Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and currently a Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has said that the leaders of the party from the South would negotiate with former Vice President Atiku Abubkar and plead with him to support for the former Anambra Governor Peter Obi to fly the ticket of the party as the only way to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Nwodo, a former governor of Enugu State, warned that the ADC would suffer massive division and loss of votes should Atiku and Obi go into the primary contest for the party’s presidential ticket. This came as an African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, who is a former governor decried a situation whereby the country would be governed in proxy, has said that Nigerians have 2027 as their last chance to save the country.
He argued that governance is a serious matter and should be given all the necessary attention. “Nobody who does not have health should be voted to power to be abandoning the country for medical check all the time. He frowned at how governance is being handled as personal estate, stating such should be stopped by all means.
Nwodo, in an exclusive chat with Sunday Telegraph in Enugu, agreed with the positions of two other leaders of the ADC, Chief John Oyegun, who said that Southern leaders joined the party for the sole purpose of making Obi its presidential candidate and then president of Nigeria; and Dr. Umar Ardo, who on the other hand postulated that the only way Obi would clinch the ticket of ADC was if Atiku Abubakar decided to step down from the primary of the party.
The former Enugu State Governor highlighted the credentials of Obi as the man for the job noting that he has demonstrated vast knowledge of the economy, his humility and the massive resources he left behind as governor of Anambra State.
He also argued that in the four times Atiku Abubakar contested for presidency of Nigeria he had always chosen an Easterner as running mate and the people of the East had always given him massive support, contending that it was time for him to reciprocate that gesture by supporting Obi, more so as the presidency has been zoned to the South.
He said, “I align myself with former Edo Governor, John Oyegun’s statement for the following reasons: The presidency is zoned to Southern Nigeria at this time after eight years of former President Muhammad Buhari’s administration.
“And if Nigerians believe that the president (Tinubu) is not doing well, that there is hunger and poverty in the land, there is unemployment, massive insecurity and economic hardship leading to lack of indigenous and foreign investment in the country, that we need a change of government, Peter Obi has demonstrated by his regular analysis of the performance of this government and the solutions he thinks will solve the problems of Nigeria, which sound convincing to everybody who listens to him, that he is somebody who can make a change from what we are going through at this time in Nigeria.
“Number three is that there is something that you can draw from his performance as governor of Anambra State where apart from all the developments he brought to the state when he was there, he handed over massive resources in finance to his successor both in foreign and national currency. Another thing is that he is a listening person and he is a humble man.
“So we find so many qualities around this young man to support him believing that he will make a substantial change to the suffering that people are going through in Nigeria today.” On the statement by Dr. Ardo, convener of League of Northern Democrats, Nwodo said, “Now, going to Dr. Umar Ardo, he has also said something that is very true as well.
We have seen what happens when we rise from a rancorous primary which is bitterly contested in PDP and what it did to the fortunes of PDP, to the ambition of Atiku Abubakar at the time. “Those governors who are within felt that the presidency should have been zoned to the South went along with Tinubu and it contributed a lot to PDP losing that election.
“Now why I said that Dr. Ardo’s statement is awesome is that going through that again, the presidency is zoned to the South and Vice President Atiku wants to rerun again against the tide that will also bring votes against us in ADC if he wins the primary.
“Secondly, people believe that throughout his political career, in all his political outings he has been massively supported by the East and each of the four times that he contested for the presidency he has chosen an Easterner as a running mate.
So all the support that the East has been giving him that it’s time that he just gives to the East one support in appreciation of all the support we have been giving to him over the years. “So, people don’t want a primary between him and Obi, they think that this can be negotiated and a gentleman’s consensus can be arrived at.
That it will strengthen the ticket of the party rather than go to a primary that will divide the vote of the party in the general election.” On why Nigerians should not vote APC government led by President Tinubu in the next election, Nwodo explained that he has done two and half years, going to three years and that the administration had failed in almost all her campaign promises “And if you look at all the statistics that contribute to a failed state, Nigeria qualified to all of them under Tinubu.
“And worst of all is what has happened to insecurity in our country, it has affected our economy grossly and led to massive loss of lives and property, which is the first charge of the government, to protect lives and property of the citizens.
