Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Monday received Former president of the senate, Bukola Saraki, Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) in Benin city, the Edo State capital.
The visit is not unrelated to the party’s zoning formula ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Speaking on why they visited the governor, Saraki who spoke on behalf of the others said the visit was to canvas for the adoption of a consensus candidate in the 2023 election.
He said: “We all know the various situations that exist in our country and the need for the PDP to provide a platform and in doing that, we realize that the interest of the country is more paramount to our own interests.
“As such, we have come together and agreed that we should work out a consensus where we don’t all just go to the field. We don’t want our energy to be focused on just trying to get to power, but on how to help make Nigeria better.
“A lot of Nigerians out there are really going through hard times and as a party, we want to show that we are really committed to their interests. Our individual interest is secondary.
“We need your support in this process. What Nigerians need now is a president that has a team to work with. The problems are huge and we all have the qualities to lead this country.”
Receiving the visitors at the Government house, Obaseki said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, needs to come out and help pull Nigeria out of the brinks.
According to him, “Over 40 years ago, we had a big cake to share but not today. That cake has disappeared. Whoever aspires to be president of this country must be somebody who Nigerians are ready to give ingredients to start to rebuild a bigger cake for us all.
“For us in Edo, we are ready for building a bigger, stronger and better Nigeria as we can’t continue the way we are today. We are concerned that except the PDP comes out and rallies Nigerians around, it will be difficult to pull Nigeria back from the brinks.
“Things are really bad and difficult for our people. We have never had it this bad. We have never had the level of combination of poverty and inflation as food inflation in Nigeria is pushing millions of people into starvation, coupled with the security challenges.“Many have been kidnapped as we speak and this is not about individual aspirations but about Nigeria. We need the country to survive to be able to push our individual aspirations. I thank you for providing leadership and trust in God Almighty that has given you the wisdom to make Nigeria the higher goal”.
