As the race to the 2023 presidency begins to gather momentum among top politicians in the country, many Nigerians are hopeful that in the end, a worthy candidate clinches the most coveted seat in Nigeria.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who ruled for 16 years after Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, is again preparing to throw a big shot at regaining power at the centre, come 2023.
Some Political pundits, analysts and other political stakeholders are banking on the PDP to wrestle power from the ruling All progressive Congress, APC, owing to the insecurity challenges prevailing heavily in the country as well as the high rise in the cost of living in Nigeria.
But of major concern to political watchers is the fact that would the PDP get it right this time in terms of who emerges as the flag bearer of the party? Recall, In the build-up to the 2019 election, there were rumoured wrangling in the PDP which many believed cost it dearly aside from other noticeable electoral manipulation recorded during the election.
This internal problem fueled disunity among bigwigs of the opposition party. The internal problem was believed to have worked against the choice of the party’s flagbearer going into the 2019 Presidential election.
Fast forward to 2021, where series of political alignment and realignment is currently ongoing.
Questions are being raised as to the readiness of the PDP to wrestle power from the ruling APC. One of such questions is about the candidate PDP intends to put forward in the coming 2023 elections. No doubt such candidate must not be corrupt, must be young and vibrant, appeal to all Nigerians both old and young.
Many names would come to mind, especially when feelers revealed that the PDP is likely to zone to the North. Of all the names currently making rounds in some political quarters, Bala Mohammed has not been mentioned by most politicians believed to be 2023 gladiators. Why? Could it be because he hasn’t indicated interest? Or because he is a calm, smart and calculating Nigerian political giant whose main goal is to serve his people and not gimmicks with celebrities or infrastructure development facades?
A recent independent survey carried out on social media among Nigerian youths revealed that Bala Mohammed has over 78per cent acceptance rating among Nigerians. Surprised? No! This is because Bala Mohammed’s exemplary performance while he served under former President Jonathan as FCT minister and currently in Bauchi are such credentials Nigerians hope a presidential candidate is equipped with to lead a country like Nigeria believed to be on the precipice. Aside from being the best bet for PDP to regain power from the ruling APC, Bala Mohammed stands tall among top politicians likely to contest the PDP presidential primaries.
Unlike some PDP notable candidates who many believe might clinch the party’s presidential ticket, are burdened with corruption cases, distrust by Nigerians and blatant greed to assume power at all cost.
Many PDP stalwarts want him (Bala Mohammed) and are trying to draft him into the 2023 race, Including Governors, former Ministers. But being a very loyal politician, Bala Mohammed has refused to throw himself into the race yet, saying former President Goodluck Jonathan will be the one to have the final say because he is very loyal to GEJ.
He is not ambitious rather Nigerians are pushing for his candidacy as they believed that he possesses all the qualities required to solve myriads of challenges facing the country from the economy, to insecurity and infrastructure deficit noticeable in all parts of the country.
In all, Bala Mohammed has remained calm. Some said he is plotting how to solve Nigeria’s problems created by those who haven’t had grasps of national power before now when he eventually assumes power in 2023.
Written By Idowu Bankole
