* Ex-Senate president seeks support of Delta, South-east PDP delegates, rejects zoning
Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
Former President of the Senate, Dr. Çi, has argued that the rudderless leadership currently in charge of affairs in the country is the cause of the present socio-economic challenges facing the country.
Saraki therefore stressed the need for a president in the next administration that could reverse the trend by detoxicating the country.
Saraki said he decided to throw his hat in the ring for the presidency in 2023 because the nation was in dire need of courageous and patriotic people to rise to the challenge to rescue Nigeria from the present inept leadership.
The presidential hopeful spoke through The Abubakar Bukola Saraki Contact and Advocacy Council, which yesterday, was in Delta State to canvass support of the PDP delegates for actualisation of the Saraki presidential ambition in 2023.
Speaking in Asaba, Delta State capital, the leader of the Council, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher, lamented the pervasive rot in Nigeria, saying it was a direct manifestation of a failed government occasioned by the ineptitude of the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC).
A former presidential aspirant and high commissioner to Canada, Hagher expressed optimism that the Bukola Saraki presidency would be the right leadership for Nigeria especially at this point in time that the country was confronted with numerous challenges.
“As governor of Kwara State, he has a track record; as senate president, he has a track record; a record of doing the right thing. As president of this country, Saraki has the political will to implement the much needed change Nigeria desires”, Hagher said.
The chairman of the Council noted that Nigeria has practically become toxic as a result of toxic leadership and appealed to Delta State PDP delegates to support a Saraki presidency to cleanse the nation of its toxicity.
Hagher added: “The time has come for serious Nigerians to step forward to take charge of this country. We can no longer leave the affairs of this country to mediocre leadership.”
Responding, the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta state, Chief Kingsley Esiso, said that he has no doubt that Saraki was well-equipped to make a good president.
“He (Saraki) is a man of intelligence and capacity. As the chairman of our party’s reconciliatory committee, he has done very well to unite the party”, the Delta PDP chairman said, assuring that he would, “relate the message of the council to the leaders of the party and the governor of Delta state.”
In a related development, Saraki also sent his emissaries to the south-east geopolitical zone seeking support to realise his ambition, despite strident clamour for power shift to the zone.
Leading one of the teams to Umuahia, Abia State, Senator Suleiman Adokwe delivered Saraki’s message to the leadership and stakeholders of Abia State chapter of the PDP, saying that zoning has no role in the task of saving Nigeria.
“It’s not about zoning; PDP should choose a competent person to take power from APC,” he said, adding that Saraki fits the mould and his emergence as the presidential flag bearer of the former ruling party would yield success in 2023 general election.
According to him, the former Kwara State governor, “is desirous” of taking the reins of power in 2023 to breathe life into a nation battered into comatose by the ruling APC.
He argued that the ruling party had plunged Nigeria into a deep mess, adding that it would take a leader of immense capacity and political will, like Saraki, to pull the beleaguered nation out of the miry economic, socio-political situation where insecurity has become a new normal.
Adokwe noted that prior to APC coming to power, Nigerians were travelling across the country without fear, saying under APC insecurity has engulfed the nation so much so that not even air travel was immune to terrorists’ attacks.
He stated that the Buhari government has proved in words and in deeds that they cannot be trusted by Nigerians. This is because, “everything that APC promised are yahoo yahoo promises”, referencing internet fraudsters that usually make false promises to their victims.
Extolling Saraki’s qualities, the leader of the advocacy and contact team pointed out that the Kwara born politician is a detrabalised, young, energetic and highly competent leader, who is not a religious bigot.
He noted that Saraki served Nigeria creditably as Senate President and ensured that the country was protected from reckless borrowing, unlike what the present, “rubber stamp” Senate leadership which has encouraged Buhari to plunge Nigeria into debt crisis.
Chairman of Abia PDP, Hon Alwell Asiforo Okere told the Saraki emissaries that they were “marketing a very good product”, describing the presidential hopeful as “a man of high intellect, charming, generous” and imbued with immense capacity for great achievements.
“You have a good product; so continue to sell it,” he said, adding that “we in Abia are proud of the quality of presidential aspirants coming up in our party” as it would enable PDP to come up with high quality presidential candidate.
However, he said that Abia PDP would continue with consultations in order to take good decision that would reflect the overall interest of Nigeria’s main opposition party in its quest to return to power in 2023.
