-religious.
He reiterated and promised to unite Nigeria by giving every part a sense of belonging, tackle insecurity and implement his economic development blueprint towards transforming the nation.
“I promise to unify this country. I promise to give a sense of belonging to every part of this country. We have done it before in 1999 when we came on board. There was a lot of disunity but it was not as bad as this. But, the first thing we did was to make sure we form a government of national unity and that gave us the calmness in the unity we needed to govern.
“As long as the country is not united, as long as there is no peace you cannot govern it even in your home not to talk of a complex country like Nigeria which is multi-ethnic and multi-religious. So, I promise to give every part of this country a sense of belonging; that was why I said I was going to restore unity.
“Some few days ago, a governor declared to run for President and he was talking about local government autonomy and currently in his state, he is not giving that autonomy to the local government. So you can see the hypocrisy from some of our leaders that was why I said, constitutionally we are going to initiate reforms which will give states and local governments more powers and more resources to deal with issues that are essentially states and local government issues.
“If you vote for me, I promise I will not fail you and I will not fail Nigeria,” the former Vice President said.
Atiku also assured Nigerians that he would not disappoint them if elected the next President.
As the jostling for who to replace President Muhammadu Buhari come May 2023 continues, Nigerians are watching with keen interest and will decide who they want to lead them come 2023.
Confidence Okwuchi