New Telegraph

Obasanjo meets Wike, Makinde, Ortom over 2023 Presidency

…I wish you well, ex-president tells Rivers Gov

Three governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday night met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo behind closed doors in Abeokuta, the Ogun State over the forthcoming 2023 Presidential election.

The Governors are, Nyesome Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Samuel Ortom of Benue State. Also at the meeting was former Cross River Governor, Donald Duke.

They arrived at Obasanjo’s Residence at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) 6:40pm in a long convoy and went straight into a closed door meeting with the former President.

Wike led the PDP leaders to inform and seek support of the former President of his presidential ambition.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the meeting, Obasanjo admitted that Wike informed him of his presidential bid, but he wished him well.

Obasanjo described Nigeria as a complex country, but not difficult to manage if administered by a “courageous leader”.

The former President reiterated that no single individual or party can restore Nigeria and called for an all Nigerian government.

“Of course, Governor Nyesom Wike as a presidential aspirant with Governor of Oyo, Governor of Benue, former Governor of Cross River and former Deputy Senate President and former Minister to express to me the desire and of course I made the point that I have always made that, I have ceased to be a partisan politician, I don’t belong to any political party, but if politics is the welfare of the people, I cannot cease to be a politician because I must always seek the welfare of the people.

“And of course, you all know what the situation of Nigeria is and anybody who doesn’t know that, is either not a Nigerian or is not being truthful to himself or herself and we need, as I often said, no one individual can say yes I can do it, because the situation Nigeria is today, we need all hands, all Nigerian hands on deck to restore Nigeria and that is what Governor Wike is saying to me.

“Courage, he doesn’t lack it, and if you have courage and you have conviction to speak your mind, well you will have a saying in this part of the world that a person who speaks the truth all the time may not even get a mat spread for him because you will incur the displeasure of people, but you need the truth to be spoken and to get ourselves moved Nigeria on the path of unity.

“Of course, we cannot get unity if there is no justice, if there is no fairness, if there is no equity. And when you have the basic ingredients that will bring unity and inclusiveness, then all other things will take their position. You will remove conflict, you will be able to deal with this pernicious issue of insecurity and of course the issue of economy and the wholesomeness of the society.”

Responding, Wike said, he has the courage and capacity to tame the nation’s insecurity if elected as President.

On the lack of zoning of PDP presidential ticket, Wike said: “It’s not as if I am championing zoning, it’s provided in the constitution of PDP, section 7 (3c) provides clearly, in clear terms, unambiguity that there shall be zoning of political and elective offices. That’s what we are talking about in Nigeria.

“Personal ambition will make us avoid or not do the right thing with impunity. But again, since they have decided there is no zoning, we are not running away, we have the capacity.

“As it stands today, you know that, I’m the only candidate everybody is afraid of. You know because obviously I have gone round.”

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