With PDP Coming to Power in 2023, Nigeria will Rise Again, Says Ayu

* Laments it’s never been this bad on many fronts  

*Emmanuel: Our nation needs sincere leaders with capacity, experience  

*Peter Obi: 2023 elections ‘opportunity to rescue Nigeria from further collapse’
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Okon Bassey in Uyo

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, at the weekend, said with the opposition party coming into power next year, Nigeria would rise again. Ayu made the declaration in his goodwill message at the wedding reception of Mixine Ewere Okowa, daughter of the Delta Sate governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and Dr. Daniel Igo, at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.

Ayu lamented that the country had never had it so bad on many fronts, but believed next year’s general election offered Nigerians a historic opportunity to reclaim their identity as a united and fraternal people.

In a similar vein, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel said the country currently needed leaders with capacity, sincerity of purpose, selflessness, and readiness to make sacrifices. Emmanuel spoke in Uyo, when he featured in a radio programme.

Those comments came as frontline PDP presidential aspirant for the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, called on members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and Nigerians, generally, to see the next general election as an opportunity to save the country from further collapse and build a better future for all. Obi said this in a recent address to the BOT members.

Speaking to the state of the nation, Ayu said the sacred challenge before the present generation of Nigerians was to bequeath to the youth a healthy and cohesive country they would be proud of.

He stated, “We thought we were on an irreversible course to the top, but disaster struck along the line, and today, we are back to the drawing board. Our generation, therefore, has the solemn responsibility to hand over to our children a united, healthy, and prosperous nation.

“That is the historic challenge of 2023. We have never had it so bad, and so bad on so many fronts, but we must remain united to rescue our country. There is hope on the horizon. There is light at end of the tunnel. With PDP coming, Nigeria will rise again.”

Ayu hailed the marriage between Maxine, from Delta State, and Daniel, from Benue State, as proof that Nigerians still loved one another across ethnic and cultural divides. He urged the citizens to vote for the pluralism that PDP represented, come 2023.

Earlier, the officiating minister, who joined the couple, Rt. Revd. Moses Tabwaye, counselled the newly-wedded to make Christ the Head of their home, saying He is the foundation for lasting marital success.

Preaching on the “Five Ps” of Pastoring, Protecting, Parenting, Providing, and Piloting, Tabwaye said the “Five Ps” offered a timeless recipe for happy homes, and no groom had failed, who followed the formula faithfully.

Dignitaries, who graced the event, included Okowa and Evang. Edith Okowa (parents of the bride), Chief (Mrs.) Elizabeth Igo (mother of the groom), the governors of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel; Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri; and Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.

Others were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; THISDAY Publisher, Nduka Obaigbena; Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige; former Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo; ex-Senate Presidents, Dr. Bukola Saraki and David Mark; Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu; House Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu; and frontline banker, Mr. Jim Ovia.

In Uyo, Emmanuel hailed Nigerians who contributed towards the purchase of his PDP presidential form to contest the 2023 general election. He spoke while having an audience with Human Rights Radio, producers of the popular national radio/TV programme, Brekete Family Show, at Government House, Uyo.

The governor thanked the founder of the organisation, Ordinary President, Ahmed Isah, and his team as well as all Nigerians, who contributed towards the purchase of the form.
The group presented the presidential nomination form of the PDP to the governor on behalf of other Nigerians that contributed to the purchase of the form.

Emmanuel stated, “Honestly, when I heard this plan to buy me a presidential nomination form was going on, I asked myself, how can they raise up to N40 million to go and buy me a form?

“But today, it has become a reality. There are over 200 million Nigerians, but you chose to accord me this honour and privilege, and I don’t take this for granted. I really want to appreciate this family. I register my appreciation to all Nigerians, for this confidence.”

Reassuring Nigerians, who demonstrated faith and trust in his capacity, the governor explained that whatever he had achieved in the state now had been with the support of the people, and whatever success could be attained in Nigeria could only be achieved collectively.

According to him, “Money is a principal thing. Nigeria today needs someone, who understands money. It is unfortunate that if we are looking for a managing director of a particular company, the CV we seek spans 3-4 pages, but when we are looking for a president of the country, based on the constitution, all we need is WAEC, no experience.”

The governor lamented that premium was not put on the abilities of the leader in whose hands the destiny of over 200 million people would lie while making a choice, as it was done for a managing director of a company that had only a few shareholders and stakeholders.

Emmanuel said certain things needed to be corrected in 2023 so that the country could move forward. He reminded Nigerians that God occupied an important place in the business of leadership, and expressed the hope that the group had sought the consent of God before embarking on the venture.

“Rest assured that I have accepted the form,” he stated, adding, “All Nigerians cannot come together to give me something and I refuse.”

Speaking at the presentation, the leader of the delegation, Mr Innocent Orji, said although Emmanuel was not the only one hosted on their programme, after they came to Akwa Ibom and discovered more than what they had heard from the governor, “We all agreed that if you can do these in a state, if given that opportunity, you will do even better at the national level.”

A member of the delegation and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Buhari Bala, said the Brekete Family crew, who had interviewed the governor on a live studio programme in January, came to Akwa Ibom for three days and witnessed even more projects than he had disclosed to them.

Bala stated, “After that programme, the Brekete Family sent a delegation to Akwa Ibom State. They spent about three days here and sent in a report, and in that report, they said what they found on ground was more than what you told them during the live programme.

“For that reason, a decision was taken by the family that when the time comes, they will contribute money and purchase a form for you to contest for President of Nigeria. And true to their words, when the PDP started selling forms, they went there and, surprisingly, paid and collected the forms.”

Meanwhile, addressing the PDP BOT members, Obi said Nigeria was fast collapsing and failure to elect competent leaders in 2023 could spell doom for the country.

He stated, “The country you all are part of building is collapsing before our very eyes and we cannot continue like this. Today, Nigeria tops the list of fragile, failing states and ranks third on the list of most terrorised countries in the world. We have, since 2019 become the world poverty capital. We now have an army of 50 million out-of-school children, out of which about 60 per cent have not been to school at all. Nigeria is now the most stressful country to live in, according to the stress level index

“There is so much going wrong in our country today. Do we talk about our debt profile that has become very worrisome, especially, if we consider the amount spent in servicing these loans? What is more disheartening is that the loans were consumed rather than invested. The high youth unemployment rate and drug abuse prevalence in the country are serious threats to our development and must be corrected with competent leadership in 2023.”

Presenting his presidential aspiration to the members, Obi maintained that the 2023 election was not about his winning or losing, but about the future of Nigeria, a country that should be highly regarded among the comity of nations, but was today crumbling under bad leadership.

He called on the BOT members and, indeed, Nigerians to carefully investigate the backgrounds of those aspiring to lead the country, to ensure that those with track records of success in public life were elected into office. He urged them to avoid being seduced by high-sounding words and vain promises of some political aspirants, but focus on competence and integrity for the sake of the nation.

Obi said, “It’s time we shunned the rascality that has dominated our political space and focused on rescuing our society. It was a feat we achieved in Anambra State under my administration and it is a feat I am willing to replicate at the federal level, when given the chance.

“Let us, therefore, join hands to create a better country for ourselves and for our children.”

Similarly, Obi said on a television programme yesterday that the major challenge facing Nigeria was leadership failure.

The former governor, who was featured on a Channels Television interview, monitored by THISDAY, said the country’s problems were compounded by leaders, who failed to anticipate or foresee the future and make any adequate plans to take care of emerging trends.

He stated, “Over the years, the biggest problem of the Nigerian nation has been leadership failure. Nigerian leaders over the years have failed to come out with plans that could help the country take care of the future. Today, what Nigerians are clamouring for is a leader with foresight and wherewithal to provide responsible leadership that could help in righting the wrong. The citizens of the country want to see a leader that will tackle our numerous problems.

“So, what Nigerians want to see is a leader who has the competence and capacity to start tackling the innermost problems affecting our country, starting from the issue of cohesion and unity. We are so divided today as a nation, so there’s need to bring us together.”

On the option of choosing the PDP presidential candidate through consensus, Obi said if the process was credible, transparent, and acceptable to relevant stakeholders, everyone would key in and accept it in good faith.

On what could be the immediate steps of the new president in an attempt to address the mounting trust deficit among the citizenry, Obi said he believed issues should be tackled as quickly as possible.

According to him, “I don’t believe in first 100 days because after it, you lose momentum. The role of a leader is solving problems, bringing solutions to the problems, and not creating more problems or blames.”

Obi, who was running mate to Atiku in 2019, declared his intentions to run for presidency on March 24 in Awka, Anambra State, at a gathering of traditional rulers.