Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, a presidential aspirant under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), has stated that Nigeria does not need a consensus candidate but a leader who will fix the mirage of problems confronting it.
Recall that the Northern Elders Forum, led by Abdullahi Ango, selected former Senate president, Bukola Saraki and former managing director, FSB International Bank, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, as the northern consensus candidates of the PDP for next year’s presidential election.
The national executive committee of the PDP is reportedly preparing to meet on Wednesday in Abuja to take a decision on the zoning of the presidency.
But Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, speaking on Sunday when he met with delegates and party chieftains at the PDP state secretariat in Akure, Ondo State, said his presidential ambition was borne out of his interest in the younger generation of Nigerians and to rescue Nigeria from the current quagmire.
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“My position on the consensus candidate is that Nigeria wants a consensus on who will solve the problems of Nigeria. We want somebody who will move this country from consumption to production. We want somebody that can do the work. We are not talking about who will be the next president but someone who will work for Nigeria.
“Nigerians are hungry. If they share money, collect it but follow your conscience, if otherwise, you are harming the future of your children”, he stated.
Obi, however, charged the delegates to tread with caution who to choose as the party’s presidential candidate as their decision would go a long way in shaping the future of their children and the unborn generation.
“The problems confronting Nigeria is as a result of borrowing for consumption, instead of borrowing for investment. The country is unproductive. The only thing you hear is sharing formula,” he said.
In their separate remarks, the state PDP chairman, Fatai Adams; former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko and governorship aspirant of PDP in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede, commended the presidential aspirant for coming to identify with the delegates and stakeholders of the party, stressing that his performance during his tenure as governor of Anambra speaks volume of his pedigree.
