2023: I’ll Run for President if PDP Throws Contest Open, Zones to South, Says Obi

David-Chyddy Eleke

A former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has said he would contest the 2023 presidential election if his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), threw it open for all to contest, or zoned it to the south.

A press release by Obi’s media aide, Mr Val Obienyem, quoted the businessman as saying he was capable of turning around the fortunes of the country, but would wait on the decision of the PDP before he declares his intention.

Obi said: “All the elections that I followed in the past, the party that I belong to today, the PDP, made a pronunciation and took a stand. At least, in 2019, when I was involved, where I can say Atiku graciously chose me as his running mate, which I remain eternally grateful to him for, the party decided that the candidate should come from the North and that was what the party decided.

“And I believe that the party owes it a duty to say what their stand is. If their stand today is South, rest assured I am aspiring, if they say North, I can’t do otherwise or they chose the option that everybody is free, then, of course, you will be hearing from me.”

While affirming his commitment to building a better Nigeria, Obi, who was PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, advised all and sundry to choose a candidate, who was competent and most importantly, has integrity.

His words: “What we are looking for in this country today are people of integrity, people of conscience; people, who are less greedy. Educational qualification is not a measure of integrity; it doesn’t guarantee that somebody is less greedy or that people have conscience.

“I have seen people here acquire what they don’t need. I saw it while I was serving, to fight corruption here, you need somebody, who has integrity, who is not greedy, who has conscience. If you have that, fighting corruption is easy, because if you, who is in charge is not stealing, you will reduce stealing by 50 to 70 per cent. And, it is critical that you have somebody who is like that.

“It is not when people are acquiring lands, houses, everything they don’t need; they want to live a lifestyle that is far beyond the economy of Nigeria, far beyond their earnings, that is why the place is collapsing. That is why we have insecurity, that is why we have poverty. We need to manage the costs efficiently and these are the critical areas as you people know as you look for people, who will govern the country in the future,” he noted.